There is NO Controversey!

Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Robert Henderson

I remember the opening game of 1999, Dan Marino's last season, when the Dolphins were in Denver. This was also, then second year quarterback, Brian Griese's debut as a starter. I can't remember many specifics from the game, apart from the fact that I knew the Dolphins would win. One other moment from that game sticks out in my mind. Brian Griese, early on in the game, it might have been the first score of the game, actually, connected with wide receiver, Ed McCaffery on a 50+ yard touchdown strike. Griese caught McCaffery in stride as he raced into the endzone ahead of the Dolphins' secondary. After witnessing that touchdown pass I knew that this guy was going to be good.

Four years later, and after a 2000 appearance in the Pro Bowl, Brian Griese is now with the Dolphins. He is now playing on the team he grew up rooting for, the team he grew up dreaming of playing on, and now he is on that team. However, he is only the backup quarterback for now, behind starting quarterback Jay Fiedler, but many think he will capture that starting spot as early as this season.

Many people forget that Jay Fiedler is 28-13 as a starter in three years with the Dolphins. He won his 25th game in his 35th start which is something like 3rd best all time. He started off the season last year 5-1, only to break his thumb (in Denver) and be sidelined for 6 games. Fiedler was 7-3 last season as the Dolphins' starter, and had he the chance to play the six games he missed, he might have taken the team to the playoffs for a third consecutive year. Sure, he may not be the greatest quarterback who ever lived, but he certainly isn't the worst.

There is something about Fiedler that people just do not like. When Ray Lucas was brought in to be the Dolphins backup QB two years ago, people wanted him to compete for the starting job. Last year, Lucas got his chance to start when Fiedler suffered his thumb injury. He went 2-4, losing the first 3 starts. Fiedler has clearly been the best quarterback for the Dolphins the past three years, and now some new guy who happens to be Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese's son comes into the picture and suddenly people decide that he should be immediately made the starter. This is ludicrous.

Griese just lost his job in Denver to Jake Plummer, who has done nothing worth mentioning in Arizona since he entered the league. What does this say? Griese hasn't been awful the past two seasons, but he certainly hasn't been great either. He threw 38 touchdown passes, but also 34 interceptions. His average QB rating over the past two seasons is an 82.05. Fiedler, on the other hand, hasn't done great things either, but if you want to compare stats, his are still slightly better. Over the past two seasons, Fiedler has an average QB rating of 82.75, and has thrown 34 touchdown passes against 28 interceptions. Not much of a difference right? So, why should Griese get the starting job?

Fiedler has a year of Norv's system under his belt, and he is bound to improve this season. Griese has missed most of the Dolphins mini-camp and is having to spend is spare time learning the system. Yesterday (6/15) was his first day of practice with the team. "I had so many things going on in my head as far as the offense is concerned and trying to get the plays out of my mouth," Griese said. "I forgot a few things and guys were looking at me kind of funny. It's going to take me a little while to get all the terminology and verbiage right."

There will be a lot more confusion, and perhaps will take the whole season behind Fiedler for Griese to become completely comfortable with the new system, especially because it is vastly different from the West Coast designed offense of Mike Shanahan. "The play we have [as] 548 F-Drag is what they call Flanker Drive X-Comeback," Norv Turner said. "If you drew it up, it looks exactly the same. [Griese] has to take their call and transfer it to our terminology. And he's obviously got to get used to all the players." Also keep in mind that Fiedler is a former QB coach, so he should be a great help to Griese.

Although the fans and media have already starting trying to create a quarterback controversy between Fiedler and Griese, Fiedler is trying his hardest to have a good relationship with his backup QB. Fiedler had Griese over to his house for a barbeque the other night in order for the two teammates to get to know each other, and to make sure that Fiedler knew Griese didn't think of himself as a competitor to Fiedler, but as a teammate. "We just got to know each other and bonded a little bit," Fiedler said. "I expect us to become pretty good friends around here. It was just two teammates getting together, getting to know each other."

Griese is not by any means a bad quarterback, in fact, he might even become the starter next season if Jay Fiedler does not play well this year. But let that happen first. It hasn't happened yet.

Robert Henderson can be reached by e-mailing webmaster@miamidolphinsbahamas.com.