People need to differentiate between Jay Fiedler the man, and Jay Fiedler the quarterback. Jay Fiedler the man is obviously a great person. He plays hard. He never blames anyone but himself regardless of the situation. He leads through example. And like his supporters always say, he has a great win percentage. But, that is not how you judge a player. If that were the case, Tim Ruddy, Todd Perry, and Brock Marion would still be starting. One cannot simply look at any players win percentage with a team, even the quarterback, and blindly say that he should remain the starter. There is every possibility that Miami has had such a high win percentage during his tenure as starting quarterback in spite of Jay Fiedler, not because of him.
It is obvious that you do not need a Michael Vick or Peyton Manning under center to win the Super Bowl, but you do need a few key strengths. The quarterback must be smart and fearless in the clutch. He must be accurate. And he must possess the "threat" of completing every NFL pass on the field.
Arguably, Jay Fiedler does not possess any of these assets. Although I would concede that he is fearless, he is not quarterback smart in the clutch despite his Dartmouth degree. His rating in the fourth quarter (23.0), on third downs (35.7), and when Miami is behind (60.9) are alarming. Secondly, Jay Fiedler is not an accurate quarterback. The best example I can give of this is that Chris Chambers, an elite talent at wide reciever, has been injured twice in the last three years because Jay hung him out to dry. Accurately placing the ball where the reciever can protect himself is something that Fiedler has not been able to do. Lastly, I think people overlook the fact that Jay can only complete the short slant and short out with regularity. Miami cannot run a deep out, or deep post, or even a flag for that matter. Jay does not provide the arm strength or accuracy to do those things. Because of his inability to make those requisite NFL throws, teams load eight men in the box, and only have to patrol the sidelines.
Jay Fiedler is an upstanding individual, but his skill warrant a backup status. I am not going to stand here and say that A.J. brings all these characteristics to the Dolphins. Nobody, including Rick Spielman can give a for sure answer in the affirmative. But, he may bring those skills. Jay on the other hand, I can confidently say does not bring those skills. He is a detriment to the offense when he enters the game, and Ricky and Chris deserve better. This team will not take the next step with Jay Fiedler under center.
It is obvious that you do not need a Michael Vick or Peyton Manning under center to win the Super Bowl, but you do need a few key strengths. The quarterback must be smart and fearless in the clutch. He must be accurate. And he must possess the "threat" of completing every NFL pass on the field.
Arguably, Jay Fiedler does not possess any of these assets. Although I would concede that he is fearless, he is not quarterback smart in the clutch despite his Dartmouth degree. His rating in the fourth quarter (23.0), on third downs (35.7), and when Miami is behind (60.9) are alarming. Secondly, Jay Fiedler is not an accurate quarterback. The best example I can give of this is that Chris Chambers, an elite talent at wide reciever, has been injured twice in the last three years because Jay hung him out to dry. Accurately placing the ball where the reciever can protect himself is something that Fiedler has not been able to do. Lastly, I think people overlook the fact that Jay can only complete the short slant and short out with regularity. Miami cannot run a deep out, or deep post, or even a flag for that matter. Jay does not provide the arm strength or accuracy to do those things. Because of his inability to make those requisite NFL throws, teams load eight men in the box, and only have to patrol the sidelines.
Jay Fiedler is an upstanding individual, but his skill warrant a backup status. I am not going to stand here and say that A.J. brings all these characteristics to the Dolphins. Nobody, including Rick Spielman can give a for sure answer in the affirmative. But, he may bring those skills. Jay on the other hand, I can confidently say does not bring those skills. He is a detriment to the offense when he enters the game, and Ricky and Chris deserve better. This team will not take the next step with Jay Fiedler under center.
