Getting to know . . . Dolphins' QB Jay Fiedler
Miami signal-caller is rich and ready to win
He's the only NFL starting quarterback with an Ivy League engineering diploma hanging above the mantel -- and the only one who had to pay his own way to college.
He's not Dan Marino -- probably never will be -- but he's not exactly Scott Zolak, either, winning 22 of 32 games he's started, second-best among quarterbacks only to a guy named Kurt Warner.
He's 30, he's single (but taken) and he's set for life after agreeing to a five-year, $24.5 million extension in February to stay in Miami.
Meet Dolphins quarterback, Dartmouth grad and native New Yorker Jay Fiedler, who sat down for a one-on-one chat earlier this week:
Q: Has the number 24,500,000 sunk in yet?
A: Well, I haven't seen all of that yet. (Laughing) No, it hasn't. But the $4 million that I got in the signing bonus is certainly more than I ever expected to see in one check. It was an exciting time. As a professional athlete, the one thing you always work for is to win. But you also realize that it is a business and you want to set yourself up and take advantage of the opportunities that are out there to financially secure yourself.
Q: How's that work? Do you just walk out of the room with a $4 million check?
A: Yep. Minus what Uncle Sam takes.
Q: Aren't you nervous carrying a check like that in your pocket?
A: Well, I didn't bring any security guards with me that day.
Q: Was it important to you to get paid after what you achieved last year (3,290 yards, 20 TDs)?
A: Yeah. It's as much a respect thing as it is a money thing. As an athlete, you want to be on a team that wants you, and the way that a team shows that they want you is with the dollar signs. That plays as much of a role in your decision as anything else. Certainly, the Dolphins have shown me ever since I got here -- whether it be with the contract or just by the coaches and administration backing me on and off the field -- more respect than any other team ever has.
Q: Think athletes are overpaid?
A: I don't think so, no. From what I've seen, especially in football, everyone earns every dollar that they get. I don't know if I can speak for other sports, but that's the money that's generated from TV revenue. You've got to remember: It's an entertainment business. We're going to get paid the amount of money that the show can generate. If the show is generating a lot of money, with television endorsements and gate receipts and everything else that goes into it, the people that put on the show should get the money.
Q: Seems like NFL players don't make the kind of dough that the A-Rods and Shaqs and the stars of other pro sports leagues do.
A: The biggest difference is that most of the other sports have guaranteed contracts. A football player is guaranteed money only when he makes the team. Really, the signing bonus is the only guaranteed money that 99 percent of football players get. In my example, I could sign a $24.5 million contract and not see half of it if things go badly or if I get injured. There are a lot of circumstances that go into it. Or just a salary cap casualty. You see that every year in the NFL right now: Veterans are just making too much money and have to take pay cuts on contracts they had signed earlier in their career, based on where they were then.
Q: How big a difference, in terms of wins and losses, will Ricky Williams have on things this year?
A: Ricky could make a very big difference. What Ricky gives us is that balance we've been looking for. It's going to keep defenses on their toes a lot more. Two years ago, we had a big running game and not as big a passing game. Last year, we had a bigger passing game than a running game. Now, we can threaten defenses with both aspects.
Q: What was your first impression of him when you met him?
A: Normal guy. A lot of people get caught up with their perceptions of the way they see him, but I started out with a clean slate and I like the guy. He's a great teammate to have, a hard worker, a funny guy.
Q: Best hair in the NFL?
A: He may have the most hair in the NFL. I don't know about that. I'd like to see what it looks like if he lets it all out.
Q: You were a cross-country star in high school and a decathlete in college. Still run?
A: I run to get in shape for football. I don't do a whole lot of distance work any more.
Q: What's your proudest running moment?
A: Winning the state championships in the pentathlon in New York.
Q: What do you like about running?
A: The individual competition. No one else can affect the race but myself. You go out there and the end result is going to rely on how hard you train and how well you prepared yourself to get to that point. Certainly, talent has a lot to do with it, but normally, in the end, it's the guy that worked the hardest and put the most into training that's going to come out on top.
Q: Ever done a marathon?
A: Nah. Don't plan on it, either.
Q: What's the toughest course you took in college?
A: Multivariable calculus.
Q: Multi what?
A: It's an advanced form of physics and calculus.
Q: How'd you end up at Dartmouth, anyway? It's not exactly a football factory.
A: I had come up with an injury my senior year in football. I was able to play through it, but did not have as good a season as I'd expected to have, so a lot of the Division I-A schools backed off of me. And it was also a situation where I wanted to play football and run track at the same time, and the Ivy League was the best opportunity for that. And it's certainly a place where you can get a great education, as well.
Q: Which NFL quarterback do you enjoy watching the most?
A: I love watching Kurt Warner. He's a guy who, just like me, came out of nowhere and was able to really hit the pinnacle of the NFL. He's won two MVP awards, he's won the Super Bowl, he's pretty much done it all. And three years ago, no one heard of him. He's a great story, a guy I like to hear about.
Q: You didn't bag groceries in Iowa like him, but it wasn't too long ago that you were a volunteer assistant coach at Hofstra. So you can relate, right?
A: Oh yeah. I was out of football for two years. I was very close to not ever coming back.
Q: Whose poster did you have on your wall when you were a little kid?
A: I had a poster of Dr. J and Larry Bird. I think I had one of the New York Mets team. And Walter Payton.
Q: Got any fun plans for the summer?
A: My dad has a summer camp in New York, so I always make it up there for a week. Haven't made any plans for any other trips, but I'll get out of town and go somewhere.
Q: What's in your CD player these days?
A: Rolling Stones Greatest Hits.
Q: What's your favorite movie of all-time?
A: The Natural.
Q: Favorite book?
A: The only book I've read in a while is the playbook. I'm too slow a reader. I'm an engineer, I don't get through words that easily.
Q: How about your favorite TV show?
A: Seinfeld.
Q: What's the hardest you've ever been hit?
A: The hardest hit I've taken was probably from Bryan Cox.
Q: Was it clean?
A: Uh, I think so.
"Getting to know . . ." with sports content editor Jeff D'Alessio will appear weekly in Florida Today.