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In Miami, life A.D. Dolphins begin quarterback search 'after Dan'
Posted: Wednesday May 03, 2000 04:12 PM
DAVIE, Fla. -- His locker remains as he left it, enclosed in glass, a lasting reminder to the legacy of Dan Marino. And among all the equipment are the immense shoes the next starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins has to fill. "Just the quarterback position of the Miami Dolphins has been of such high quality going back to (Bob) Griese in the '70s and continuing with Dan in '80s and '90s," says candidate Jay Fiedler. "It's a position that's been of high stature so far, and hopefully one of us can continue with that." Damon Huard, who many consider to be Marino's replacement in 2000, has high expectations of himself. "When I was playing last year with the team," he says, "we were 5-1. "So right there, that is a pretty high standard to stay up to that level, to win ballgames, get this team to the playoffs and hopefully, the Super Bowl. But Miami needs much more than just a new quarterback. The Dolphins' NFL rankings indicate a lack of defense, running game, scoring punch and too many turnovers. And if that wasn't enough, they're breaking in a new coach, a new offensive coordinator and they didn't have a first-round draft pick this year. In the meantime, four quarterbacks will compete for the chance to succeed Marino: Huard, Fiedler, Scott Zolak and Jim Druckenmiller. And one will take over a redesigned Dolphins offense that's no longer built around Marino's powerful right arm. The man who will oversee that change is Chan Gailey, a former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys who is now Miami's new offensive coordinator.
"We're going to try to run the football effectively, and build things around that," Gailey says. "We're going to have a solid drop-back package and a solid third-down package and try to get those basic concepts in place. Then you start to play with whatever your players' strengths are." First-year head coach Dave Wannstedt, who replaces the departed Jimmy Johnson, knows exactly where that begins. "The strength of our football team is defense," he says. "We've got an All-Pro field-goal kicker (Olindo Mare), a Pro Bowl punter (Matt Turk), and good return guys. Offensively, we're going to be improved, but we have to be efficient on offense." Tony Martin, the team's leading wide receiver last year, says it has been a real battle between the four candidates. "It's the most competitive position out there right now," says Martin. "(They're) making some good throws and pushing each other."
Huard is the frontrunner for the job. He's spent three years as a backup in Miami and performed well last season when Marino was out with an injury by throwing for eight touchdowns with only four interceptions. "Last year, getting chance to play, an opportunity, my confidence is pretty high. I feel good about my abilities and what I can do in helping this team. But at the same time, I want to be more level-headed." That confidence also has rubbed off on some of the other players. "He won six games last year with us, and we did a real good job with him at quarterback," Martin says. "So he still has that confidence and cockiness about him that he is going to get the job done." Huard will be challenged by Fiedler, a six-year veteran who joined the Dolphins as a free agent after backing up Mark Brunell in Jacksonville last year. "I want to make a few plays when things break down," Fiedler says. "But really I want to make sure the players around me make the plays." Wannstedt says he will look to Fiedler's past to help the team make it in the future. "Coming from Jacksonville, he's been well-coached and they've won an awful lot of football games, so he's had a taste of it. That's always a plus." The Dolphins' quarterbacks will spend the summer learning Gailey's new offense and the Miami coaching staff is counting on them to battle for the starting job well into training camp. "There's a good balance of talent and experience, so they will continue to compete with each other and push each other," Gailey says. Huard knows this is the time when he and the others will be expected to make a move or else. "If you don't get the job done, they'll find someone else," he says. "It's a business, a cruel business. But that's the way it is and the way it should be." For a challenger like Fiedler, the fight for No. 1 is all about "competing, working as hard as you can. That you know every play down pat." And for that, the end reward will be beneficial to all. "Regardless of who ends up the starter, it's real good, healthy competition," said Wannstedt. "It's going to make both of them (Huard and Fiedler) and our entire football team better." That's something the Dolphins, and their quarterbacks need to be, if they're ever going to step out of Marino's shadow.
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