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Miami's vice Dolphins QB Fiedler key to AFC East race
Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King spoke with CNN/Sports Illustrated anchor Bob Lorenz on Sunday about Week 13's storylines on NFL Preview: Bob Lorenz: News from Denver is not good. Quarterback Brian Griese is out until at least Dec. 17, and running back Terrell Davis' absence again [Sunday] is becoming even more perplexing, why? Peter King: The Denver Broncos are very perplexed about what exactly is causing Davis to miss all these games. Now keep in mind that Davis came into this season coming off major knee surgery, and then early in the season he suffered a high ankle sprain. Lately he has developed a sore shin and the Broncos have no idea why it is sore. This week the Broncos sent Davis to an orthopedic specialist in Oakland where he had an MRI of the ankle, the knee and the shin and they found nothing wrong. But Davis told head coach Mike Shanahan that it's too sore and he can't play. Davis will be inactive [Sunday] against the Seahawks; the Broncos will have to go with rookie Mike Anderson. The Broncos are beginning to ask themselves if they are going to have Davis at all for the rest of this year. I talked to Shanahan [on Saturday night] and he said he had no idea whether Terrell was going to be able to play. Lorenz: Can Damon Huard get the job done [Sunday] for the Miami Dolphins? King: Well, with all apologies to Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Vinny Testaverde and Eric Moulds, the most valuable player in the AFC's pennant race is Fiedler, and I'll tell you why. Last week, before going to Miami to cover the Dolphins, I went to NFL Films to watch some film of Fielder, because I hadn't seen him play this year. He makes every throw that they ask him to make. He makes the far throws across the field, he can throw the deep ball. Fielder has a much better arm and is more mobile than anybody gives him credit for. I asked Shanahan on Saturday. "What do you think of Fiedler?" His response was, "If it came down to Fielder or [Denver backup QB] Gus Frerotte, I would rather have had Fielder on this team this year." Fielder has earned a lot of respect, and there is no way the Miami Dolphins can do what they want to do on offense without Fiedler at quarterback. Lorenz: Peter, who would you go with as quarterback for the Redskins, Jeff George or Brad Johnson? King: I'm going to agree with Trev Alberts for the first time and go with Johnson. Here's why George is not good against a good pass rush: He is a guy who has a lot of difficulty when he has to scan the field. [Sunday against Philadelphia] he is going to face a good secondary and a good pass rush. If he can do that, then he should be the starter, but I don't think he can do that. Johnson will be back next week. Lorenz: Giants head coach Jim Fassel has guaranteed a playoff berth for his team and it appears that the 7-4 Giants can do it, facing only one team down the stretch with a winning record. But they haven't made the playoffs since Fassel's first year as coach. Peter, what do you think? King: Well, I think it is absolutely vital for Fassel and the Giants to make the playoffs, but I don't think that's necessarily enough. If the Giants get in as the sixth seed -- the last seed in the playoffs -- and go and lose by 21 points in a wild-card game, I still think there is a good chance that the Giants will replace Fassel. The key question now is, "What does this do to his team?" Fassel, although he is well-liked by his players, he is not a guy who puts the fear of God into his players, and I do think if they hire a new coach and replace Fassel at the end of the year it will be a guy like Marty Schottenheimer, the former Kansas City head coach who is more of a disciplinarian, more of a guy that his defense and especially the running game would really respect. Lorenz: Brock Huard gets the start at quarterback [Sunday] in Seattle. Peter, what is the future at quarterback in Seattle? King: It is a future yet to be written. I spoke to head coach Mike Holmgren on Saturday and asked him about free agents about trading for Trent Green or Brad Johnson, and Holmgren said, "You forgot one viable option, in my mind right now, and it's Brock Huard. I have the next five weeks to see." I talked to Huard on Saturday also and he said, "The only guy who is going to decide this is me. If I play well then I am going to put Mike in a position where he is maybe going to build a future around me." I think that is a legitimate opportunity, each possibility is 33 percent right now, because Holmgren really doesn't know what he is going to do. Lorenz: What is the future for Miami Hurricanes head coach Butch Davis? Might the NFL come calling? King: Well, I think Davis is a torn man right now. I talked to Davis this week he'd be happy to stay at Miami and he'd be happy to consider other jobs. I do think it would be very difficult for him to turn down the Houston Texans expansion team job, if offered. It is not at all the case right now that Davis is far above everybody else on the Houston Texans list. Owner Bob McNair hasn't even decided if he is going to hire a head coach this offseason or wait because they don't start play until 2002. Whoever it is offered to it is going to come from a list of four candidates if it is offered this year: Davis; Walt Harris, the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh; Gary Kubiak, offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, is very high on their list -- despite the people who say he is not, he is; and Dom Capers, the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator. Lorenz: Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was very happy following his team's win against the Rams on Monday night. Was he too happy? King: Well after the Redskins defeated the Rams on Monday night, Snyder, for the first time this year, got up in front of his team and said all these great things about how you kicked their rear ends and great job. Snyder also told them you guys deserve to party for two days and then come back ready to work and get ready for Philadelphia. But then head coach Norv Turner had to get up and say party for one day, you've got to be back at work Wednesday morning. So even when it seems like everyone is happy and in a celebratory mood, you've got Snyder saying go out and party; Turner saying be serious, it just seems that these are two guys that are just never going to get it together.
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