Sun-Sentinel:QB isn't the only issue

[TK]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-hyde23nov23,0,3750792.column?coll=sfla-sports-col

QB isn't the only issue

November 23, 2003

Dave Hyde

Who am I?

I haven't thrown more touchdowns than interceptions this season. I haven't thrown more than 250 yards in any game. My quarterback rating hovers, like a virus, in the low 70s.

And I'll be the Dolphins' starting quarterback today.

No matter who Dave Wannstedt has picked.

This is one of those little moments that confirms how troubled -- and how utterly desperate -- this offense is. You knew Wannstedt was grasping for motivational straws a few weeks ago upon guaranteeing this would be the "best running team" in the NFL's second half.

That thought didn't take.

Next Wannstedt said Kendall Newson was the receiving answer. Newson predictably wasn't. Then receiver Oronde Gadsden was re-signed after months of Wannstedt saying he wasn't needed.

Now, with the offense staggering through Sundays as if under heavy medication, the starting quarterback is being kept secret for strategic reasons. This is different than the issue facing tonight's opponent, Washington, which won't name its starter because Patrick Ramsey might not be healthy.

It's not even like last week's opponent, Baltimore, whose unannounced decision was between a second-stringer who had struggled mightily and a third-stringer who hadn't thrown a NFL pass in two seasons.

Jay Fiedler and Brian Griese are known quantities. And, even though everyone assumes Griese is starting, Wannstedt won't say so. Again: for strategic reasons.

"It does make a difference [in how defenses prepare]," he has insisted.

I know. Jay Fiedler runs more (or did before his knee injury). Brian Griese is more of an in-the-pocket passer (at least when not running for his life this year).

But if you wanted evidence beyond the static scoreboard for how troubled this offense is, consider what this non-announcement says: The Redskins have a defense Wannstedt feels he must trick into beating.

Baltimore last week I could understand. Tennessee or Indianapolis the weeks before even. But Washington's defense?

The Redskins are about as across-the-board bad as an NFL defense gets. They're 23rd in the league against the run, 25th against the pass, 26th in overall defense and (most important) 23rd in allowing points scored.

You need to trick this?

More good news for the Dolphins tonight: Washington ranks 28th in sacks. So even behind this line, Griese should be able to stand tall.

The bad news: This is the last weak defensive opponent.

In the next month, they play street toughs that rank among the NFL's elite in points allowed -- Dallas (second), New England (third), Philadelphia (eighth) and Buffalo (sixth).

So this is it. Late November. Week 11. It's now or probably never to find, if not a spark, at least some measure of mediocrity.

But even with this need to grab whatever confidence they're going to find, the coach hasn't felt confident enough to name the quarterback. All week, both have had to play this silly cat-and-mouse game over which one is starting.

These are two veterans fighting for their immediate futures, too, though I'll say it again: How you rate, grade, blame or excuse either Fiedler or Griese too much for this offense is a chore. Each has shortcomings. Griese hasn't protected the ball. Fiedler misses downfield. They have played out too much.

Griese has four touchdown passes and four interceptions. Fiedler has six TD passes and seven interceptions. Such numbers make you dig into the dusty trunk of yesteryear, when Dan Marino threw four touchdowns in one day to one receiver.

But do you know what everyone would be saying if Dan Marino were back there? Get him some help. Find him a supporting cast. These quarterbacks have such little help. The line cracks like walnuts. The receiving corps is more like the receiving corpse.

There's Ricky Williams, of course, as the one dramatic playmaker on the offense. But even his talent has been worn down by the lack of help and the defenses building entire Sundays upon stopping him. The running game has gone down a full yard from last season, from 4.7 yards a carry to 3.7.

Where do the quarterbacks fit in there? They fit. No doubt. And if the Dolphins don't finish strong they, like Wannstedt, will be looking elsewhere for a job. That's no state secret. It's just something everything can see plainly by now.

Tonight is the last chance for the offense to grab some momentum and ramp up toward the next month of games. Washington isn't a gimme. But it's as much a free throw as the Dolphins will have coming up.

There is a proper answer to the question of who the Dolphins quarterback will be tonight.

The proper answer, after looking over their seasons, is: Does it much matter?

Dave Hyde can be reached at dhyde@sun-sentinel.com.

[bulldog]

that's the Redskins under Spurrier, a 'free throw' to opponents and their media/fans