A solid backup plan

Dolphins absolutely made the right move in signing Griese

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Sitting in Continental Airlines Arena, 15 rows from the ice, following the Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I realized something about hockey that separates it from football and the other major sports. I thought of it when I saw one of sports' all-time invisible men, defenseman Ken Daneyko, skate to the south end of the rink with the 35-pound Stanley Cup held over his head. He was smiling so hard and for so long that I could almost count how many real teeth he has left in the front of his mouth. (Looked like five to me.) I thought of why it was a great moment in sports.

Selflessness.

Daneyko has played, and played well, for the Devils longer than anyone else (since the 1983-84 season). But New Jersey head coach Pat Burns scratched Daneyko in favor of a better-skating, younger defenseman, Oleg Tverdovsky, early in the playoffs. And through each of the first six games of the Stanley Cup finals, Daneyko sat. Every day the writers went to him to ask how he felt about it. Of course he was ticked off about it, but he wouldn't hint at saying anything critical about the team or the coach in the papers. I thought: Incredible guy.

He's been an in-the-trenches player since the Devils were the NHL’s answer to the NBA’s Clippers, and now that New Jersey was finally on top, Daneyko couldn't get on the ice, and yet he wouldn't whine about it. Ken Daneyko and his priceless attitude are why a lot of people who really love sports think hockey is the last big sport that is untouched by IQ -- the Idiot Quotient, as I call it -- of the players.

I was reminded of this trait after listening to a couple of radio shows that day discuss the merits of the Miami Dolphins signing Brian Griese to back up Jay Fiedler -- and, perhaps, to come in and take Fiedler's job. The sentiment on the radio (and, I take it from what I've read in some South Florida publications, elsewhere in the public eye, too) was a sincere debate about whether the Dolphins had slapped Fiedler in the face by signing Griese.

One of the dumbest discussions I hear about pro football is whether it's a good idea to bring in a quality backup quarterback. Will it affect the psyche of the incumbent? Will the team divide into camps behind each guy? Will the starter play worse with someone looking over his shoulder?

What a bunch of bunk. It's a stupid argument, first of all, because the only thing players and fans and GMs should be concerned with is what gives the team the best chance to win. In this case, is Griese better than Ray Lucas? Of course. The Dolphins would have been nuts to not improve their backup quarterback situation from Lucas to Griese, especially after watching Fiedler play the final few games of the 2002 season. Miami needed to win one of its last two to make the playoffs. In Week 16, Fiedler played OK, generating three scoring drives against Minnesota's 26th-rated defense as the Vikings won, 20-17. Then he went 11-for-25 at New England in Week 17, failing to complete a pass on either of the Dolphins' last two drives as they blew a 24-13 lead and lost in overtime.

The fact that Griese may be better than Fiedler (I believe Griese will be the Dolphins' starting quarterback by October, despite Dave Wannstedt's stirring defense of Fiedler) is a plus, not a minus. As for Fiedler's feelings, I say that if a starting quarterback can't take the heat of a good player behind him, how is he going to respond to the heat of the Jets' pass rush in the fourth quarter? One of the great cliches in sports today is about "focus." So-and-so didn't play well because he lost his focus. I'll tell you about focus. The only thing you as fans and the players as players should be focusing on is what might make a team more successful. And Brian Griese backing up Jay Fiedler is a major positive step for the Dolphins as they try to get over the hump and play in a Super Bowl. Are the Dolphins significantly better at quarterback entering 2003 than they were in 2002? Yes. That's all I need to hear about Fielder's feelings, or whether it's a good idea for team chemistry to bring in Griese.

Living in the New York suburbs, I have laughed as the Mets' have struggled for two years trying to nudge Mike Piazza out from behind the plate and over to first base, or wherever they could put him so his defense -- and particularly his throwing arm -- won't continue to hurt the team. I've been driven particularly batty when the subject of Piazza chasing Carlton Fisk's all-time home run record for a catcher comes up. If Piazza breaks this record or any record while doing everything he can to help his team win, then fine. If a record or a statistic EVER gets in the way of a team having its best chance to win, then we have a problem. A big problem. Piazza may be a magnanimous fellow with a big heart, but he didn't show me much by not just saying, "Whatever is the best thing to help this team win, I'm all for." Instead, he staked his claim at catcher and has been so defensive about moving that you're convinced he wants to play the position no matter what the best thing is for his team. It's a moot point now, because Piazza's hurt, but I would have a lot more respect for him if he'd gotten out his first baseman's mitt before the injury and shown some enthusiasm about doing what was best for the team.

Piazza and the rest of the sports world could learn loads from Daneyko and the Devils. I doubt they will, but I wish they would.

"Last year, we lost to Pittsburgh when we should have won the game. So that's one of those 'coulda-shoulda-woulda' stories, but that isn't going to cut it anymore. It's Super Bowl to me every year. I never think playoffs or just winning our division. That's chump change. I want that big prize at the end -- that Super Bowl."
—Cleveland defensive end Kenard Lang, at the Browns' mini-camp Friday

Next week is my last column before vacation. Then I'll go four weeks without writing before I return July 28 with some sort of training camp preview. Don't know why I said that here. I guess it's because I don't have a specific spot in the column to make such groundbreaking announcements as that one.

ANOTHER COUNTRY HEARD FROM ON PLUMMER/GRIESE. From Rickey Galloway of Pelham, Ala.: "I think Jake Plummer at his best is equal to Brian Griese at his worst! Is it more to this than just skills? What is the deal with Griese? I'm not seeing what all the experts are seeing. This guy is a solid No. 1 quarterback."

Rickey, what it came down to in Denver was a coach who liked Griese, but didn't think he was either a leader of men or a big-game player. I'm convinced if Griese had beaten Oakland either time last year, and played well doing it, he’d still be the Denver quarterback today. Plummer will have to go a ways to become more accurate than Griese, but right now I think he'll be a better player for Mike Shanahan because he'll take the chances Shanahan wishes Griese had taken, and he'll be a better guy in the huddle and off the field than Griese was -- at least in the coach's eyes.

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO GET INSANELY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE PACK. From Michael Neau of Mount Pleasant, Wis.: "As training camp draws ever closer, and I look at the Packers schedule, two things come to mind: I think the Packers have an excellent chance to start 6-0 before heading into St. Louis and Minnesota. And it may be just me, but I keeping pinpointing the Green Bay-Tampa Bay matchup as possibly the most anticipated of the year, simply because of the horrible incident with Chad Clifton last season, and the Mike Sherman/Warren Sapp verbal exchange after the game. It was a legal hit, but it was a cheap shot. Sapp better keep looking over his shoulder during that game, because as much as the Packers will want to beat Tampa, there will be other agendas on the minds of the Packers players. Your thoughts on these two subjects?"

Well, obviously the Packers will be favored in their first three games -- Minnesota and Detroit at home, at Arizona -- and then there's the Monday-nighter at the new Soldier Field with the Bears, and Seattle and Kansas City at home. Looking at the Packers' schedule right now, I think there's a good chance they'll be giving points in all six games. But you and I have no idea right now how good the Bears will be, and the Seattle team that opens October at Lambeau could be either the hottest team in football or another disappointing group that will get Mike Holmgren fired. I still worry -- as do the Packers, I'm sure -- about the quality of the Green Bay defense. Who's going to get the consistent pass-rush, and where's the linebacker quality and depth? As for the Tampa Bay game, it'll be compelling, but I think it was pretty interesting how the Packers players responded to the Sapp hit. They were nowhere near as incensed about it as Sherman was. This game will make, but not top, my most anticipated matchups of the season, which, now that you have me thinking about it, are:

8. Packers at Bears, Sept. 29 (Monday). The Monsters of Midway open what the Chicago Tribune calls the "Monstrosity on the Midway," the $400 million, redesigned Soldier Field, against their archrivals.

INTERESTING POINT ON MINORITY COACHES. From Ray Scott of Austin, Texas: "Should the NFL start looking to the NBA model for hiring minority coaches? The NBA coaches have been coming and going over the past few months and no one would dare mention problems with hiring practices because the league has done a great job with the matter. I guess it also helps that guys such as Bill Russell, K.C. Jones and Lenny Wilkens have not only won games, but have won rings early. I know the NFL is more traditional, but the NBA has proven in the past and presently (six black coaches in the playoffs this season -- Isiah Thomas, Frank Johnson, Maurice Cheeks, Doc Rivers, Paul Silas and Byron Scott returning to the Finals) that they can be successful. I say to the NFL: Take notes."

Sounds like a great idea. I wish I knew more about the NBA way. Seems that league has a terrific pool of candidates, and everyone dips into it liberally.

I HAVE MY SAY ON RON DAYNE. From Tom Caste of Pittsburgh: "As a Wisconsin alum, I realize that I must try to be objective and realistic in my assessment of Ron Dayne. I watched him for four years rumble and slash his way to an incredible NCAA record. Note that I did not just say 'rumble,' as some meathead fullback might. This guy outran cornerbacks and hit holes like a bat out of hell. He could just plain run. Now he's the league whipping boy. Do you think he's a bust?"

Yes. Think back to his runs at Wisconsin. How often would you say he got hit behind the line, or at the line, and then made five or six yards? Two percent of the time? One percent? I'm probably being generous. Ron Dayne has failed miserably because he can't bounce off or steamroll a linebacker at the point of attack and then make four yards, which is what every Giants fan was led to believe he'd be able to do two or three times a game. Dayne never, ever, ever makes more yards than he should. He is Harold Green, and that's an insult to Green. Heck, he's not even Moe Williams. The Giants blew it big-time on Dayne, as is their history. They've been vastly overrating Big Ten players and Notre Dame players for two decades.

SOMEONE'S MAD AT BILL PARCELLS. From Freddy L. of Rapid City, S.D.: "Did I miss something? Did I miss the press conference where Bill Parcells officially declared that he had lost his mind? Because that's the way I feel after he declared that he would not try to sign Griese. Sure, Griese has struggled a little the past couple of years, but with Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson, shouldn't he be more concerned about the most important position on the field? I am a huge Cowboys fan, so when Parcells was hired, I was ecstatic, but I just don't know how he'll hold up with Quincy/Chad. What do you think?"

I don't like it much. I'm on your side. I think Dallas should have signed Griese. But the Cowboys have invested a load of money in Hutchinson, and Parcells thinks he'd never be able to develop if they'd brought in Griese. As I said, I would have signed Griese. By the way, I don't believe Hutchinson's as hopeless as you think he is. I think he'll be pretty good, in time. How much time, I don't know.

Regarding the debate over which hat Roger Clemens -- who said over the weekend he would boycott the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony if he couldn't enter the Hall as a Yankee -- should have on his bust in Cooperstown come 2009:

1. Clemens played 13 years in Boston. He has played five in New York.

2. Of Clemens' 300 victories, 64 percent came with the Red Sox, and 22 percent have come with the Yankees.

I think it is sad for sports that the Yankees bought Clemens' affections when 90 percent of the rest of baseball couldn't afford to take such an expensive risk on an aging player. But I also think Clemens should be able to make the decision which hat his bust will have on it.

I also think, a la Fisk, that Clemens' opinion in 2007 could be different than his opinion in 2003. Fisk hated the Red Sox late in his career, but time healed some of those wounds.

In the end, it's not such a big deal. It really isn't. In an era such as this one, players are going to move from team to team, feelings are going to get hurt, fans are going to get angry over what they think is betrayal. That's just sports today.

1. I think, speaking of Wannstedt and Fiedler and Griese, here's what the coach says about the hold Fiedler has on the job: "I can tell you right now, Jay's going to have a great year, and Jay is going to be healthy. That's going to be my stance. You guys are going to get sick of me saying that, so you might as well get ready. Every day is not going to be me commenting on the quarterbacks after practice." Dave, you can say whatever you'd like on this issue. It won't matter. This story will spring to life when Fiedler has his first eight-of-22 clunker against Buffalo, and there's nothing you can do about it.

2. I think, and this will be my last point on Fiedler/Griese, that the new guy is handling it perfectly. "This team does not need controversy," Griese said last week. "It needs consistency. Hopefully that's what I will bring. I'm going to support Jay in any way I can. I think Jay is going to play well and have a heck of a year. In case something happens I'm here so that what happened last year won't happen again." See why I really like this guy? Plus, he's a 66-percent passer. Can't go wrong with him in the stable.

3. I think the best thing about the Redskins' offseason, and I am only slightly exaggerating here, happened last week when linebacker/backbone Jeremiah Trotter returned to practice nearly seven months after tearing two knee ligaments. Trotter is vital to the Redskins in several ways. Washington overpaid to get him in the first place, and, while he's still only 26 (I find that amazing; it seems as if he's been around long enough to be 30), he has to play well for the Redskins to be a solid defensive team.

4. I think, in the end, that the Thomas Jones-for-Marquise Walker deal makes sense, but it's also a trade that I think will have zero impact on each team. Walker's more likely to help the Cardinals than Jones is to help the Bucs, because the Cards are so weak at wideout. So much of this depends on whether Michael Pittman does jail time after being indicted on charges he used his Hummer to ram his wife's car. But Jones had 63 chances to be the man in Arizona and never grabbed any of them, so I don’t have much faith in him to do it in Tampa.

5. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. Coffeenerdness. I have it on good authority that Starbucks is a couple of weeks away from becoming more of a coffee bar than ever. It's going to introduce a line of coffee drinks that the baristas will make by shaking them like martinis. I'm serious.

b. The Cardinals-Red Sox matchup last Thursday and the Astros-Red Sox Father's Day tussle were two of the best games I've ever seen. Down 3-0 in the ninth against St. Louis, the Red Sox got three runs to tie it. Down by two in the 10th, they tied it up again. Down by three in the 11th, they put up two more to come close. On Sunday, on a postcard of a day at Fenway, they went 14 against the Astros' terrific bullpen and won on an unlikely sacrifice bunt by Nomar Garciaparra and a line single to win from Manny Ramirez. Pitching will do them in eventually, but the Sox are a fun team to watch right now.

c. You would have enjoyed the sight at Mount Hebron Field in Upper Montclair, N.J., on Sunday. My Father's Day request to Mary Beth King, the Montclair High junior southpaw, was for her to pitch to me -- and to a few parents of the softball team my wife and I coach, the 10-and-under Montclair Bears. I swung at four of her 58-mph throws, and once at a 42-mph change. I looked sick as I whiffed on her change. I missed one fastball. I hit three ground balls, one hard. The amazing thing about going up against a long-striding pitcher in softball is that it seems as if she's on top of you when the pitch is being released. Pretty intimidating. Kudos to Mary Beth and to her catcher, Jess Sarfati, and her shortstop, Kaitlin (I like Derek Jeter a Lot, and I Play Just Like Him) Giannetti for their Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League first-team honors.

d. Mary Beth's take on the Clemens hat debate: “He should wear both."

e. I cannot wait to stop reading about Jason Kidd's future. Memo to New York-area writers covering the NBA Finals: Some days you can actually write about the games. You don't have to include a references to Kidd's free-agent future in every story. One more thought about the finals: When Kenyon Martin scores 10 points in the final eight quarters, it's not good for your chances to win.

f. I see The Sopranos is on course for its next season to begin next March, approximately. Wouldn't it be nice to make up the rules as you go along, as this show does? How do you have 17 months between the end of one season and the beginning of another? Anthony Jr.'s going to be gray when we ever see a new episode.

g. It's been a long time since I laughed as uncontrollably as I did during Bruce Almighty the other night, when Jim Carrey made his rival, the prepster TV anchor, speak in nonsensical tongues.

h. Of all the little vacationy things I'm looking forward to, I think going to a Cape Cod League baseball game on Fourth of July weekend is pretty near the top of the list.

6. I think I'm laughing at the people in Chicago who are up in arms at the bastardization of Soldier Field. They're angry at how the renovation turned out. They think it looks like a spaceship crunched into a national landmark. First of all, Chicago, let me remind you of a thing or two about Soldier Field, pre-renovation. It was sort of classy from the outside. Sort of. I like the columns. Inside, it was the biggest dump of all time. The concourses stunk, the bowels of the joint stunk, the access roads stunk ... it was the headache of all headaches. Maybe this new place won't be pretty, but, believe me, anything would be an improvement over the old one.

7. I think Travis Henry will lead the NFL in rushing this year.

8. I think the only thing I'd tweak about the NFL game right now is the length of games. Last season's average was 3:07:50, the longest ever. That's three minutes longer than 2001, five minutes longer than '97, almost 10 minutes longer than '90. It's not necessary. My one fix: Make the referees go in and out of the replay process quicker. They amble and half-jog too slowly going back and forth to the on-field replay hoods. And cut each replay review's maximum time by 30 seconds.

9. I think the most interesting 2002 stat I've seen, after poring over some Competition Committee sheets, is this: The field goal percentage, leaguewide, was .775 last year. The percentage was higher in every season from 1996-2000. The reason? My money's on the K ball. That's the new, virgin football kickers and punters must use now, instead of the compressible, softer balls they used to break in before games. A newer ball is harder to kick, kickers say.

10. I think the Eagles, in the midst of contract hassles with cornerback Bobby Taylor and running back Duce Staley, should hold firm. Taylor, who turns 30 this year, is an above-average cornerback. He is due to make $4.1 million this year. Staley is a marginal starting back at this point of his life, and will probably get beaten out for the starting job by Correll Buckhalter. He's due to make $2.5 million. On anyone's salary scale, what is unjust about that?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Monday Morning Quarterback appears in this space every week. Click here to send him a comment.

 

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