Six Points: Fiedler makes sense

 

In the era of the salary cap, money is often a determining factor for NFL teams considering an impact free agent. Sure, it's nice to upgrade a position, but you don't want to do so at the expense of your payroll structure.

 

Sometimes, however, the financial aspect of a deal has limited bearing. If a player is affordable, a team's principal concern is whether the situation will be mutually beneficial.

 

Such was the case in Tampa Bay last week. The Buccaneers were in the market for a backup quarterback, and veteran Jay Fiedler, an unheralded free agent, was available. The two sides appeared to be a perfect fit on many levels, not the least of which was that Fiedler had shown more interest in the Bucs than the bucks. He was also willing to come in and compete.

 

Given the limited success of 2005 starter Chris Simms, second-stringer Tim Rattay and the injured Luke McCown, Fiedler may actually end up being the team's best option at the quarterback position. A one-year contract was promptly worked out, with terms undisclosed.

 

The Cold, Hard Football Facts crew has been known to come to quick terms – especially on the streets of a red-light district. Hey, we have to find some way to score. We also carry gridiron analysis across the goal line. Lowering our shoulder into the soft midsection of the star-obsessed "pundits," we deliver an easy six points.

 

After struggling to get playing time with three other teams, Fiedler became Dan Marino's successor in Miami. The Dolphins had a winning record in each of the four seasons that he was the team's primary quarterback (2000-2003).

 

As a starter, Fiedler has a career mark of 37-23. His winning percentage of .617 ranks No. 9 among active quarterbacks who have started a minimum of 10 games.

 

Simms, the incumbent starting QB for the Bucs, is entering his fourth year in the league but has started a mere 12 regular-season games. He began the 2005 campaign as the backup to Brian Griese. Counting the playoffs, Simms has thrown more career interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11).

 

In his only postseason appearance, a 17-10 loss to Washington last year, Simms passed for just 198 yards and had two costly interceptions. The first one happened deep in Tampa territory, leaving the Redskins six yards away from the touchdown that would open the scoring. The second pick came with a minute remaining, sealing the defeat.

 

Fiedler graduated from Dartmouth in 1994 with a degree in engineering sciences. In addition to earning first-team All-Ivy League honors his junior and senior seasons, he also was named an academic All-Ivy selection those two years.

 

The only former Ivy Leaguer with more career passing yards than Fiedler's 11,844 is Hall of Famer Sid Luckman. A tailback at Columbia, Luckman operated out of Chicago's T-formation and guided the Bears to four NFL championships in the 1940s. He registered 14,686 passing yards over 12 years, but his top single season (2,712 in 1947) was bested by Fiedler (3,290 in 2001).

 

In 1994, Fiedler was an undrafted free agent who signed with Philadelphia. He made the roster in training camp and was the team's third-string quarterback for all 16 games. The following season, the Eagles hired Jon Gruden to be offensive coordinator, and he is credited with developing Fiedler.

 

Of course, Gruden is now the head coach in Tampa Bay, where he won a Super Bowl following the 2002 season. Fiedler had initially been pursued by the Bucs a year ago, when Miami first made him an unrestricted free agent, but he elected to sign with the Jets. What looked to be a better situation quickly deteriorated: Fiedler injured his right shoulder in the third game, costing him a starting opportunity, and New York finished 4-12. Now mostly recovered from a surgery that repaired his torn labrum, Fiedler is reportedly excited about the prospect of working with Gruden again.

 

Fiedler is the first quarterback to play for the NFL's three Florida teams: Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa Bay. In fact, although he has spent time with Philly, Minnesota and the N.Y. Jets, he has never started a game for a team located anywhere other than Florida.

 

To take it a step further, Fiedler flat-out flourishes there. Only the Cold, Hard Football Facts would know that he has a career record of 22-10 (.688) in the Sunshine State. Extracting a home loss to the Jets in 2000, when he was injured on the first play and never attempted a pass, Fiedler has won over 70 percent of his starts in Florida.

 

If Simms gets hurt or proves ineffective, the Bucs shouldn't hesitate to make Fiedler the new starter. Not only would he provide veteran leadership, but he also has a history of succeeding the first time he gets the call.

 

When he got his only start with Jacksonville at the end of the 1999 season, Fiedler led the Jaguars to a 24-7 victory over the Bengals. Opening as Miami's starting signal caller the next year, he orchestrated a 23-0 shutout of the Seahawks.

 

Here is a look at the numbers Fiedler compiled in his two previous starting debuts:

 

 

For a relatively small investment, the Buccaneers add a proven winner to their quarterback depth, someone who could provide a spark off the bench. Fiedler goes to a place where he knows the offensive system, can lend his experience and might see some playing time. Both parties are happy.

 

In the end, Tampa's signing of Fiedler had little to do with dollars and a lot to do with sense.