IN MY OPINION
Will Dolphins kicker put his foot in his mouth?
Jay Feely was stellar last season, but he's not a roster lock yet -- partially because Miami's coaching brass doesn't like his outspoken nature.
Posted on Tue, Jun. 10, 2008
By ARMANDO SALGUERO
FELIX GONZALEZ / EL NUEVO HERALD
Dolphins kicker Jay Feely boots a 29-yard field goal against the Raiders with 6:10 left in the third quarter on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007.
Jay Feely connected on 21 of 23 field goals last season, which put him in the company of the NFL's most dependable kickers and in the conversation for Most Valuable Player on a Dolphins team that admittedly lacked good players.
So the assumption is that Jay Feely pretty much has it made now.
The assumption is that on a team needing so much help, Bill Parcells and Co. would turn their attention to those blighted areas of the roster and think about refurbishing the posh penthouse of consistent players much later.
But that won't be the case for Feely in the coming training camp.
Feely is on notice that his job is on the line despite the impressive field goal percentages. And the intriguing thing is, one reason Feely can't feel secure now has nothing to do with football.
Feely, you see, is a friendly, outspoken guy. And Parcells and general manager Jeff Ireland don't want their kicker being quite so friendly -- and definitely not outspoken.
Basically, the men who make up the new Dolphins administration believe kickers should be seen and not heard. And that hasn't been the way Feely has conducted his career so far.
He has been on The Learning Channel with his wife. He has worked on ESPN's First Take. Last year, he had a regional radio show. He has been something of a media darling and also the object of national attention, as Saturday Night Live did a skit about him a few years ago.
Feely also considers himself
a team leader, a go-to guy when younger players need advice and reporters need perspective.
But none of that fits into the ''be seen and not heard'' philosophy the Dolphins brain trust now covets. So has Feely been told, basically, to stay out of the media spotlight?
''Yes,'' Feely said succinctly.
How does he feel about that?
''I am,'' Feely said, biting his tongue, ``going to do the things
I need to do to make the people
I work for happy, even if I don't always agree with it.''
The irony here is that Parcells pretty much put a spotlight on Feely last week when he spoke publicly about the team for the first time. In discussing much of the roster, Miami's football czar was effusive about punter Brandon Fields but curt when talking about Feely.
''There will be competition there,'' Parcells said about the job of kicking field goals.
It was a curious answer then. But it makes sense now.
The Dolphins have rookie Dan Carpenter in camp to provide that competition for Feely. And although the matchup against an incumbent veteran who made
91 percent of his kicks makes Carpenter the underdog, there is one thing this rookie does that definitely impresses:
Carpenter's kickoffs explode off his leg and typically land in the end zone. And that is where Feely has another problem that factors into this yarn.
Last season, Feely averaged 57.8 yards per kickoff, which ranked 44th out of
49 NFL kickers.
In fairness, Feely was working under a disadvantage because former coach Cam Cameron inexplicably ordered him to pooch kick and directional kick in nearly half the games Miami played.
The strategy was meant to protect Miami's atrocious coverage teams, but it significantly sacrificed Feely's kickoff average. ''You look at all the other games, my kickoffs averaged 74.5, almost 75 yards,'' Feely said.
So the table is set for a competition that will be about more than just kicking field goals.
''I am going to be the best kicker in the NFL this year,'' Feely said. ``I don't know any guy on this team that worked harder than me this offseason. I think ultimately the best kicker will win the competition.''
But will the man with the booming leg control his booming mouth? Can Feely simply stop being himself?
The Dolphins brought former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer to camp Sunday to talk to players about how to deal with the media. When his presentation was over, he asked if there were any questions.
Feely was the only player with a question.
According to Fleischer, Feely asked for advice on how to handle speaking about a team stance or policy with which he doesn't agree.
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