Official Chargers Blog

The Miami Dolphins were paying attention. In 2004, Dolphins were still trying to fill the cavernous void created by Dan Marino’s retirement in 2000. They offered the Eagles their 2005 second-round draft pick to obtain the services of A.J. Feeley.

Feeley didn’t know what he was in for. Before he even took his first regular-season snap, star running back Ricky Williams announced his retirement. That was one week before the start of training camp.

The Dolphins were forced to field a committee of running backs featuring Sammy Morris and Travis Minor, who would combine for a measly 901 yards. In addition to the crippled running game, injuries to key players began to take a toll. Zach Thomas and former Charger’s wide receiver David Boston were hurt before training camp ended. Boston was out for the whole season. This placed a heavy burden on Feeley to perform. Sadly, he could not overcome the circumstances. He threw 15 interceptions with just 11 touchdowns in the 8 games he started in 2004.

On-field woes were bad enough, but off the field there was in chaos as well. In an inexplicable move, the Dolphins brought in Dan Marino as Vice President. Twenty-two days later, he resigned. Running backs coach Joe Collier was promoted to offensive coordinator but he later asked to return to his old position due to health issues and tight end Randy McMichael was arrested on a domestic dispute.

The morale of the team was at an all-time low, culminating in the resignation of coach Dave Wannestadt after a 1-8 start. The team would finish 4-12, and fans and players needed a scapegoat. A.J. Feeley became the target of their discontent.

After the season, Nick Saban from LSU had agreed to become the new Dolphins coach. The Dolphins drafted Auburn running back Ronnie Brown in April, and Ricky Williams announced that he would rejoin the team after serving a four game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Things were looking up.

The team had invested heavily in A.J. Feeley. Management hoped Feeley would silence critics by decisively winning the starting job in training camp. After a few weeks it became clear that Feeley had regressed. He was indecisive and off the mark. The tumultuous 2004 season had left him shell-shocked and reeling. Feeley was knocked out of a preseason contest by Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher -- the injury sustained was described as a “bruised buttocks”. It turned out to be a great analogy of A.J. Feeley’s “Dolphin Experience”.

Charger fans were split on the move to trade Cleo Lemon for Feeley. Word is that A.J. Smith and Schottenheimer were split as well. Cleo Lemon was well liked and showed talent and poise in pre-season games. However, he never started a game against a first-string defense, and at 6’ 2” would be slightly undersized in this “new look” Charger’s offense.

The Chargers drafted kicker Kurt Smith this year with the pick received from the Dolphins. If he continues to kick like he did in the pre-season game against Green Bay, he could make a huge contribution by consistently pinning teams deep in their own territory. That should make some Lemon lovers feel a little better.

It’s no secret that Feeley has looked rusty in training camp. However, Charger fans should give him a few more games before calling for his head. A.J. Feeley has been through the fire, and did not emerge unscathed. Perhaps enough time has passed now and he can use what he learned in Miami to his benefit.

Quarterback’s coach John Ramsdell is gifted at helping players achieve their potential. He has inspired the likes of Mark Bulger, Kurt Warner and Torry Holt to greatness. Here’s hoping he can help A.J. get the feeling back -- the winning feeling.