Miami might need a big game from Fiedler against Raiders

DAVIE, Fla. -- Jay Fiedler figures he'll need to do more than just hand the ball to Ricky Williams if the Miami Dolphins are going to outscore the Oakland Raiders.

Coming off consecutive 200-yard rushing games, Williams is sure to get plenty of attention from the Raiders in Sunday's AFC showdown. That's why Fiedler wants to be sharp in his second start since being sidelined six weeks by a broken right thumb.

"We know we're going to have to make more plays in the passing game this week," Fiedler said Wednesday. "I'm going to have to put the ball on the money if we want to win the game."

Fiedler returned to the starting lineup Monday night against Chicago, and Williams made things easy for his quarterback by rushing for 216 yards. Fiedler went 15-for-29 for 196 yards and a touchdown but threw an ugly interception and looked rusty at times.

"We're still trying to get him back into rhythm," coach Dave Wannstedt said. "He played OK against the Bears, but he has a lot of room for improvement to get back to where he was."

Fiedler said his thumb feels fine making throws, but taking the snap still gives it "a bit of a jolt." And in the rush to return from weeks of inactivity, he developed elbow tendinitis that may bother him the rest of the season. He wore a sleeve against the Bears to give his elbow extra support.

"There's some soreness there," Fiedler said. "The only way it's going to get better is with rest, and I certainly can't afford to rest it right now. We're monitoring it, and I'm keeping treatment on it to make sure it doesn't flare up. Once I get it warmed up, it feels good."

When injured Oct. 13 at Denver, Fiedler was off to his best start in three seasons as the Dolphins' quarterback. His completion percentage (61.7), quarterback rating (82.7) and touchdown-interception ratio (10-8) are the best of his career.

Fiedler can't match the gaudy statistics compiled by Rich Gannon, who is enjoying his best season at age 36 and leads the NFL with 4,205 yards passing for AFC-leading Oakland (9-4).

But Raiders coach Bill Callahan said he can envision the 30-year-old Fiedler blossoming into the same kind of quarterback.

"They're very similar in their intelligence factor and the way they study and compete," said Callahan, who knows Fiedler well because both were with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1995. "I have great respect for Jay. He's a competitor and a winner."

Fiedler does win. He's 6-1 as a starter this season and 27-11 since coming to Miami.

"It feels good to have him back," guard Jamie Nails said. "He's a great field general. He manages the game very well."

Among Fiedler's biggest victories was a win over Oakland early last season, when he drove the Dolphins 80 yards in the final 1:41 and scored on a 2-yard run with five seconds left for an 18-15 victory.

"Aside from winning, the biggest thing about that game is it proved to the rest of the team how tough Jay is," Wannstedt said. "He gained a lot of respect for how he did it as much as for the result."

With Miami fans, Fiedler has always suffered in comparison to his predecessor, Dan Marino. Fiedler's stint on the sideline this season might have done more for his reputation in Miami than anything he has done on the field.

The Dolphins are 8-5 and tied with New England for the AFC East lead. But they went just 2-4 with Ray Lucas starting and often struggling at quarterback, so perhaps fans will now be less inclined to jeer Fiedler than in the past.

"I have to go out there and win games now," Fiedler said. "As much appreciation as there might have been when I was not playing, if I go out there and stink it up, people aren't going to appreciate me anymore."