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Jay Fiedler scrambles to the Colts five-yard line.

Wheatley is the one who got away
Runner may return to haunt the Dolphins
BY JASON COLE
jcole@herald.com

OAKLAND -- In their greatest years, the Oakland Raiders were the team of the unwanted.

Players such as Lyle Alzado and John Matuszak, often hyped on steroids and whatever else they came up with, came to the Raiders from other teams. They had been cut elsewhere and reclaimed by owner Al Davis, set free to terrorize the rest of the league with their rage.

This season, the Raiders, who play host to the Dolphins at 4 p.m. today at Network Associates Coliseum in the second round of the AFC playoffs, have recaptured some of that spirit.

It's just bottled in a decidedly different person -- running back Tyrone Wheatley, the soft-spoken leader of the NFL's best rushing attack. Wheatley is a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time in the six years since he was a first-round draft pick of the New York Giants.

But Wheatley has arrived in Oakland after being traded to the Dolphins in 1999 for a seventh-round pick and then released by Miami only three days into training camp that year.

Angry? Insulted?

No, not really.

``I had a great time [in Miami],'' Wheatley said. ``I worked out, and [former coach] Jimmy [Johnson] was truthful. I would rather a man tell me to my face what is going on rather than to nitpick and do this and do that and then all of a sudden at the last minute say, `Well, it's not going to work.' He was straight up front, saying there were a lot of guys there. And he's going to go with two younger backs.''

Those younger backs were J.J. Johnson, who proved to be injury-prone, and Cecil Collins, who proved to be incident-prone.

But Wheatley, who ran for 1,046 yards, nine touchdowns and averaged an impressive 4.5 yards per carry, takes no joy in the fact the Dolphins eventually had to find somebody else [Lamar Smith] who basically does the same thing that Wheatley is doing now.

``I'm the same no matter where I go, no matter what I do,'' Wheatley said. ``Basically, like they say, `What you see is what you get.' I came here with the same attitude that I had when I was in New York, same attitude I had when I was in Miami. Here, the only difference is, they allow you to play.

``They allow your attitude to flourish. They allow whatever it is inside of you that makes you you. It's a puzzle, and they're going to make it match. It's weird. I just sit back sometimes and just look at us, man.''

OK, but what is the puzzle inside of Wheatley?

Mostly, Wheatley is a combination of exceptional physical talent and exceptional intelligence. He can discuss a number of issues, from politics to music, in great detail.

There was the time in 1998 when The New York Times did a story about Wheatley, with the reporter and photographer going to Wheatley's home in New Jersey.

The photographer was Dith Pran, a Cambodian refugee who was written about extensively in the book (and later a movie) The Killing Fields by former New York Times reporter Sydney Schamberg.

Wheatley knew all about Pran. That night, Wheatley took his little brother out to rent a copy of the movie.

That's not necessarily what most football players are like. Wheatley developed an image as a guy who was too smart for football. Not necessarily an intolerable rebel, but a guy who didn't fall into line the way most coaches want.

Wheatley got into disagreements with Giants assistant coaches. He frustrated both former Giants coach Dan Reeves and current coach Jim Fassel to the point he was put on the inactive list.

``I'll be the first one to say that a lot of it just didn't come from them,'' Wheatley said. ``You know, a majority of it came from me. Here I am a young guy who is doing everything he is trying to do. I'm looking at older guys, saying, `I'll do this with this older guy. I'll do this.' I'm trying to do everything in the right way possible.

``But it was always something that would come up. You're not doing this or this has to be done or this has to be changed . . . So every day it was something new and I would get frustrated and frustrated and frustrated. Basically, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired.''

It got to the point Wheatley tried to get cut.

``I got a crazy notion in my head that if I acted up [bad] enough, they'll get rid of me,'' he said.

Wheatley eventually took the advice of an assistant coach who saw through the act, keeping his mouth shut and eventually moving on. It's more in line with his character.

``He's a really good person, a very likable guy,'' said Dolphins running backs coach Joel Collier, who visited with Wheatley last season after the Dolphins won at Oakland in the regular season. ``He did everything we asked him to do. He worked out, he paid attention.''

Wheatley did everything except one thing. He didn't hold onto the football.

On the first day of training camp, Wheatley fumbled on his first carry of the infamous ``middle'' drill, a run-only drill which is football at its most basic. The offensive and defensive lines simply crash into each other and the running back does what he can.

The 6-0, 235-pound Wheatley didn't do much. He fumbled a second time on opening day. He started running outside instead of pounding into the middle, missing the point of the drill. The third day of camp was an intrasquad scrimmage. Wheatley ran tentatively.

``Man, the dude did nothing when he was here,'' one Dolphins player said. ``I give him credit, he's playing well now. He's running hard. But when we put the pads on here, he ran soft and he ran high. You expect to get punished by guys like that.''

Not all the Dolphins agreed, saying it was more of a problem with the numbers game. Wheatley just didn't get enough chances.

``Tyrone's a guy who's going to get better with more carries,'' defensive end Trace Armstrong said. ``He has power and great speed once he gets through the line of scrimmage. I don't know if he ever got the ball here enough to be able to show it . . . He has an extra gear that a lot of backs don't have. You'll see him a lot of times break two or three tackles at the line and then pick up 20 or 25 when he gets out into the secondary. That makes him unusual.''

Said Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt: ``It was just a lack of opportunity. As far as toughness, that he showed us, and work ethic. I know we were all impressed with what he had done to that point.''

But not impressed enough to keep Wheatley around. For most athletes, going from first-round pick to trade bait to being cut would leave at least a small emotional scar.

Again, not for Wheatley.

Said Wheatley: ``It was a crazy situation. There were a lot of running backs out there. What was it, nine guys at tailback? The coaches had to make a decision quick. It was strange, but I don't hate anybody for it.''

Will Raiders be rejuvenated -- or rusty?
History on Oakland's side, but Dolphins are undaunted
BY BOB EMANUEL JR.
bemanuel@herald.com

The Dolphins are 12-5, AFC East champions and 7-0 on the West Coast since 1997. Yet they are nine-point underdogs for today's AFC divisional playoff game in Oakland.

The teams appear evenly matched, both are relatively healthy, and both won 12 games and a division title in 2000. So why is Miami being dismissed so easily?

The Raiders had one thing Miami lacked -- a first-round bye.

While the Dolphins were in a slugfest with Indianapolis last week, Oakland players rested their bodies after 16 grueling games.

Besides healing, the Raiders enter today's game full of confidence. Oakland is 4-1 over the past five seasons when playing after a bye (all in the regular season) -- including 3-0 under coach Jon Gruden.

Since the NFL went to its current playoff format in 1990, teams with a first-round bye have won 33 of 40 games.

``Everybody that goes into the playoffs wants that bye,'' Dolphins safety Brian Walker said. ``You kind of freshen up and players get a chance to kind of scout a team before they have to play them.''

Raiders coaches did break down film of the Dolphins during their bye week, but before Miami's victory over Indianapolis, Oakland wasn't sure who its next opponent would be since the NFL re-seeds teams after the first round.

``They really didn't know who they had to prepare for,'' Dolphins tackle Richmond Webb said. ``It gave them an extra week to rest their bodies, so in that aspect, it probably helps them a little bit.''

As the backup quarterback for Jacksonville last season, Jay Fiedler watched as his team, fresh off a bye, demolished the Dolphins 62-7.

``You can put it two ways,'' Fiedler said. ``One you get the rest. And one you haven't played in a week, you have to go back on the field and do it again.''

Said Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas: ``[The bye] can [help] if you have a lot of injuries. It can throw you out of sync, too. . . . We feel like we're getting a rhythm and getting some momentum. Definitely when you're starting to get a little hot, you don't want to have a week off. It can slow off your momentum.''

Defensive tackle Daryl Gardener was unfazed.

``We're coming off a nice victory over the Colts and the offense they have,'' he said. ``We knew what kind of dogfight that was going to be. We're expecting the same thing [against Oakland], but hopefully they'll be a little bit rusty.''

The regular-season numbers seem to support Gardener's argument. Since 1998, teams coming off a bye in the regular season are 47-43. Throw out the nonplayoff teams, however, and the record is 25-11.

``[Miami coach] Dave [Wannstedt] did a little research on it, and I guess 50-50 is what he said it is this year with teams [after] the bye week,'' Thomas said. ``So, we're not worried about that.''

Dolphins: Raiders' bye no advantage
Miami hopes week off leaves Oakland rusty for playoff game
BY BOB EMANUEL JR.
bemanuel@herald.com

The Dolphins are 12-5, AFC East champions and 7-0 on the West Coast since 1997. Yet they are nine-point underdogs for today's AFC divisional playoff game in Oakland.

The teams appear evenly matched, both are relatively healthy, and both won 12 games and a division title in 2000. So why is Miami being dismissed so easily?

The Raiders had one thing Miami lacked -- a first-round bye.

While the Dolphins were in a slugfest with Indianapolis last week, Oakland players rested their bodies after 16 grueling games.

Besides healing, the Raiders enter today's game full of confidence. Oakland is 4-1 over the past five seasons when playing after a bye (all in the regular season) -- including 3-0 under coach Jon Gruden.

Since the NFL went to its current playoff format in 1990, teams with a first-round bye have won 33 of 40 games.

``Everybody that goes into the playoffs wants that bye,'' Dolphins safety Brian Walker said. ``You kind of freshen up and players get a chance to kind of scout a team before they have to play them.''

Raiders coaches did break down film of the Dolphins during their bye week, but before Miami's victory over Indianapolis, Oakland wasn't sure who its next opponent would be since the NFL re-seeds teams after the first round.

``They really didn't know who they had to prepare for,'' Dolphins tackle Richmond Webb said. ``It gave them an extra week to rest their bodies, so in that aspect, it probably helps them a little bit.''

As the backup quarterback for Jacksonville last season, Jay Fiedler watched as his team, fresh off a bye, demolished the Dolphins 62-7.

``You can put it two ways,'' Fiedler said. ``One you get the rest. And one you haven't played in a week, you have to go back on the field and do it again.''

Said Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas: ``[The bye] can [help] if you have a lot of injuries. It can throw you out of sync, too. . . . We feel like we're getting a rhythm and getting some momentum. Definitely when you're starting to get a little hot, you don't want to have a week off. It can slow off your momentum.''

Defensive tackle Daryl Gardener was unfazed.

``We're coming off a nice victory over the Colts and the offense they have,'' he said. ``We knew what kind of dogfight that was going to be. We're expecting the same thing [against Oakland], but hopefully they'll be a little bit rusty.''

The regular-season numbers seem to refute Gardener's argument. Since 1998, teams coming off a bye in the regular season are 47-43. Throw out the nonplayoff teams, however, and the record is 25-11.

``[Miami coach] Dave [Wannstedt] did a little research on it, and I guess 50-50 is what he said it is this year with teams [after] the bye week,'' Thomas said. ``So, we're not worried about that.''

Oronde Gadsden drags Jason Belser down the field for a 13 yard gain.

Big play-calling by Gailey, Bates keep Dolphins' season alive
BY JASON COLE
jcole@herald.com

It's the rough equivalent of being on the edge of a cliff, with the wind at your back and deciding to inch a little farther out.

That is the kind of daring Dolphins defensive coordinator Jim Bates and offensive counterpart Chan Gailey used in beating Indianapolis on Saturday. The kind of daring they likely will have to repeat at some point if they are to win Saturday in Oakland.

On five critical plays in the fourth quarter and overtime, Bates and Gailey put much of the Dolphins' season on the line, either daring the Colts to go after them with a big play or going to a relatively unknown player for a key gain.

In each case, it was great anticipation of what the Colts might do, of making critical decisions on the fly.

``There are times when every yard counts,'' said Bates, who in overtime pulled out all the stops to keep the Colts from gaining any ground.

In Gailey's case, he called plays that resulted in backup players such as Jeff Ogden and Jed Weaver having to make critical catches.

``You have to trust your players,'' Gailey said with a sly grin.

Bates' white-knuckle play came after the Colts drove for a first down to the Dolphins' 40-yard line in overtime. Given that Indianapolis had kicker Mike Vanderjagt on the sideline, the Dolphins could not afford to give up any cheap yards.

So Bates put eight defenders on the line of scrimmage, bringing linebackers Derrick Rodgers and Robert Jones up to go with the defensive line and cornerbacks. Middle linebacker Zach Thomas was no more than 6 yards off the line.

``Maybe 6 yards, maybe,'' said Bates, who also had safeties Brian Walker and Brock Marion tighter than he had most of the game. ``We had to do everything we could to take away any yardage they might get. With the kicker they have, every yard means something.''

But with Peyton Manning as the Colts' quarterback, such gambles are potentially deadly. With so many defenders on the line, it was a good time to take a chance with a deep throw.

``Our cornerbacks are terrific, but that's still a lot to put on them,'' Bates said. ``We're anticipating that the Colts are playing for the field goal. If they go long, our cornerbacks are out on an island.''

In fact, those moments were the times former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino used to live for. Marino constantly took advantage of such dares for big plays, such as in the 1994 season opener against New England when the Patriots gambled that the Dolphins would throw short on fourth-and-5. Instead, Marino threw a 35-yard touchdown to Irving Fryar for a 39-35 victory.

But Manning and the Colts didn't take the dare. Manning's first-down pass was to the outside, and Rodgers was able to tip it at the line. On second down, Manning tried a quarterback draw, but was thrown for a 2-yard loss.

Finally, Manning hit wide receiver Marvin Harrison for 11 yards. But that left the Colts a yard short of a first down, and left Vanderjagt with a 49-yard attempt he missed wide right.

Going into the game, Vanderjagt's long of the year was 48 yards, although he hit a 50-yarder from that distance earlier in the game.

For Gailey, the plays were more subtle in theory, but more heart-wrenching in reality.

The biggest was the 9-yard touchdown throw to Weaver. It was a simple-enough catch, but it came on third-and-goal with 40 seconds remaining and the Dolphins having to score to tie the score at 17.

Weaver, the second option, lined up on the right with Dolphins leading receiver Oronde Gadsden outside of him. Gadsden motioned a little closer to Weaver before the snap, then headed upfield, taking three defenders with him.

Weaver ran to the 2, then did an inside spin on cornerback Mustafah Muhammad, grabbed the pass and got over the goal line.

``That's exactly where the ball has to go on that play,'' Gailey said.

Still, that's normally the type of critical moment when a team goes to its top receiver.

``Are you going to force it to someone who is double covered?'' Gailey asked. ``Our offense isn't designed to get it to one particular guy. It's based on what the defense gives up.''

The 6-yard pass to Ogden came from similar thinking shortly after Vanderjagt's missed field goal in overtime.

Facing third-and-3 from their own 46, the Dolphins came out in a four-wide formation, with quarterback Jay Fiedler in the shotgun. Fiedler's primary read was to O.J. McDuffie on the right side.

Ogden, with two catches during the regular season, was the second option based on the Colts' coverage.

``They can't make a play unless you throw it them,'' Gailey said.

Pictures taken from the Miami vs Indy game on December 30, 2000

Jay Fiedler connects with Jed Weaver on a nine-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17-17.

My Thoughts,

By: Chris Eliopoulos

January 01,2001

Grit, guts and determination is what helped Miami overcome a 14 points deficit and win their first game under coach Dave Wannstedt. This is the second week in a row Miami came back from being down and win the game. As I stated in my other column, Lamar would have a big day and what a big day he had with 40 carries and 209 yards. Jay Fielder, surprised me by throwing 3 interceptions, but I think with nerves his bad shoulder and trying to win the game on his own really put Miami behind the 8 ball. This could of been a disastrous day if the defense did not hold the way they did against the 3rd most explosive offense in the NFL. With all that said, Miami went back to what they do best in offense and run the ball, which they need in the majority of the second half. With Lamar running the ball so well, this opened up the play action, it kept the defense off the field for well needed rest and most important it kept Peyton Manning off the field.

Seeing this team's confidence grow after each game really makes me think that if they continue to play they way they do that the sky is the limit. Jay didn't look to good in the first half ad I think Miami should get Jason Taylor and Trace Armstrong to rough up Fiedler before the game, because it seems after Fielder gets banged around a few times he starts connecting with his passes with his receivers. If Miami is too continue in the playoffs Jay needs to play smarter and I think after getting that first big playoff game out of the way Jay will be more relaxed nest week vs. Oakland.