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PK Jay Feely, Miami Dolphins
HT: 5-10, WT: 206, Born: 5-23-1976, College: Michigan, Drafted: ---
2008 Projections
Best Case
Back in 2002 Jay Feely had a career year with the Falcons, when he led the NFL in scoring with 138 points. He connected on 32 of 40 (80.0%) field goals that year, including a solid 12 of 16 field goals from beyond 40 yards. In his first year with the Giants in 2005, he managed to have a second career year, with 148 points. Feely's accuracy has improved in recent years. In 2006 he hit a then career best 85.2% (23 of 27) on field goals. In 2007 he improved upon that, making 21 of 23 (91.3%). Last year he was also perfect on filed goals under 40 yards for the first time in his seven years in the NFL. Feely has the range to hit longer field goals although he is inconsistent. He is 50 of 79 (63.3%) from beyond 40 yards during his pro career. He has been perfect on PATs the last four years. Is Feely primed for an extraordinary third career year? The short answer is no. The Dolphins are coming off a disastrous year, are a young team, and will be starting over with a brand new coaching staff. A realistic high side for Feely this year is probably no better than the middle of the pack.
Worst Case
When teams have an established starting kicker, such as Feely, they typically bring in a journeyman camp leg or an undrafted rookie kicker to help carry the extra workload during minicamps and the preseason. So why during the offseason did the Dolphins sign Dave Rayner, who has been a starting kicker elsewhere during much of the prior two years? Common speculation is that he was brought in to potentially serve as a kickoff specialist, a role he has twice held previously in the NFL. During Feely's first six years in the league he averaged a healthy 63.6 yards on kickoffs and 11.2 touchbacks annually. Last year his numbers dropped off to only 57.8 yards and eight touchbacks. Those are deceiving however, since an unusually high number of onside kicks (as the Dolphins trailed often) and a high number of squib kicks (to compensate for poor return coverage) drug down his numbers. During OTAs, both players performed equally on kickoffs and the Dolphins released Rayner. They also commented that they couldn't justify carrying a kickoff specialist into the regular season.
Outlook
The last time the Dolphins led the league in kicker scoring was in 1992, and they have not finished in the top ten since 2000. After ranking 23rd in kicker scoring in 2006, they dropped even further to 29th (89 points) last year. Once again the Dolphins will be in rebuilding mode. Offensively, the quarterback position is a question mark, and the offensive line will include several new starters. The Cam Cameron era lasted only one year. Under the watchful eye of Bill Parcells, the Dolphins will be guided by new head coach Tony Sparano and new offensive coordinator Dan Henning. Assistant coaches don't normally factor into fantasy kicker discussions, however Feely will once again be working under Steve Hoffman, the long-time kicking guru. That many significant changes are a recipe for another low scoring year for the Dolphins' kicker.
