MIAMI – Those four weeks, when his knee was aching and his future was uncertain, were good for Jay Fiedler.

During that month of Brian Griese starting and Fiedler stewing on the sideline, Fiedler studied everything. The Miami Dolphins’ quarterback looked at how quickly Griese was releasing the football, how precisely the receivers were running their pass routes and even how fundamentally sound he had been earlier this season.

Fiedler searched for ways to tweak – and found improvement.

“Is he more fresh?” Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt asked Wednesday. “Is he more confident in the offense? Did giving him a break and sitting back watching do anything for him? I don’t know. But I’m really happy he is playing better.”

Significantly so.

Fiedler has improved every statistical category in the five-plus quarters he has played since his return against the Washington Redskins on Nov. 23 and has almost doubled his passer rating. The change is so dramatic, Fiedler was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday for the first time in his eight-year career.

“The production speaks for itself,” Fiedler said. “I definitely have played at the best level that I’ve been at this year.”

Fiedler feels it, the statistics prove it, and opponents have seen it on tape.

“He’s calm, relaxed, very accurate and very patient,” New England safety Rodney Harrison said. “He looks like the Fiedler of old.”

Actually, it’s a new Fiedler, one who changed where he holds the ball, one who is releasing passes quicker and one who has greater confidence in the offensive line.

Quick moves

When Fiedler saw Griese throw three touchdowns without an interception against San Diego, it convinced him to get rid of the ball quicker.

“I’ve had a quick release in the past, and I saw how much it helped Brian back in the pocket,” Fiedler said. “So I got back to working on my throwing mechanics and fundamentals to get that little edge. I couldn’t work on my footwork while I was out, and that was one of the things physically I was able to work on. I felt it would help me when I got back into playing.”

In studying his mechanics, Fiedler noticed he had gotten into the habit of holding the football lower – sometimes around his waist – before throwing. The windup required for each attempt prevented him from having a quick release.

“For the most part, it’s where I carry the football,” Fiedler said. “I’ve noticed when my fundamentals break down, the ball drops down to the hip a little bit more. So now I try to keep the arm cocked a little bit more and hold it more upright. I feel better about it. I feel very comfortable throwing right now. My mechanics are better in the pocket. My accuracy is a lot better.”

Patriot games

It should be interesting to see how much regard the Patriots show the new and improved Fiedler on Sunday. In the teams’ first meeting Oct 19 – when Fiedler sprained his knee – New England coaches showed Fiedler and the rest of the Miami passing game virtually no respect.

The Patriots played man-to-man coverage even as their best cover cornerback, Ty Law, watched from the sideline because he was injured. New England put one rookie at cornerback and another at free safety, daring the Dolphins to throw deep.

Miami didn’t answer the challenge as Fiedler threw one touchdown but two interceptions in the 19-13 overtime loss.

Despite that history, Fiedler is upbeat because his recent play has changed not only his results but also his demeanor.

“It’s definitely a lot more fun,” he said. “The confidence is a lot higher. We kept our confidence early in the year knowing we were close to making big plays. But it was frustrating coming in week after week and saying, “We were this close on that play. We were this close to winning the game if only we made that one play.’

“It’s a lot more of a relief and a lot more fun now to come in and say, “Hey we made that play and we won the game because of it.” “”

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(c) 2003, The Miami Herald.

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PHOTOS (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):

Jay Fiedler

AP-NY-12-06-03 0606EST