By CARL KOTALA
Florida Today

MIAMI - In his first major quarterback decision of the season, Dave Wannstedt went for the safe choice. On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins coach went for the obvious one.

A.J. Feeley, who replaced starter Jay Fiedler in the second half of Saturday's 17-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans, will get the start Sunday night at Cincinnati in a game to be televised nationally by ESPN.

"A.J. did some things that he's been doing all along and with a week's worth of reps, it gives us the best chance to beat the Bengals at what we need to do offensively," Wannstedt said. "He'll be ready to do that."

However, just as when Fiedler was handed the starting job against Tennessee, Wannstedt indicated he will evaluate Feeley's performance against the Bengals before deciding who will go against Pittsburgh in Week 3, and he didn't rule out shuffling quarterbacks again.

Feeley may have failed to beat out Fiedler in training camp, but he clearly outplayed his counterpart in Saturday's loss to the Titans. Feeley completed 21 of 31 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception that was returned for a score by Tennessee's Lamont Thompson.

Sunday's start will be Feeley's first since Dec. 28, 2002, when he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was 4-1 in five starts that season, filling in for an injured Donovan McNabb. Prior to that, he had eight starts at the University of Oregon.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to start against the Bengals," Feeley said. "I'll have a full week of reps and I'll get more familiar with some of our new faces and that will be a major help in my preparation."

With the status of ankle injuries to running backs Travis Minor and Sammy Morris unknown, the Dolphins could have six starters on offense who were not with the team last season.

Lamar Gordon, obtained last week in a trade with St. Louis, will likely start at running back. And if fullback Rob Konrad is still unable to go after surgery to remove a bursal infection in his right thigh, rookie Doug Easlick will make his second start.

Wide receiver Marty Booker arrived in late August in a trade with the Chicago Bears, and the offensive line has four new starters - left guard Jeno James, center Seth McKinney, right guard Taylor Whitley and right tackle John St. Clair, who had to leave Saturday's game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. If St. Clair can't face the Bengals, rookie Vernon Carey should get the start.

With all of those new faces on offense, it could take a while for the Dolphins' offense to click - a fact that was painfully obvious Saturday.

But what it comes down to for Wannstedt is taking care of the ball, something Fiedler did not do.

Making his fifth consecutive opening day start, Fiedler completed 5 of 13 passes for 42 yards. He was also intercepted twice, had another pass that was picked off out of bounds and drilled one right into the hands of Tennessee's Samari Rolle, who dropped it. He also fumbled once, though Miami recovered.

One of those interceptions came in the end zone, spoiling a Miami drive that could have tied the game at 7-7. Instead, the Dolphins went into the locker room trailing 7-0 and with only 76 yards of total offense. That's when Wannstedt decided to make the switch.

"It wasn't the score as much as the turnovers," Wannstedt said. "That's the one thing we know we can't do. I just felt at halftime we needed to do something offensively to give us a spark and to get into a little bit of rhythm."

Although several Dolphin veterans said they felt sorry for Fiedler after he got pulled, the consensus in the locker room was that Feeley did a good job in one half of action.

Fiedler, who is 36-18 as a starter, was booed after nearly every incomplete pass Saturday.

"As I've always done in my five years here, I'm ready to contribute to the team's success in any way I can," he said in a statement released by the Dolphins. "Everyone wants to start, but if I don't, I'll do everything I can to help A.J. and to be as prepared as possible in case I do play."

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