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A. J. Feeley

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This article is about the American football quarterback. For the similarly named football kicker, see Jay Feely.

Adam Joshua Feeley (born May 16, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams, as well as his two stints with the Eagles.

A. J. Feeley
refer to caption
Feeley with the Rams in 2010
No. 14, 7, 4
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1977-05-16) May 16, 1977 (age 47)
Caldwell, Idaho, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Ontario (Ontario, Oregon)
College:Oregon (1996–2000)
NFL draft:2001 / round: 5 / pick: 155
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts:968
Pass completions:425
Percentage:55.8
TD–INT:28–31
Passing yards:4,618
Passer rating:69.1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Feeley played high school football at Ontario High School as a quarterback in Ontario, Oregon. In four years, he passed for 5,428 yards and 59 touchdowns.[1] In addition to football, he played baseball and basketball.[2] He opted, however, to play college football for the Oregon Ducks.[3]

College career

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Feeley was a four-year letterman at Oregon, and saw most of his playing time in his sophomore and junior years. He was a nominee for the Davey O'Brien Award[4] as a junior, throwing for 1,951 yards and 14 touchdowns before being sidelined with an elbow injury. However, during most of his senior year, he was a backup to starter Joey Harrington, who was drafted third overall by the Detroit Lions in 2002.[5]

Career statistics

Oregon Ducks
Passing Rushing
Year Team Comp Att Yds TD INT Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
1997 Oregon 5 6 95 1 0 271.3 1 2 2.0 1
1998 Oregon 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 1 -1 -1.0 0
1999 Oregon 136 259 1,951 14 6 129.0 31 -5 -0.2 0
2000 Oregon 5 13 87 0 0 94.7 4 4 1.0 0
Career 146 278 2,133 15 6 130.5 37 0 0.0 1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump
6 ft 3+1⁄8 in
(1.91 m) 		217 lb
(98 kg) 		5.13 s 4.16 s 26.0 in
(0.66 m)
All values from Pro Day[6]

Philadelphia Eagles

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Feeley was selected in the fifth round with the 155th overall pick of the 2001 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.[7] He spent his rookie year in Philadelphia as the third-string quarterback, backing up Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer.[8][9] In the season finale of his rookie season, Feeley came off the bench in the fourth quarter and threw two touchdown passes in a 26-second span to bring Philadelphia back from a 13–3 deficit, and win the game by a score of 17–13 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[10]

The following season, after McNabb and Detmer went down with injuries, the 8–3 Eagles called on Feeley to preserve the team's Super Bowl aspirations. Feeley surprisingly helped lead the Eagles to four straight wins, and secured the number one seed in the playoffs.[11][12][13][14]

With McNabb playing the entire 2003 season injury-free, Feeley was not called upon and did not take a single snap during the season.[15] However, he showed enough in the previous two seasons to garner interest around the league.

Miami Dolphins

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Feeley was traded to the Miami Dolphins in March 2004 in exchange for Miami's 2005 second round pick (used by Philadelphia to select wide receiver Reggie Brown).[16] Feeley was set to compete for the Dolphins' starting quarterback job with Jay Fiedler. After the competition, he and Fiedler traded starts throughout the season.[17][18][19]

The Dolphins season was considered a disaster.[20] Their star running back Ricky Williams retired prior to the season after a failed drug test, and head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned from the team following a 1–8 start.[21] Feeley would under-perform as well; in 11 games, Feeley threw 11 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, for a 61.7 quarterback rating.[19]

Feeley would help produce a few bright spots on the year. Following the 1–9 start to enter their bye week, Feeley was given the start in the next six games, going 3–3 (the Dolphins would finish with a 4–12 record) and showing signs of improvement as a starter.[22] Though two of those wins came against the lowly Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers,[23][24] on December 20, 2004, Feeley's 2–11 Dolphins upset the 12–1 Patriots on Monday Night Football, in a game that has become known as "The Night That Courage Wore Orange." With the Dolphins trailing by 11 with just 3:59 to play, Feeley guided the team to two late scores, including a game-winning touchdown to Derrius Thompson to upset the defending Super Bowl champions.[25] The game was significant, as the 14–2 Patriots would miss out on homefield advantage throughout the playoffs against the 15–1 Steelers. It was also the last time the Patriots would lose that season, en route to another Super Bowl championship.[26]

Due to his strong play to end the season, Feeley was named the starting quarterback going into the season by new coach Nick Saban.[27] However, Gus Frerotte was instead named the starter.[28]

San Diego Chargers

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Feeley was traded to the San Diego Chargers midway through the 2005 season in exchange for Cleo Lemon.[29] As the third-string quarterback behind Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, he did not play the entire season.[30]

 
Feeley with the Eagles in 2008

Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

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Feeley was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles on August 30, 2006, shortly after being released by the Chargers.[31] When McNabb was injured for the season on November 18, 2006, there was speculation that the more youthful Feeley might be named as the new starting quarterback, but head coach Andy Reid went with Jeff Garcia, who led the Eagles to a late-season turnaround and division title. Feeley did play most of the Eagles' regular season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, leading the team to victory with 321 passing yards and three touchdown passes, preventing the Falcons from securing a wild card berth.[32]

With Garcia and Feeley both becoming free agents at the end of the season, Feeley signed a three-year contract extension with the Eagles on February 25, 2007.[33] Despite Garcia's success from the previous season, the Eagles viewed Feeley as a better long-term backup because of his age, familiarity of the system, and fit in the locker room.[34]

Starting in place of an injured Donovan McNabb on November 25, Feeley threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions in a 31–28 game loss to the then-undefeated New England Patriots.[35] The 10–0 Patriots had beaten opponents by an average of 25 points, and the Eagles entered the game as the largest underdogs in NFL history at the time.[36] On December 2, Feeley played again for the injured McNabb.[37] He threw four interceptions,[38] three of those to Lofa Tatupu in a 28–24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.[38][39]

Feeley was released by the Eagles on September 6, 2009, to make room for Michael Vick.[40]

Carolina Panthers

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Feeley drew interest from the Packers and Patriots,[41] but signed with the Carolina Panthers on September 15, 2009.[42]

St. Louis Rams

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On March 5, 2010, Feeley agreed to a two-year contract with the St. Louis Rams.[43][44] Although he was in competition for the starting job, #1 pick Sam Bradford won the starting job in the preseason. During the 2011 regular season, Feeley replaced an injured Bradford for three games and he led the Rams to a stunning upset of the New Orleans Saints on October 30. It was the first win of the season for St. Louis which entered the game with a 0–6 record.[45]

Personal life

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In 2010, Feeley married U.S. women's international soccer player Heather Mitts in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.[46][47] They currently reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[citation needed] On January 30, 2014, the couple gave birth to a baby boy, Connor William Feeley,[48] and a daughter, Blake Harper, followed in spring 2016. Their third child, Ace, a son, was born in 2018.

References

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  1. ^ Daschel, Nick (May 5, 2016). "Top 20 high school quarterbacks of the Oregonian all-state era". OregonLive. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "MEET A.J." Sun Sentinel. February 29, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Rickert, Bob (June 24, 2011). "AJ Feeley: Once a Duck always a Duck". oregonlive.com. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "Miller Tabbed As Candidate For Davey O'Brien Award". Ole Miss Athletics. October 28, 1999. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  6. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Scout A.J. Feeley College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  7. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "A.J. Feeley 2001 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  9. ^ "2001 Philadelphia Eagles Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  10. ^ "Eagles vs. Buccaneers – Game Recap – January 6, 2002 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  11. ^ "Eagles vs. Giants – Game Recap – December 28, 2002 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  12. ^ "A.J. Feeley 2002 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "2002 Philadelphia Eagles Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  14. ^ "2002 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  15. ^ "2003 Philadelphia Eagles Roster & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (February 21, 2004). "Dolphins pursue Eagles backup QB Feeley". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  17. ^ "2004 Miami Dolphins Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  18. ^ "2004 Miami Dolphins Roster & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "A.J. Feeley 2004 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  20. ^ Lesko, Mark (July 14, 2011). "Miami Dolphins 2004: The Year That Sent the Fins into a Downward Spiral". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  21. ^ "Dolphins' Wannstedt resigns after 1–8 start". Deseret News. Associated Press. November 9, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  22. ^ Cole, Jason (December 29, 2004). "Feeley keeps getting better". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on December 29, 2004.
  23. ^ "Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins - December 26th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  24. ^ "Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers - November 28th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  25. ^ "Dolphins stun Pats with two late TDs". NFL.com. December 20, 2004. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007.
  26. ^ "2004 New England Patriots Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  27. ^ Salguero, Armando (February 6, 2005). "Saban to stick with QB Feeley". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005.
  28. ^ Cole, Jason (November 24, 2005). "Frerotte will start at QB". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on November 24, 2005.
  29. ^ Marvez, Alex (October 19, 2005). "FEELEY TRADED FOR A LEMON". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  30. ^ "2005 San Diego Chargers Roster & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  31. ^ "Pink slip for Pinkston". Pocono Record. August 31, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  32. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles - December 31st, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  33. ^ "Feeley Gets 3-Year Extension From Eagles". CBS News. Associated Press. February 25, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  34. ^ Spadaro, Dave (February 25, 2007). "QB Feeley Gets New Deal". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2007.
  35. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots - November 25th, 2007". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  36. ^ "Pats CB Samuel shuts down any hopes for Eagles upset". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 26, 2007. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  37. ^ "Rams sign journeyman QB A.J. Feeley". The Telegraph (Alton). March 6, 2010. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  38. ^ a b Brooks, Bucky (December 2, 2007). "Week 13's key players, adjustments and strategies". CNN.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  39. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles - December 2nd, 2007". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  40. ^ "Eagles release Feeley, claim Dixon". WPVI-TV. Associated Press. September 6, 2009. Archived from the original on November 8, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  41. ^ Beattie, John (September 2, 2009). "Report: Patriots Front-Runners to Acquire Quarterback A.J. Feeley". NESN.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  42. ^ "Delhomme still starter, but Panthers get Feeley". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 14, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  43. ^ "Rams finalize deal for A.J. Feeley". NBC Sports. March 5, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  44. ^ Rollins, Nathan (March 8, 2010). "NFL Free Agency: A.J. Feely Signs 2 YR Contract With The Rams". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  45. ^ Evans, Simon (October 30, 2011). "Rams stun Saints; Giants and Ravens rally for wins". Reuters. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  46. ^ Vega, Michael (April 2, 2009). "Breaking news | National teamer Mitts excited to kick-start WPS play with Boston". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  47. ^ "A.J. Feeley and Heather Mitts – Photo Gallery". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  48. ^ Eichel, Molly (January 30, 2014). "AJ Feeley, Heather Mitts welcome son". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
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