Miami Dolphins
Jay Fiedler (ADP 17.04) versus A.J. Feeley (ADP 18.01)

Miami Coach Dave Wannstedt announced that Jay Fiedler would get the start this weekend ahead of A.J. Feeley, yet Feeley was the player under the spotlight for the third pre-season game.

''I want to see A.J. more, to be honest with you,'' Wannstedt said. Wannstedt said Fiedler will play ''a couple series in the first quarter,'' and then Feeley will play the remainder of the first half and the third quarter. ''That way, Jay gets a little bit of work and we get a real good look at A.J.,'' Wannstedt said. A week earlier, when asked about a time table for picking his starter, he responded, "My timetable is the first snap against Tennessee, if you want to know the truth." Tennessee is the regular season opener for Miami.

Fiedler has been a mediocre 4 year starter for the Dolphins. Feeley's only real NFL experience is a short and successful run in Philadelphia replacing an injured Donovan McNabb. Third stringer Sage Rosenfels opened camp by outperforming both Feeley and Fiedler and was rewarded with a reduction in snaps. This feels like a situation where both quarterbacks are going to play during the regular season before this is completely worked out. If there's a situation to avoid at all costs among NFL qbs, this is it.

The good news is that newly acquired Marty Booker with his natural flanker skills is a better compliment to #1 wr Chris Chambers than injured David Boston. When Boston returns next year this could be quite a trio, and we'll happily advocate drafting Miami's starting quarterback, if they've decided on one by then.

New York Giants
Kurt Warner (ADP 13.06) versus Eli Manning (ADP 15.09)

The media hype surrounding this camp battle is blown out of proportion in typical New York fashion. Trying to sift through the volumes of information to figure it out is a mistake. It's pretty simple. Where I'm unwilling to predict Dave Wannstedt's decision above, here I'm willing to proclaim Kurt Warner the opening day starter. That isn't good news for Warner, because the young Manning has been better, more consistent, and even more poised. It doesn't sound like the two have developed any sense of a cordial mentor/student relationship, nor does it sound like the Giants will be patient with Warner. It's almost an NFL tradition to throw the veteran to the wolves in these situations, then quickly replace him with the young prospect when things go south. To reverse that order would be terrible for Manning's confidence. For fantasy purposes there isn't much to go on here except hype and gut feelings, two things prudent owners refuse to follow. Warner will get the start this weekend, but that's no vote of confidence. In Head Coach Tom Coughlin's words: "It's his turn."

Let someone else in your league deal with this situation and only make the move in free agency for the starter if things are going far better than expected. That's up to the offensive line. Either of these qbs could put together a successful fantasy run with adequate pass protection. Amani Toomer, Ike Hilliard, Jeremy Shockey, and Tiki Barber are all more than capable in the passing game. If the starter is available in your league's free agency, and the pressure and sacks aren't piling up, then the Giant QB deserves consideration for a roster spot. Wait and see. Don't buy into the hype.

Washington Redskins
Mark Brunell (ADP 11.03) versus Patrick Ramsey (ADP 18.03)

Mark Brunell is landing on fantasy rosters as early as the 10th round in some cases. Patrick Ramsey is an 18th round afterthought (or handcuff). This camp battle is much closer than fantasy observers think. Returning Hall of Fame Head Coach Joe Gibbs hand-picked Brunell shortly after accepting the job, and that is probably why many have turned a blind eye to the ongoing qb battle. Patrick Ramsey never endeared himself to fantasy fans last season, but pure football fans learned to respect his toughness and remarkable play under very difficult circumstances. Perhaps even Gibbs has been surprised by what a good quarterback he already had on his roster, and I'll humbly defer to him:

"I think both Mark and Patrick know what's at stake," Gibbs said. "They're alternating starting and they're focusing on being proficient. There are a lot of times where they may do good things for us than what the fans see. So we continue to evaluate the whole thing."

"Right now we're just alternating starters, so if somebody jumps to a conclusion, that's their problem," Gibbs said. "We're just going to continue to work through the process and when we're ready, we'll announce it. It's premature right now--I think someone would have a tough time guessing if they do [jump to a conclusion]."

No sense jumping to conclusions or guessing who is going to emerge here. Brunell's 11.03 ADP is too high considering the uncertainty. However, it could pay off for you "IF" he wins the job. The winner here will deserve a fantasy roster spot by benefiting from an efficient offensive system and excellent surrounding talent. The opposite observation was made in regards to the Giants' situation because they didn't pick up Clinton Portis in the offseason. His presence will create big plays in the passing game. It's a Gibbs tradition. Unfortunately, sound advice is another wait and see. There's a dozen sure fire starters still available in the 11th round. Unless, you're drafting Brunell as your 3rd qb in the 11th round, another ill advised move, exercise a little patience or go in another direction. The situation is too risky to make him your 2nd qb.

Oakland Raiders
Rich Gannon (ADP 11.10) versus Kerry Collins (ADP 16.03)

Rich Gannon and Kerry Collins are in agreement that the job belongs to Gannon. One interview went like this:

Reporter: "Kerry, are you competing for a starting job?"

Collins: "No, I am not."

Reporter: "Why?"

Collins: "That's what they told me was going to happen when I came here."

Norv Turner has yet to make that an official decision. He has however all but vowed that Gannon would be the opening day starter. Collins stronger arm is making the decision difficult. He's being billed as the future quarterback of the Raiders and this year's back up. He is a better fit than Gannon to Norv Turner's offense. Gannon has been selling himself for the job and even to fantasy owners all summer.

Gannon said he is "as healthy as I've ever been" and "so much further ahead than I normally am" throwing, eight months after surgery to repair torn labrum cartilage in his throwing shoulder. He's called his workouts "phenomenal" and called himself a "young 38 ready to run a marathon." He says the criticism and injury have motivated him and that training camp has been "a joke for him physically." He was insulted after perusing some fantasy mags and had a message for fantasy owners like you and me:

"I wasn't even among the top 25," Gannon said.

The top 25 players in the league?

"No, quarterbacks!" he said. "They had guys on the list ... I couldn't even pronounce their names. I didn't recognize them. Some of them were rookies! They had rookies ahead of me! I'm like, 'This is a joke.' I kind of smiled when I looked at it. Then I said, 'You know what? This is typical of society.'

"You go to four straight Pro Bowls and you're the league MVP. Then you get hurt, and you're with a team that had issues anyway, and now you're a guy who can't play. It's ridiculous."

"I really feel like people have counted me out," he said. "I feel like a dark horse. I'm as good physically as I've ever been. I look for a big, big year from me. I'm real comfortable putting that out there. I know what I've put into it, what I worked for and what I expect from myself." ...

Okay okay already. Everybody go draft Rich Gannon, or he's gonna be mad. That's some chip Collins is on his shoulder. The funny thing about that quote, which is one of my all-time favorites, is his ADP skyrocketed the following week. He's no longer a 15th rounder but an 11th rounder, and you have to believe the job will be his if and until he returns to last year's pathetic form. How will he do? It's hard to say, but this is about his battle with Kerry Collins, and the message is not to draft Collins, and if you're so inclined give Rich another shot. He really wants you to.

San Diego Chargers
Drew Brees (ADP 17.09) versus Philip Rivers (ADP 18.05)

Through the middle of August, fantasy owners picking up a Charger quarterback late in drafts were taking rookie Philip Rivers at a three to one clip ahead of incumbent Drew Brees. At the time, Rivers ADP was three and half rounds higher than Brees'. The extended hold out of the talented rookie and surprisingly excellent play from Brees has pulled Brees ahead of Rivers in their respective ADPs. It's still very close. As a training camp battle there's been little to observe beyond Brees' play and Rivers' contract negotiations. With his name finally inked on a 40 million dollar plus deal, Rivers ended his fourth day of practice to unexpected news.

Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer announced, "He's done a nice job here, so my expectation is that he'll play (in the next exhibition game)." The coach went on to explain that the green QB might even cut into Brees time with some of the starters in the second quarter, but wouldn't fully commit. Rivers seemed surprised by the news and claimed he was up to speed "as far as all the run checks and all that stuff," and admitted he's not as comfortable as he'd like to be. Schottenheimer chuckled when he cautioned reporters not to read between the lines. That's good advice. It would be nearly unprecedented for a rookie to miss over half of camp and step into the starting lineup. The real message between the lines is to Drew Brees and sounds like this, "Keep up the good work because if you backslide into last years' disappointing play, we won't hesitate to develop this kid."

What should fantasy owners make of Brees' excellent play? He currently has the 10th highest QB rating (105.4) in the NFL against vanilla pre-season defenses. He's completed an impressive 24 of 35 passes for 328 yards while struggling in the red zone. On the practice field, as mentioned in the wide receiver camp battles portion of this series, he's played even better. In a very deep draft, or a 2 QBs starting league, Brees is the correct (very late) pick at this time, and a handcuff to Rivers may prove prudent providing the necessary roster space. In a more traditional league, your safest seeking QBs elsewhere while monitoring Brees in case the pre-season play continues into the regular season.

Other Developments

As far as I can discern the above five teams are the only ones undergoing serious training camp quarterback battles this pre-season. However, the media, as is its want this time of year, has endeavored to create quarterback controversies in several cities where they don't exist. Let's debunk some of the myths.

San Francisco 49ers
Tim Rattay has a career qb rating of 95.2. Last season, the only season he's received significant playing time, his rating was a higher at 96.4. The 49ers are settled on him as their starter, and the rumors of Ken Dorsey's challenge are ill-founded. Dorsey is recovering from bulging discs in his back and out of action for at least another week. Rattay is back from his mysterious sore forearm and the job is his. Every year a quarterback comes from nowhere to be a solid fantasy performer and with an ADP of 14.02, and on average the 27th quarterback drafted, Tim Rattay could be that man. He plays a passer friendly schedule and there's a chance many of his games will be shootouts. I'm not endorsing him above his ADP, but if you're one to add a 3rd qb to your roster, he's a nice pick to cover an unfortunate injury/bye week conundrum.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Tommy Maddox had a very disappointing season last year, and the Steelers drafted quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th pick in the first round. Roethlisberger had an impressive performance in his first pre-season experience and the rumors started. Offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt proclaimed this week, "(Tommy Maddox) gives me peace of mind, because I know he knows the system, and he knows how to operate it and he does a good job running it." Maddox could recover from his disappointing performance last year and Pittsburgh has the tools to field a dynamic offense. The same was said a year ago when things fell apart. Nevertheless, if you're picking a back-up quarterback, and like the talent (Ward and Burress) in Pittsburgh, then Maddox is the starter there.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A similar story broke as I was putting this article together. ESPN radio announced that Brad Johnson was guaranteed a bench spot by mid-season because the Bucs were in love with Chris Simms. It was hogwash from a reporter desiring attention. Johnson is secure and throwing the ball beautifully. Simms does have a future in Tampa, but it's a distant one.

Cincinnati Bengals
Many of us expected a controversy to develop between last year's #1 draft pick Carson Palmer and veteran Jon Kitna soon after the Bengals announced that Palmer would be the starter. The second year QB is doing everything right and even Kitna seems supportive of the change. The Bengals boast as tough a strength of schedule as any team in the league and Palmer is about to endure his baptism of fire. Handcuffing him to Kitna may not be a bad idea, but Palmer looks better than some expected and will start the season.