A.J. Feeley
Encyclopedia
Adam Joshua Feeley is an American football
quarterback
for the St. Louis Rams
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles
in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft
. He played college football
for the University of Oregon
.
He has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
, San Diego Chargers
, and Carolina Panthers
.
at Ontario High School
as a quarterback in Ontario, Oregon
. In four years, he passed for 5,428 yards and 54 touchdowns. In addition to football, he also played baseball and basketball. He opted, however, to play college football
for the Oregon Ducks
.
as a junior, throwing for 1,951 yards and 14 touchdowns before being sidelined with an elbow injury. However, most of his senior year he was a backup to starter Joey Harrington
, who was drafted
by the Detroit Lions
.
by the Philadelphia Eagles
. He spent most of his time in Philadelphia as a third-stringer, backing up Donovan McNabb
and Koy Detmer
. His first professional action came on January 6, 2002 when he came off the bench and rallied the Eagles to a 17-13 win in a late-season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
.
When McNabb and Detmer went down with injuries in the middle of the 2002 season
, it fell upon the young Feeley to preserve the team's Super Bowl
aspirations. The most sober hopes were that Feeley would be just good enough to allow the Eagles to slip into the playoffs. Instead, he guided the team to win in four of his five starts before McNabb took over in the playoffs.
, but he showcased himself enough the year before to draw suitors from around the league. He 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), and was penciled in as the Dolphins' starting quarterback for 2004
. Feeley was a disappointment, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns with a 61.7 quarterback rating. He and Jay Fiedler
traded starts towards the latter part of the season. He finished the season with career highs in pass completions and attempts (191-for-356), yardage (1,893), touchdowns (11), and interceptions (15).
midway through the 2005 season
, but did not see any action all year.
to replace Koy Detmer
on August 30, 2006 shortly after being released by the Chargers. When McNabb was lost 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' meaningless regular season finale against the Atlanta Falcons
, leading the team to victory with 321 passing yards and three touchdown passes.
Feeley signed a three-year contract extension with the Eagles on February 25, 2007.
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
.
On December 2, Feeley played again for the injured McNabb. He threw four interceptions, three of those to Lofa Tatupu
in a 28-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks
.
He was released by the Eagles on September 6, 2009.
on September 15, 2009 after starter Jake Delhomme
threw four interceptions and lost one fumble in week one and backup Josh McCown
was placed on injured reserve
.
. Although he was in competition for the starting job, #1 pick Sam Bradford
won the starting job in the preseason.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
.
He has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
.
Early career
Feeley played high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Ontario High School
Ontario High School (Oregon)
Ontario High School is a public high school located in Ontario, Oregon, United States.-Academics:The school ethnicity make-up in 2007 was 46% White/non-Hispanic, 1% Black/non-Hispanic, 49% Hispanic, 3% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1% American Indian/Alaska Native. The Department of Education designated...
as a quarterback in Ontario, Oregon
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. In four years, he passed for 5,428 yards and 54 touchdowns. In addition to football, he also played baseball and basketball. He opted, however, to play college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the Oregon Ducks
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
.
College career
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 AwardDavey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
as a junior, throwing for 1,951 yards and 14 touchdowns before being sidelined with an elbow injury. However, most of his senior year he was a backup to starter Joey Harrington
Joey Harrington
John Joseph "Joey" Harrington, Jr. is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions third overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, where he played for most of his professional career. He ranks third all-time in Detroit history in pass completions, with 986...
, who was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
Philadelphia Eagles
Feeley was taken in the fifth round (155th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He spent most of his time in Philadelphia as a third-stringer, backing up Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
and Koy Detmer
Koy Detmer
Koy Dennis Detmer is a retired American football quarterback. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado. He is the younger brother of former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer, and son of coach Sonny...
. His first professional action came on January 6, 2002 when he came off the bench and rallied the Eagles to a 17-13 win in a late-season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
.
When McNabb and Detmer went down with injuries in the middle of the 2002 season
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
, it fell upon the young Feeley to preserve the team's Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
aspirations. The most sober hopes were that Feeley would be just good enough to allow the Eagles to slip into the playoffs. Instead, he guided the team to win in four of his five starts before McNabb took over in the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins
Feeley did not see a snap in 20032003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
, but he showcased himself enough the year before to draw suitors from around the league. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in March 2004 in exchange for Miami's 2005 second round pick (used by Philadelphia to select wide receiver Reggie Brown), and was penciled in as the Dolphins' starting quarterback for 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
. Feeley was a disappointment, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns with a 61.7 quarterback rating. He and Jay Fiedler
Jay Fiedler
Jay Brian Fiedler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early life and high school years:Fiedler was born to a Jewish family on Long Island in Oceanside, New York...
traded starts towards the latter part of the season. He finished the season with career highs in pass completions and attempts (191-for-356), yardage (1,893), touchdowns (11), and interceptions (15).
San Diego Chargers
Relegated to a backup role in Miami, he was traded to the San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
midway through the 2005 season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, but did not see any action all year.
Return to Philadelphia
Feeley was signed by the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
to replace Koy Detmer
Koy Detmer
Koy Dennis Detmer is a retired American football quarterback. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado. He is the younger brother of former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer, and son of coach Sonny...
on August 30, 2006 shortly after being released by the Chargers. When McNabb was lost 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
Andy Reid
Andrew Walter "Andy" Reid is the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, a post he has held since 1999. Since 2001, he has also been the team's executive vice president of football operations...
went with Jeff Garcia
Jeff Garcia
Jeffrey Jason "Jeff" Garcia is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at San Jose State University....
, who led the Eagles to a late-season turnaround and division title. Feeley did play most of the Eagles' meaningless regular season finale against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, leading the team to victory with 321 passing yards and three touchdown passes.
Feeley signed a three-year contract extension with the Eagles on February 25, 2007.
Starting in place of an injured Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
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
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
.
On December 2, Feeley played again for the injured McNabb. He threw four interceptions, three of those to Lofa Tatupu
Lofa Tatupu
-Seattle Seahawks:Tatupu quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league as a rookie in 2005, in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, while leading the NFC Champion Seahawks in tackles, with 104, en route to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history...
in a 28-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
.
He was released by the Eagles on September 6, 2009.
Carolina Panthers
Feeley was signed by the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
on September 15, 2009 after starter Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
threw four interceptions and lost one fumble in week one and backup Josh McCown
Josh McCown
Joshua Treadwell McCown is an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Sam Houston State.McCown has played for the Detroit Lions, Oakland...
was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
.
St. Louis Rams
On March 5, 2010, Feeley agreed to a two-year contract with the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. Although he was in competition for the starting job, #1 pick Sam Bradford
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
won the starting job in the preseason.