| Elder Griese likes son's chance in Miami By Michael Cunningham Staff Writer Posted June 11 2003 Dolphins great Bob Griese said a big part of him wanted son Brian to play in his native South Florida, but a bigger part of him wanted Brian to find a better quarterback situation than in Denver, where he had been dumped in favor of Jake Plummer. Griese believes those hopes intersected perfectly when Brian signed with the Dolphins on Monday. Brian will play for the organization his father helped win two Super Bowl titles from 1967-80 while getting a break from what the elder Griese said were "unfair" expectations with the Broncos. "Selfishly, I would like for him to play for the Dolphins and also to be in his hometown in South Florida where it is close for me," Griese said. "[But] I wanted him to be happy in where he wanted to be. He wanted to be a starter in the league. If things don't work out [with the Dolphins], he can still go and try to be a starter in the NFL next year if that is what he wants to do." Brian started the last four seasons for the Broncos but fell out of favor with coach Mike Shanahan. The Dolphins signed him to a two-year contract and tabbed him as the backup to Jay Fiedler. When the Dolphins introduced Brian Griese, he said he wasn't prepared for the pressure he faced following John Elway in Denver. His father said Brian would handle the pressure better if he gets his chance with the Dolphins. "I think the expectations in Denver were very high, very tough and basically unfair," Griese said. "To try to expect someone to come in and play like the legend out there, Brian is not going to do that, Jake Plummer is not going to do that. I could go on and on and on." When he gave Brian advice on where to go, Griese said, he told him to seek a team with a stout defense, a strong running game and good coaching. Griese said he believes Brian will get those with the Dolphins, who had the AFC's top-ranked defense and the NFL's leading rusher, Ricky Williams. With all that in place, Griese said he believes Brian can still be an effective NFL starter, noting that some quarterbacks have found success after their first team. He said he thinks back to his own development, that it took him time to become a quality starter. "He has been in the league five years, he has played in a lot of ballgames, he has thrown a lot of passes, he has got a lot of experience to pull on," Griese said. "There is no question that the best is ahead, because I know the best was ahead for me when I was at that stage." Griese, a college football commentator for ABC, is to call two exhibition games as a Dolphins broadcaster. |