updated 4:08 p.m. ET Sept. 12, 2004

MIAMI - Dave Wannstedt wasn’t happy with Jay Fiedler on Saturday, and the feeling was mutual.

Wannstedt benched Fiedler at halftime of the Miami Dolphins’ 17-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and the quarterback said he was disappointed about the quick hook.

“I’m frustrated because number one, we lost; number two, my play early on; number three, the frustration level of being pulled out of the game,” Fiedler said. “We were down one touchdown. I’ve been in a lot of games where I’ve struggled early and come back and won games.”

Fiedler can claim a hand in nine fourth-quarter comeback victories, but there was no rally against Tennessee as he watched newcomer A.J. Feeley play the last 30 minutes. The Dolphins trailed 7-0 when Fiedler was pulled, and the score was 17-0 before Feeley got them on the scoreboard, throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Randy McMichael with 3:22 left.

Wannstedt said he’ll study tape of the game before deciding on a starter next week at Cincinnati, but he praised the play of Feeley. The former Philadelphia Eagles backup went 21-for-31 for 168 yards with one interception, which the Titans returned 37 yards for a touchdown.

“He did a nice job throwing the ball,” Wannstedt said. “His accuracy showed up for the most part.”

Fiedler, the Dolphins’ starter the past four years, went 5-for-13 for 42 yards with two interceptions, including one in the end zone to end their best threat in the first half. Dan Marino’s successor has never been a fan favorite, even though he’s 36-18 as a starter, and by the second quarter he was drawing boos.

“When you turn the ball over twice and don’t put any points on the board, that’s not good,” Wannstedt said.

Feeley was acquired in March to challenge for the No. 1 job, but when both passers struggled during the exhibition season, Wannstedt chose Fiedler to start the opener. A quarterback controversy helped get Wannstedt fired when he coached the Chicago Bears, and he risks one now with his status in Miami tenuous.

“We can’t keep doing the shuffle during the season,” McMichael said. “It will affect chemistry.”

Said Feeley: “You can second-guess what’s going on now because we haven’t won.”

There’s also a risk of division between the sputtering offense and Miami’s fine defense, which limited Steve McNair and company to 255 yards.

“We played well enough to win,” defensive end Jason Taylor said. “You can’t turn the ball over in this league.”

Both quarterbacks are trying to spark an offense trying to overcome a wave of injuries and the unexpected retirement of running back Ricky Williams. The Dolphins are so short-handed that newly acquired Lamar Gordon, who practiced for the first time Thursday, carried 12 times against the Titans — for 32 yards.

Receivers Chris Chambers and Marty Booker, touted as the strength of the revamped offense, totaled just 71 yards on 10 receptions. McMichael made eight catches for 79 yards, with all but one reception coming on a pass from Feeley.

“He did a good job,” McMichael said. “We moved and scored. I wish we could have done it a lot early. We have to build off that.”

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