Cutler passes 1st test with Dolphins
MIAMI GARDENS — Well, there he was. The guy everyone wanted to see. Making his first preseason start. Making his first big play. There it was Thursday night. There he was: Mike Hull. What, you were watching the other new starter?
OK, then. Jay Cutler was cheered for just trotting on the field for the first time in a Miami Dolphins uniform. He handed off to Jay Ajayi on the first play. He completed a couple easy passes — a dump that Ajayi took 11 yards; a receiver screen to Jarvis Landry — in a typical script by coach Adam Gase to strike a rhythm.
Cutler then threw a nifty back-shoulder pass that DeVante Parker adjusted to for a 31-yard play. It was called back by a holding penalty. But who cares? It’s preseason. The penalty doesn’t erase the imprint of that play the two had choreographed for the same result in a practice last week.
You saw in that pass what Cutler can do. Same as with an over-the-middle strike to Parker on the second series for 16 yards. Same as with the ball he threw up for grabs between Parker and two Baltimore defenders. It fell incomplete.
Good? Let’s just grade it a good workout. He ran the offense a couple series with no scores. He played in a live competition for the first time since last November. And he stayed on the sideline after two series where he completed 3 of 6 passes for 24 yards.
One more notable: He didn’t get hurt in Miami’s 31-7 loss to Baltimore. Nor did Ajayi, who played one series. Nor, it appears, did any starter considering they were done by the first quarter, though a head and ligament count won’t be coming today. That’s a win, right there.
Cutler was the one everyone wanted to see, though. There’s this odd and optimistic feeling you sense from Dolphins fans around Cutler that can be summed up like this: He’ll be as good as Ryan Tannehill — maybe better. Why is that? Gase, the answer seems to be. COMMENTARY
You can believe Gase gets the most out of players. You can believe Cutler never played with this coaching and player support. You can believe Gase and Cutler have a developed connection that means they’ll work well together.
You can believe all that and it still doesn’t add up to him being as good as Tannehill. Tannehill had a 100.9 rating his last eight games of 2016 — the ones, you remember, when the season got going. He had 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in that span. That’s 2.6 touchdowns for every interception.
He also had 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2014 when the coach (Joe Philbin) didn’t like him and the offensive coordinator (Bill Lazor) didn’t trust him. That’s 2.3 touchdowns for every interception.
Cutler has never thrown two touchdowns for every interception in a season. In 11 years, he’s never had a rating above the 92.3 he had when Gase was his Chicago coordinator in 2015. He’s never proved he can lift a team with his play.
Please, understand: This isn’t to dismiss Cutler. It’s not even to criticize him. He’s certainly the best available option when Tannehill got hurt. He keeps the season afloat when it could have sunk right then. He might even have a great season when reunited with Gase. Who knows?
It’s this irrational optimism over him that’s a head-scratcher. The good-as-Tannehill camp leads down two paths: 1) What Tannehill did before his injury last year wasn’t something to believe in — nor was Tannehill in his second year with Gase; 2) They really, truly believe Gase has superpowers.
Cutler had a nice workout Thursday night. He’ll give the Dolphins a professional at quarterback. But better than Tannehill? Denver and Chicago didn’t see that kind of play in 11 seasons from him. Expectations shouldn’t be for it now.
Then again, sports is in the business of hope. Maybe it happens for Cutler this year. Maybe his 12th season is the charm. If you want to believe it will be, and that he’s clearly better than Tannehill, be my guest.