Dolphins fans should put their faith in Gase’s decision
We can argue about the signing of Jay Cutler till the conclusion of the 2017 season, and probably will.
We can debate whether or not going with a 34-year-old quarterback out of retirement is wise, and the right decision for the Miami Dolphins.
Whether Cutler’s more suited thanMattMoore or Colin Kaepernick to lead the Dolphins’ offense as Miami looks to return to the playoffs can turn into something rivaling the nation’s healthcare debate, but only one thing matters regarding themove the Dolphins made to address the loss of Ryan Tannehill.
Thiswas a decisionmade by head coach AdamGase, and the quarterback Gasewanted. Nothing else really matters. We can complain about Kaepernick being blackballed fromthe NFL— he is— and cry aboutMoore never getting a fair shot to become an NFL starter— he hasn’t— but ultimately it is Gase who will get the praise or the blame for howthis season turns out.
It is Gase who has to have a working relationship with his quarterback, building game plans around his strengths andweaknesses, and those of eachweek’s opponents.
Sowhy should anyone but Gase and his staff’s opinion matter?
Gase and Cutler have a great relationship. Gase is one of the few individuals in NFL coaching community who believes Cutler can lead a team to the playoffs, and together they’ll have a chance to prove it. That’swhy Cutler put his broadcasting career on hold to put the cleats back on.
Sunday’s agreement with Cutler, who will receive a one-year, incentive laden $10 million deal, indicates that Tannehill will have season-ending surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament, and thatwould be a wise decision because it prevents the injury fromcarrying over to a third season.
But more importantly, this move means that our expectations for the Dolphins this season shouldn’t change. Despite the nightmarish training camp Miami’s having with all the injured players have suffered, the franchise will continue to shoot for the postseason.
Even though Cutler probably hasn’t thrown a football to amoving target in months, he should have a good grasp of Miami’s offense since its similar to the one Gase ran in their one season together in Chicago in 2015.
Many people believe thatwas Cutler’s best year in the NFL. But they’d be ignoring the 2010 season where he led the Bears to the playoffs, and the 2014 season, where Cutler threw for more yards, had a higher competition percentage, and threw for more touchdowns than he did in 2015.
I’vewatched every game of that Gase-Cutler season, which produced a 6-10 record, andwas unimpressed. In fairness to Cutler, the Bears suffered a number of injuries at receiver and offensive line that season. But most of what the film showedwas an aggressive quarterback playing conservatively unless his team was trailing big.
Getting a gunslinger to take care of the football isn’t the equivalent of turningwater into wine. Gase helpedMoore, also known for being a gunslinger, produce a 105.6 passer rating while leading the Dolphins to the playoffs as Tannehill’s replacement late last season.
But what it does prove is that Gase knows what he’s doing with quarterbacks.
That is why Dolphins fans should put their faith in Gase on this one, and respect the fact he wants to whisper in Cutler’s ear, and notMoore’s.
Cutler has a 68-71 record as an NFL starter, and a 1-1 record in the postseason, which he qualified for in 2010. That means he should keep the Dolphins relevant all season as a starter if he’s still got a cannon of a right arm.
We shouldn’t ignore the fact Cutler has a reputation for being a poor leader and has rubbed former teammates and coaches the wrongway. The last thing he can afford to do is come to Miami and turn off his new teammates, who are very fond ofMoore.
But few players get this opportunity. This is Cutler’s chance to end his NFL career on a positive note.
On Twitter@omarkelly