ESPN: Jay Cutler has cracked ribs, putting status for Thursday in doubt

Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase confirmed starting quarterback Jay Cutler has "multiple cracked ribs" and that his chances of playing Thursday's game against the Baltimore Ravens are not strong.

"Right now it doesn't look real good," Gase said of Cutler's status.

white1 wrote:Coaches do this.  They want the opponent to prepare for one of two QBs without 100% certainty which one they will face.  

rightchea wrote:that is true. the weird part about it Moore could become Miami savior that they wanted.

Armando wrote:
Matt Moore infuses the team with electricity.

“Matt just comes in with a different level,” offensive lineman Ja’Wuan James said. “I don’t know if (it is) energy or presence because he’s a second quarterback, so he knows he has to bring that. I feel like he does a good job of getting everybody to where they need to go and getting a boost of confidence to everybody, just by how he is.”

So Moore gives his teammates a boost of confidence. How does he do this?

“Like I said, how he carries himself, how he makes you feel empowered,” James said. “He throws confidence in the huddle to guys. The energy he brings and really his confidence spreads to everybody else.

“Anything can happen when Matt is out there. He’s going to throw the ball downfield and give somebody a chance. He’s going to put you in the right situations. As o-lineman, and I think everybody in that huddle, appreciates that.”

This isn’t necessarily about how Moore plays. This is also about who Moore is. His personality affects other people positively. And it shows in how people around him react.

“Matt is a fiery guy. He loves to have fun,” receiver Kenny Stills said. “He has been doing this thing for a long time. He’s still the guy in here every day that’s talking trash. Every time you see him throw a good ball, he’s screaming, ‘Dimer!’ or doing the shots fired (pose). He really just enjoys his job. He loves being here.

“That kind of just ... It spreads to everyone else on the team. We go out there and we have fun. We know he’s going to give us an opportunity to go make plays as a receiving corps. We know he’s going to be prepared to help us win the game.”

...

Coach Adam Gase also seems to agree the Dolphins often play with more energy when Moore is in the game. But here’s my problem:

The coach, who I have great respect for, seems to believe that palpable energy is generated in other players because Moore is a backup quarterback and the team feels it needs to step up to help the backup after the starting quarterback goes out.

“I think anytime you’re the backup quarterback and you go in there, there’s a sense of urgency increase,” Gase said. “I’ve noticed that the last two years, going back to the Arizona game (in 2016) and then this last game...Guys realize the position he gets thrust into. You’ve got to do a great job and everybody has to execute at an extremely high level because there’s not much margin for error.”

So, again, Gase believes the infusion of energy and the added life is because of players not named Moore. Gase repeated this sentiment after the game ...

“Any time your backup quarterback goes in, you know he hasn’t had any reps all week,” the coach said. “Guys know they have to be on it. They have to be exactly where they’re supposed to be, because he’s really going off of almost pictures and what he sees on film. There’s no margin for anybody else to really make any error, because that’s going to put him in a really bad spot. I think guys really dialed in.”

...

Folks, it’s not about other guys picking it up on behalf of the backup. I’ve seen teams forced to go to their backup many times and the floppage that ensues is embarrassing. Backups are not energy infusing machines just because they’re backups.

Ray Lucas was a backup.

John Beck was a backup.

Chad Henne was a backup when Chad Pennington went down in 2009.

How’d that all work out?

This is a case of guys rallying to Matt Moore because he inspires such behavior. Simple as that.

He has a special gift of being able to fire up other people. It’s there when he comes in a game cold off the bench. It’s been there when he starts the game, as he did in three starts last year.

Whatever Moore’s flaws are, let’s just give him that nod because it’s obvious.

The head coach sees it. So why can’t he just say it’s something Moore brings instead of giving the credit to the other players?

Could it be because it’s something Cutler doesn’t bring and the comparison to Moore would be uncomfortable?

scotgif wrote:Gase is stubborn. He is cutler's bud. He will do everything to keep from admitting that it was a mistake to hand select him from the retired-scrap heap. So, barring Moore winning the next 2 or 3 games, I think you see cutler getting the job back once he is cleared to play. Now, if we go 1 and 2 or o and 3, then you could make a point to go back to cutler. I still don't see Moore staying healthy behind this garbage Oline. That could make gase's decision a little easier. "After all, you can't play Moore when he's hurt."

scotgif wrote:Gase is stubborn. He is cutler's bud. He will do everything to keep from admitting that it was a mistake to hand select him from the retired-scrap heap. So, barring Moore winning the next 2 or 3 games, I think you see cutler getting the job back once he is cleared to play. Now, if we go 1 and 2 or o and 3, then you could make a point to go back to cutler. I still don't see Moore staying healthy behind this garbage Oline. That could make gase's decision a little easier. "After all, you can't play Moore when he's hurt."