When running the wildcat, where a tailback takes the direct snap and the quarterback lines up out wide, the QB’s one job is to look like a threat. Sure, he’s probably not going to be thrown the ball. But he should at least make it appear to be enough of a possibility to draw a defender. With that said, here’s Jay Cutler lined up at the bottom of your screen:
Hmm. Yes.
How about when Cutler was throwing the passes, though?
Computer, show me a sideline shot that sums up the Dolphins’ offense:
The Dolphins lost 20-0 to the Saints, have scored just six points total in their last two games against two of the league’s worst defenses (it would have been two straight shutouts if not for a meaningless touchdown against the Jets on the final play of last week’s game), and are last in the league with 8.3 points per game. This is baffling and concerning for what was supposed to be a high-powered offense with offensive-minded Adam Gase calling the shots.
What has changed since last season? Well, most notably, the quarterback. But with Ryan Tannehill out for the year (and here’s a weird thought: What if it was Tannehill making Gase look good and not the other way around?) and Matt Moore still riding the bench, Gase said there’s been no thought to replacing Cutler as starter.
“It’s not time to panic,” Gase said. “We’ve been through way worse than this. So we want to figure out what’s going on and then fix the problem. That’s really the only thing we’re concerned about.”
With a hurricane-forced bye on their opening week, Miami is just 1-2; there’s time to turn things around. But not that much time. The Bills are 3-1, the Jets are surprisingly feisty, and the Patriots are going to get into gear eventually. If it’s not time to panic, it’s at least time to plan how to panic.