Jay Cutler Won’t Lead the Dolphins to the Playoffs…But That’s Not His Fault

Congratulations Miami, you are the owner of one, 34-year-old Jay Christopher Cutler. After the unfortunate knee injury suffered by Ryan Tannehill, a circus of QB names fluttered around Miami from Kaepernick to Romo, but the former Bronco turned Bear won the starting job and is once again reunited with his former office coordinator Adam Gase. So what dose this mean for the boys from the sunshine state? Will Cutler mark a new era of success and maybe lead the ‘Phins to a playoff birth?

Well…probably not, however that’s not completely Jay’s fault. Miami’s issues extended beyond the quarterback and into other aspects of the ball but before jumping into those, let’s examine the differences between Cutler and Tannehill. Ryan has a career completion percentage of 62.7% while Jay has a 61.9% and Tannehill’s career QB rating is 86.5 while Jay’s is 85.7. They are comparable quarterbacks stats wise, with age and history being the biggest separation. So the inclusion of Cutler, from a statistics perspective, should not make a massive impact upon the Dolphins. The issues with the offensive line and defense will still prove to be Miami’s potential down fall this season and the addition Jay Cutler dose not change that. Some have pointed out that while Adam Gase was Cutler’s offensive coordinator he coached Jay to one of his most successful seasons: 3,659 yards, 24 touch downs and 11 interceptions. However, the bears record was 6-10 by the end of the year, showing that even under great coaching, Jay can’t elevate a mediocre team to victory. The Dolphins still have a amazing receiving core and decent run game that gives Cutler some options, but it wont be enough to gain the playoff spot Miami is hoping for. With hopes of winning the AFC East from the reigning Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots seeming slim as always, the Dolphins best hope is to gain a Wild Card spot like they did the year before. However, the talent of the AFC has increased from last year, with the possibility of two or at least three teams emerging from the most competitive division in football, the AFC West, seeming likely.

The Dolphins potentially will be competing for a Wild Card spot with teams like Houston, Denver, Kansas City, and Baltimore. With Vegas and a majority of the sports community placing Miami somewhere in-between 7 or 8 wins this season, they don’t seem poised to attain the Wild Card spot they achieved last season with a 10 and 6 record. Even if they did reach last season’s successes it may not be enough with this competitive AFC conference. Its going to be a tough season to try and win that Wild Card spot, and the addition of Jay Cutler won’t make any major impact on Miami or their chances of a postseason.

Written by Connor Hoehn