Bucs Coach Koetter On Dolphins' Jay Cutler: "He's Joe Namath To Us"
DAVIE (CBSMiami/CBS Sports) - As Hurricane Irma threatens the State of Florida, the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to prepare for their scheduled Sunday matchup at Hard Rock Stadium.
To Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter, the opposing quarterback is one to be taken seriously.
Koetter is showing a ton of respect for Miami's Jay Cutler, as Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports writes.
And while Cutler is probably still one of the NFL's most physically gifted passers, he remains frustratingly unpredictable. Which means a four-interception afternoon is just as likely as a 400-yard performance. Koetter, ahead of Sunday's matchup, is working from the assumption that Cutler can do no wrong.
"He's a strong-armed, quick-release guy, stand in the pocket (passer)," Koetter said Monday, via the Tampa Bay Times' Greg Auman. "He's been a little streaky in his career, and when he's hot, he's red-hot. I've seen him light teams up. This week, he's Joe Namath to us. He's the greatest quarterback, whoever your greatest quarterback is, because he's the one we're playing this week."
So far, Cutler has looked good in a Dolphins uniform, but perhaps not Namath-esque just yet. Koetter knows never to underestimate an opponent.
Cutler's pocket presence and arm strength have been praised throughout preseason. It's become commonplace in a Dolphins practice for Cutler to connect with former first round draft pick DeVante Parker (who enters year three) on deep passes.
In two preseason appearances, Cutler has completed 8 of 14 passes for 129 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. He played just two possessions (preseason) week 2 against Baltimore, but played into the second quarter against Philadelphia the following week. His passer rating was a stellar 145.8 in the Eagles game.
Cutler will try and channel his inner Joe Namath against the Buccaneers.