Jay Cutler "Definitely" Felt Nerves In First Day With Dolphins
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) - Jay Cutler steps into a familiar situation with his new team. Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase was his offensive coordinator with the Bears in 2015, the playbook is virtually identical to those days, and Gase and Cutler maintained a close bond during their time apart.
The Dolphins hope that familiarity will make Cutler's transition an easy one. Cutler was all smiles after Tuesday's practice, but admitted to some butterflies.
"Definitely," replied Cutler, when asked if he had any nerves. "Especially whenever you're a couple of months behind these guys."
Cutler was among the last to leave the practice field. He had a long conversation with quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree before retreating to the media scrum.
"You kind of want to catch up pretty quickly but you know these guys are a few weeks ahead of you," Noted Cutler. "I just have to put in a little bit of extra work. We'll get caught up pretty quick."
Cutler was engaged and sharp in his first day. He completed a handful of deep passes, including a laser of a strike to Jakeem Grant for a touchdown. With no contact and no live hitting, Cutler showed about as much on Tuesday as the assembled fans could hope for.
After several months away from football, Cutler was asked if he worries about arm soreness.
"My arm's … It doesn't get sore, first of all. We just have to get all of the strength and stuff back in it," proclaimed Cutler. "And the offense, the offense is going to come. I think it's just sitting in the pocket, getting my feet underneath me, just the timing of the game, rhythm, that stuff is just going to take a little bit of time; but hopefully it comes back pretty quickly."
Cutler will not play in Miami's preseason opener, Thursday against the Falcons. Adam Gase hasn't yet committed to Cutler's availability for the second exhibition.
Cutler says he'd like to play, but added, "I think we're going to kind of play it by ear and see how I feel and see how things are going. I don't want to rule it out and don't want to say it's a certainty."
The Dolphins make their preseason debut Thursday, August 10th, at 7:00 PM against the Atlanta Falcons.