Jay Cutler – September 5, 2017
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
QB Jay Cutler
(With this hurricane headed our way are you having second thoughts about coming to Florida?) – “(laughter) No. It’s still warm right now. Obviously we’ve got to be prepared for what’s coming, but I think everyone in South Florida has kind of been through the drill and is well prepared.”
(How weird is it to not know where or when you’re going to play this game?) – “Yes, I mean it is what it is. I mean luckily enough for us, we started Monday, so we’re kind of ready … ready to go. I mean if they want to do Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we’re kind of open to anything and this team is young and flexible and they’re ready to rock.”
(In Houston after Hurricane Harvey we saw athletes like JJ Watt, James Harden take the lead and try to galvanize the community to help. Do you see that and you think what as it pertains to what could possibly happen here?) – “I think it’s great. I think it definitely gives you a blueprint for what could happen here and what the aftermath could look like and what is, for football players and other pillars of the community, I mean sometimes you’ve got to step in and help out.”
(A couple of network commentators who have said this is the best offensive talent that they believe you’ve played with. Do you agree with that?) – “Every year is different. These guys can definitely play football. I don’t really want to compare these guys to really anybody else because you never know. Really, it takes 11 guys – up front, the guys outside, running the ball, play color – but I like this group. It’s a really good group.”
(Can you put into words what this opportunity for the Dolphins means to you personally?) – “I mean it changes day to day. I’m excited though. Coming to work with these guys and with (Head Coach) Adam (Gase), it’s been a lot of fun. Every day’s a new challenge, but every day is exciting and I’ve just enjoyed it. It’s been fun.”
(Do you appreciate having a fresh start in some sense at 34 years old?) – “I don’t know. I feel grateful I was in the same spot for eight years. There’s a stability to that. There’s a factor you can kind of grow there; but there’s something to being said with a fresh start. Every situation is different.”
(What do you feel like you have to prove at this point in your career?) – “That’s for you guys. I’m really honestly on Tampa Bay. We’re one game at a time here and today was third down and that’s kind of where my mind is at.”
(You were obviously at peace with ending your career after last season had it turned out that way and I know you’re not in the mood for big picture questions, which I totally get but would there be something …) – “But you’re going to ask it anyway (laughter).”
(But would it be satisfying or significant for you to go out on a winning team in a winning … you know contributing to winning again as you had done earlier?) – “Right now it’d be satisfying to go 1-0 and that’s kind of where we’re at. We prepare for Tampa and if we play here, if we play in … you know I’ve heard anywhere in the Southwest. It depends on where we go. If we start 1-0, that would be satisfying, then we’ll move from there.”
(Going no huddle, is that something that would be appealing for you to do a lot? Have you and Head Coach Adam Gase talked about that?) – “Yes, it is part of what we do here. It’s (in our) arsenal. It’s a piece of the puzzle, though. If we can go no huddle and if we’re picking up first downs, if we’re going three-and-out, three-and-out, then we’ve got to re-assess the situation and maybe slow it down and make sure everyone’s on the same page. We haven’t talked about what we’re going to do this game. We kind of have everything up and we’ll play it by ear as we go.”
(You mentioned playing somewhere in the Southwest this weekend?) – “I made that up. I haven’t really actually heard that. (laughter) That was just … I was just kind of throwing that out there. We can play in … I don’t know where we could play.”
(I was going to ask if there was any scenario that’s been discussed with you guys and you mentioned that.) – “No. Do you know something? (laughter)”
(No. no.) – “I mean everything is up in the air. I don’t think they’ve really come to any conclusions. You guys know about as much as I do. You guys probably know more than I do.”
(You had a rough time against this Bucs defense last November. What’s your recollection of this group in your scouting report?) – “Their front seven is really good. You’ve got to take care of some guys up front. The secondary, they’ve gotten better. They mix things up. They’re not afraid to blitz you. They’re not afraid to bring some zeros. A talented group and anytime you play somebody in the first game, they’ve got all offseason to get ready for you. Everyone wants to start 1-0. We’re going to get these guys the best punch.”
(Do you know anything more in South Florida or this area than an hour drive from whereever you’re staying?) – “A few restaurants and that’s probably about it. I mean I’ve been … how long have I been here? Three weeks or so. So I mean it’s pretty much been football and I assume it’s going to continue to kind of just to be football until, if we get a bye this year. I don’t know.”
(How conditioned as a professional athlete are you to leave all that stuff behind when like a hurricane like this is coming at us. Just to think about what you have to do on the field?) – “I’m in a different situation than probably most of these guys because my family’s not here. A lot these guys have a lot on their plate and moving their families and you’ve got people coming in and your house and your cars. I’m kind of one of the few lucky ones that, I’ve got a car here and a bag full of clothes and that’s kind of it. But you’ve got a lot of guys in that locker room that are going through a lot of things in their head and we’ve got to be mindful of that and kind of help them any way possible.”
(How do you keep that from affecting if you play a game, affecting the results of that game?) – “I think these guys are smart enough and kind of mentally tough enough to know when we’re in the building, we’ve got to put some stuff on the backburner. I think the Dolphins organization does a great job of putting people in place to help, help these players in any way possible so they can concentrate on the field.”
(So I assume this is your first hurricane?) – “Yes.”
(And how’s your family with that?) – “I haven’t …. I think they’re fine. I mean I think (my wife) Kristin … We’re probably leaving, I’m assuming? I’m assuming we’re leaving, probably? I don’t know. But if we do, I don’t know. We haven’t had many conversations about it. I’ve kind of been focused on Tampa.”
(How much would changing the bye week, not having a bye week, sort of impact the football team?) – “It’d be tough. It’d be tough, but we’d make it through it. Obviously we’d have to. But I mean our guys kind of need that bye week to get healthy and kind of push through the second half of the season. This is kind of my latest bye week I think I’ve ever had. It’s what, (Week) 11 or 12? Whatever we’ve got. But it’s not an ideal situation not to have a bye for us.”
