Dolphins QB Cutler still in concussion protocol

Nov 23, 2017 - 2:08 AM DAVIE, Fla. -- Quarterback Jay Cutler remains in concussion protocol meaning the Miami Dolphins aren't sure who will be under center when they take the field at New England on Sunday.

Backup quarterback Matt Moore took the first-team snaps in Wednesday's practice but head coach Adam Gase sounded helpless as he went over the situation.

Gase said he's not sure how far he can go with the uncertainty.

"I'm sure there will be a point I make a decision," Gase said. "I don't really know what the timetable is right now."

Gase, who said Monday that Cutler is the starter if he's healthy, said it's basically a waiting game.

"Really at the end of the day the (concussion) protocol tells us what the right thing is," he said.

Miami has been through this before at quarterback. Cutler sustained a rib injury in the third quarter of the 31-28 victory over the New York Jets and missed the rest of that game as well as the following game, a 40-0 loss at Baltimore.

Moore performed well in second halves against the Jets and Buccaneers, but he didn't so well against the Ravens. And he has a different style than Cutler, which caused problems with cadence last week when he relieved Cutler in the second half of Miami's 30-20 loss to Tampa Bay.

"We're ironing that out," Moore said.

Moore also plays at a different speed than Cutler.

"(Matt) plays fast," offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said. "He plays extremely fast, sometimes too fast. (Last) week there were a couple in the red zone that maybe he was too fast.

"But the ball is going to come out of there. His mind works fast, everything's moving fast, so I think that's probably a little bit different as far as the tempo of that goes, which is sometimes an advantage, sometimes a disadvantage."

Regardless, as Gase said Monday, Cutler will be the starter if he's healthy.

And it sounds as though Moore has resigned himself to accepting that fact.

"My role is what it is," he said. "When Ryan (Tannehill) was here, I was the backup. When they signed Jay, who knows what's going to happen, I became the backup again and it was defined.

"My role is what it is and I do my best to execute it, whatever it is. That's the way I roll with this thing."

SERIES HISTORY: 101st regular-season meeting. Dolphins lead series, 52-48. New England won the last meeting, 35-14, in last year's season finale in Miami. Tom Brady passed for three touchdowns as the Patriots took a 20-0 halftime lead. Miami QB Matt Moore had won his previous two starts in place of injured Ryan Tannehill.

--Offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said it's "unexplainable" and "unfathomable" Miami still has pre-snap penalties at this time of year. Worse, it was a point of emphasis last week.

"That was probably more the frustrating part is we made some changes last week," head coach Adam Gase said.

Regardless, penalties are still a concern. Miami had 17 for 123 yards last week against Tampa Bay and 11 penalties for 107 yards against Oakland three games ago.

"A lot of times we've lost games it's been self-inflicted things we've done that have prevented us from having a chance in the fourth quarter," Gase said.

--New England head coach Bill Belichick has always been known to go a bit overboard when analyzing the opposition. That didn't change Wednesday during a teleconference with South Florida writers, which included Belichick saying the Dolphins "have very good depth at quarterback" and calling quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Matt Moore both "outstanding."

Belichick, whose teams have won eight consecutive games against Miami at Gillette Stadium, went on to say Miami has a "very good and healthy quarterback situation," and later added, "It's a good position the Dolphins have put themselves in."

--Miami could have issues on the offensive line this week considering right guard Jermon Bushrod (foot) and left tackle Laremy Tunsil (unknown) missed practice Wednesday. If Bushrod doesn't play, Miami will likely use Jesse Davis at right guard and Sam Young at right tackle, which is how they finished last week.

If Tunsil doesn't play, Miami will likely use Jesse Davis at right guard and Sam Young at right tackle, which is how they finished the Tampa Bay game last week.

If Miami goes that way it would be its fourth starting offensive line in six weeks. The Dolphins have changed because of injuries to left guard Anthony Steen and right tackle Ja'Wuan James and the return of left guard Ted Larsen.

NOTES: QB Jay Cutler (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday and his availability for Sunday at New England is in question. Injuries are starting to become a factor. Cutler left the New York Jets game five weeks ago with a rib injury, missed the Baltimore game the following week, didn't play the second half of last week's Tampa Bay game and could miss this week's game. ... RG Jermon Bushrod (foot) missed Wednesday's practice and head coach Adam Gase said of the injury, "I'm not sure if it's long term." Bushrod hasn't missed a game this year. ... LB Neville Hewitt, who started five games but was cut with a shoulder injury in September, was promoted to the 53-man roster from the practice squad Wednesday. Hewitt, who has been on the practice squad, could provide immediate depth. ... LB Stephone Anthony (quadriceps), who has been inactive for six games, missed practice Wednesday and is "day-to-day," according to defensive coordinator Matt Burke. Anthony found a spot in the nickel defense last week, sometimes relieving LB Lawrence Timmons. ... LT Laremy Tunsil (illness) missed practice Wednesday. Tunsil has struggled this season. He was flagged three times last week against Tampa Bay. ... DE William Hayes (back) didn't practice Wednesday. Hayes, one of Miami's best run stoppers, missed practice time last week with a back injury, but he hasn't missed a game. ... WR Rashawn Scott was activated for last week's game over WR Leonte Carroo because he had a better week of practice. Scott, a better special teams performer, will have a weekly battle with Carroo, according to head coach Adam Gase. ... WR Jakeem Grant was being mentioned as a key secondary target during training camp, but things haven't worked out that way. Grant has three receptions for 15 yards. "We had some personnel packages that we liked with a few of those younger guys," head coach Adam Gase said, "and we weren't getting enough plays in the game to where we could kind of start messing around with that and see how it works." Gase said he likes how Grant has been working. ... DE Cam Wake hasn't had a sack in the last four games. Head coach Adam Gase was asked about giving Wake fewer snaps to help his effectiveness. "I think it's hard to take a guy that's still disruptive and doing his job in the run game," Gase said. "He's doing what we're asking him to do and he's executing things still at a high level." ... QB Matt Moore could be making his sixth start in the last 14 games if he gets the nod against New England. Moore, who has come on in relief twice this season and once last season, has a 2-3 record as a starter since last season.