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NFL

How Adam Gase can work magic — again

We can throw out Jay Cutler’s lost season with the Chicago Bears in 2016. Don’t even watch it. Injuries, a new system and he played in only five games.

But we only have to go back to 2015 to find a time when Cutler played extremely efficient football. With 3,659 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 64.4 completion percentage, it was one of the best full seasons of his career. And his coordinator that year? Current Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase, who spent only one season with the Bears.

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Now Gase has convinced Cutler, who retired early this offseason, to join him in Miami after Ryan Tannehill went down with a knee injury. And if Cutler plays to the level he did in 2015, the Dolphins might not miss a beat.

Here’s what Gase did during that season to maximize Cutler’s strengths and cut down on the negatives. Plus, with the film, we can also get a look at how Cutler can make the Dolphins better right now.

High-percentage throws

We know Cutler has a live arm. He can sling it. But Gase used the call sheet to put Cutler in situations in which he could lean on the quick passing game and routes concepts that produced much more high-percentage throws. Take the risk out of the mix and give Cutler more clean reads in the short-to-intermediate route tree (see example below).

Think of Jarvis Landry for the Dolphins on the quick inside drag route or using DeVante Parker. This is a third-and-short situation. But instead of asking Cutler to make a tight-window throw, Gase uses formation and scheme (hi-lo mesh) to create an open lane for Cutler. This is a simple toss. Just dump the ball to his receiver with plenty of room to produce after the catch.

Run-pass options

Just like we saw with a healthy Tannehill in Miami, Gase will use plenty of run-pass options to give the offense a numbers advantage. These are defined reads based on the defensive alignment. And Cutler has experience running Gase’s RPO packages. Throw the wide receiver screen to Landry, pull the ball on a QB designed run, hand off to Jay Ajayi on the inside zone or hit the inside pop pass (see example below).

Cutler has the athleticism and the toughness to handle the football on these RPOs. And that creates a matchup advantage for the Dolphins when Cutler can read the end-man on the line of scrimmage, pull the rock and force the linebacker to attack downhill before tossing the screen. That’s a modern-day triple-option — and we will see it this season.

Scripted deep ball shots

Cutler loves to take his shots down the field on 50/50 throws. But Gase also used his game plan — based on opponent — to script matchups on deep throws. This allowed Cutler to challenge both single-high and two-deep safety looks while also taking advantage of Gase’s game-planning to find targets over the top of the secondary (see example below).

The Chiefs are a man-free/pressure defense. And Gase knew it. That’s why he called for a deep 7 (corner) route from a bunch formation. This allowed the receiver to break away from the defender’s leverage — with no help to the outside. This ball? It’s a dime. And it’s the type of throw Cutler can make to Kenny Stills when the Dolphins want to take a calculated deep shot.

Boot/play-action

Similar to RPOs, Gase utilized Cutler’s mobility off boot/play action. And with a strong run game in Miami led by Ajayi, the Dolphins can lean on the same schemes to get Cutler to the edge of the pocket. That gives Cutler much clearer throwing lanes and it also cuts the field in half (see example below).

Whether Cutler is under center or out of the gun (as we see here), he is very good at buying time on the edge and using a combination of velocity and touch to find open targets. This also puts Cutler in a situation in which he can pull the ball down and run. Lot of positives to featuring Cutler in Gase’s system off play-action and movement.

Creating favorable matchups

When the Dolphins move the ball into the red zone, look for Gase to use formation and alignment to give Cutler the best matchup possible. That could be Landry inside on the fade route from the slot (the toughest route to cover in football) or Parker on the seam due to his size and ability at the point of attack (see example below).

I really like that play call from Gase because he widened the defense to give Alshon Jeffery an inside matchup. With the running back flexed out wide, Jeffery now gets to work out of the slot. And Cutler absolutely rips this ball for the score. With the talent the Dolphins have at wide receiver, this is an area of the field where Cutler can play smart and productive football under Gase yet again.

Soccer

Neymar: Desire for 'bigger challenge,' not money, behind switch to PSG

Paris Saint Germain’s newest star, Neymar, says he felt no obligation to remain with Barcelona and that the prospect of embarking on a new challenge was too much to resist while contemplating his future in the days leading up to his transfer to the French capital.

The Brazilian began a new chapter in his illustrious career with his unveiling to the media Friday, alongside club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, after PSG secured his services for a world-record fee of €222 million.

The motive behind the switch was the primary focus as the media searched for an explanation as to why Neymar would spearhead a transfer away from one of the biggest club’s in the world.

Speculation that joining PSG was fueled by greed or an eagerness to escape Lionel Messi’s shadow were rejected by Neymar, who declared that a desire to take on new challenges convinced him to end his four-year stay in Barcelona.

Related: Winners and losers from Neymar’s world-record move to PSG

“This was about ambition,” Neymar confessed, courtesy of the BBC. “I wanted a bigger challenge, and my heart made this decision and I followed my heart. I want to help this club achieve and win trophies.”

He rejected the notion that Messi’s influence at Barca, as well as his status as arguably the world’s best player, had impact on his decision to leave.

“No, quite on the contrary,” he responded when asked about moving out of Messi’s shadow.

“One of my motivations to play for Barcelona was to play alongside Lionel Messi, he was my role model.

Related – Watch: Neymar gets raucous welcome from jubilant PSG fans

“There was no pressure at all there, only during the first week at Barcelona where I was nervous to train with my role models.

“But after that first week, I was relaxed and to play with the best is very easy because every player wants to play with the best in the world to win titles together.”

Al-Khelaifi was adamant that the extravagant price paid to Barcelona was a worthy investment, as Neymar’s value, along with the club’s, would skyrocket in the coming years. In fact, Neymar’s arrivals has already boosted the value of the club.

“Before Neymar the value of the club was $1 billion, now it is $1.5 billion,” he said.

Related – Timeline: How PSG pulled off the most expensive transfer in history

While PSG is already considered one of the world’s finest following the injection of money when a Qatari investment company became the majority stakeholder in 2012, football’s most coveted prize, the UEFA Champions League, has eluded the six-time Ligue 1 champion.

However, the club’s failure in the competition, including last season’s humiliating elimination at the hands of the Brazilian and Barcelona, is a challenge Neymar revealed that he was eager to accept.

“I want to write history at PSG, this is the only reason,” Neymar said. “There are new challenges and I want to help write history. Our biggest challenge is the Champions League, but want all the trophies.”

Al-Khelaifi echoed his sentiment, and clarified reports suggesting Neymar paid the €222-million buyout clause rather than PSG: “Our ambition is to win the Champions League, that is always there. We want to win the maximum trophies we can. It is our dream and we will fight for it. The players need to enjoy it.

“We paid the buyout clause, not Neymar.”

Al-Khelaifi also revealed that the French side is in the process of working with the European governing body, to ensure all aspects of the transfer agreement are transparent.

Meanwhile, Neymar has come under intense criticism from the Barcelona faithful, who have deemed him a traitor and have drawn parrallels with Luis Figo, who famously departed the Catalans in favour of joining rivals Real Madrid in 2000.

He reaffirmed his appreciation for the support during his four years at the Camp Nou, but explained that he was not abandoning the team and that it was his right to pursue other opportunities.

Related – Neymar bids Barcelona farewell, asks for father’s blessing

“I have done nothing bad. I am sad about the fact that the fans think that. I hope it is only a minority. I never lacked respect to the fans and I think every player should be allowed to stay or leave a club,” he said.

“You are not obligated to remain at a club, if you wish to leave then the player has that right.

“Once again, I want to thank the fans, the club, the players.”

Neymar added that he’s prepared to feature in his new team’s Ligue 1 opener against Amiens on Saturday, but PSG has yet to confirm whether he will be available for selection.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)