Before the NFL handed down a six-game suspension to Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott Friday, the football news cycle centered around the Miami Dolphins' decision to coax quarterback Jay Cutler out of retirement following Ryan Tannehill's injury. On the surface, this move makes sense for Miami. Cutler had one of his better seasons working with current Dolphins head coach Adam Gase back when Gase was the offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears in 2015, and the learning curve won't be as steep for Cutler as it would be for other options given his familiarity with Gase's system.
However, what does this mean for the other quarterbacks in Miami? Is the Cutler signing an ominous sign for Tannehill and Matt Moore? "Tannehill has been fine. NFL teams are seldom willing to settle for fine, especially one whose search for the next star quarterback has defined the last two decades of its existence."
These last two decades, of course, Miami has been searching long and hard to replace Hall of Fame signal caller Dan Marino. Cutler is the latest QB to attempt the feat, leading to the 'Someone please get Jay Cutler a cigarette' quiz:
It remains to be seen what Cutler has left in the tank and whether or not this turns out to be a prudent move for the Dolphins. Miami, of course, isn't alone when it comes to high-profile offseason moves. Check out the best and worst moves of the NFL offseason:
Speaking of quarterbacks in Florida, Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on this year's "Hard Knocks," and Winston, as expected, was prominently featured in the first episode. That leads us us to the 'Alright Mr. Goodell, I’m ready for my close-up' quiz:
Standard scoring as per Pro Football Reference.
The Dolphins were a playoff team last year while the Bucs just missed out at 9-7. Both teams hope to take the next step, though they, along with every other team in the NFL, face a tough road to unseat the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. With a bevy of big-ticket offseason acquisitions, New England is the favorite again this season. Unsurprisingly, the Pats are atop the list in our attempt at ranking all 32 teams' Super Bowl odds from 32 to 1:
It makes sense that with the likes of Tom Brady, Brandin Cooks, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Dont’a Hightower, Malcolm Butler, Stephon Gilmore and so many more prolific players that the Pats are expected to repeat with their newest "super team," taking page out of the Golden State Warriors' book.
It appears this philosophy of creating rosters full of stars is spreading across sports. In fact, the era of the super team is upon Major League Baseball: "During a time in professional sports when regular franchises look more like All-Star teams on an everyday basis, the relentless run of the Dodgers through the summer slate is invoking discussion about if they have become baseball’s equivalent to the model of the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers or New England Patriots, among others. With every victory and prolonged winning streak that comes down the pipe, as well as each superstar who either joins or emerges from L.A.'s ranks, the answer trends increasingly toward yes."
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs also look like potential super teams, and the Washington Nationals aren't all that far behind. In this week's Three Up, Three Down, Washington's brightest star, Bryce Harper, reached a common milestone on a common day as megastar Mike Trout: "Trout currently has 191 dingers under his belt, and he reached the 150-HR mark before turning 25 as well. In fact, he did it at the age of 24 years and 295 days, which happens to be the exact same age that Bryce Harper was on Monday when he hit his 150th career dinger."
As Harper approaches his 25th birthday, it's only right to celebrate Trout's most recent birthday, which took place Monday. So we leave you this weekend with the 'Somehow Mike Trout is just 26' quiz:
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