Jay Cutler began his Miami Dolphins tenure the only way he could.
Having not practiced or played in months, the recently unretired quarterback made a dry joke about getting back into peak physical condition during a brief session with reporters on Monday.
"The good thing is I play quarterback so I don't really have to be that good of cardiovascular shape," Cutler said, smiling. "But I'll be fine. [Dolphins head coach Adam Gase] knows kind of what I've been up to, so we'll figure it out along the way."
In all seriousness, Cutler said his surgically repaired shoulder has healed. Cutler went under the knife in December for a season-ending repair and, while Gase said he would work Cutler back into the fold slowly given his lack of consistent throwing, the newest Dolphin did not seem all that concerned.
"It's good. It's good," Cutler said. "By March, I was cleared on that one. So I'm a little bit behind these guys. I mean they've been going through training camp and stuff like that, so I'm not that quite there yet. But it won't take long."
He added later: "I've got two boys so we're always doing something. I'd go down to [Vanderbilt University] and do some stuff down there. I was playing basketball in the mornings and there are football camps there. You know, you're around it. ... It'll come back pretty quickly. I'm not worried about that 'my arm and throwing' part. Getting used to these guys and how to get in and out of breaks and little bit more detailed stuff, that's some of the stuff we're going to have to kind of hit the fast forward button and get used to."
Cutler's first meeting with the press largely confirmed the narrative around his signing. This was a decision that forced Cutler to do some serious thinking. He enjoyed the increased time with his family, but said his wife, Kristin Cavallari, actually pushed him back toward the field.
"It was hard. It was hard. It was definitely hard," Cutler said. "Like you said, the last four months, I've been in a different mode, different mindset, getting ready for the Fox deal. It was really pretty good with where I was in my life. I was around the kids a lot and felt pretty content. So wavered back and forth on this. I'd probably say my wife, Kristin, talked me into it more than anyone else could."
Now, the Cutler-Gase buddy cop movie can commence. Cutler commended his former offensive coordinator and now head coach for the way he takes care of quarterbacks and puts them in a better place to succeed. Had they not developed this type of bond two years ago, we would still be looking forward to Cutler's preseason television debut in a Soldier Field broadcast booth.
"I think everyone probably in the room forecasts what they're going to be doing," Cutler said. "A week from now, couple weeks, a month. You kind of have that in your mind of what's going to happen. We're going on vacation this week. Then you start the Fox thing. You have to do the preseason games. [My son] Jaxon's birthday is tomorrow. There were things you just kind of have planned in your life. To get something like this thrown, it takes a little bit to kind of process and figure out what direction you want to go."
