Monday Morning Observations

Let’s start off by saying that Matt Moore looked horrible in last season’s playoff game vs. Pittsburgh and also the week before vs. the Patriots.    I do indeed remember those games.   I do not think he is perfect.   However, I also remember the Bills game.  The Cardinals game.  BOTH Jet games he won (last year and yesterday).  I’m ready to cut him some slack for those two bad games because he certainly makes up for it when his game is on.   Even after throwing an interception yesterday (which WAS his fault, not the receiver’s),  he was not discouraged.  He came right back out firing.

But Matt Moore is about 25% of the reason that Matt Moore was successful yesterday.  The other 75% came from the momentum and intangibles he brought into the game with him. Yes, the fellas on offense try hard for Jay Cutler.  By they try harder for Matt Moore.  That is an observable, palpable fact.  And for that reason, Moore deserves to play.  He is better than Jay Cutler.

Adam Gase incorrectly (surprise, surprise) chalked it up to the players wanting to step it up because they knew a backup QB was now in there.   No.   It wasn’t just a backup.  It was Matt Moore.  The guys busted their butts because they wanted to prove something to Adam Gase.   They want (and should have) Matt Moore as their full-time QB.   You saw the results.

The results?   The W was the obvious result, but there was so much more.   You saw hustle on offense.  You saw Moore reading the D much faster than Cutler.   You saw him throw it way way faster than Cutler.  As the Fox announcers pointed out, he had much better anticipation of where the receivers would be.

I’ve criticized Bobby McCain so often over the years, but yesterday he shut me up.  Yes, it was thrown right to him by a horrible quarterback, but still, it was an INT that our DBs have dropped before.

While I’m mentioning players who I’ve been hard on and who are shutting me up this year, I’m giving kudos to Damien Williams.   In the past few weeks, he’s picked up some really tough, gritty first downs.  He’s keeping the chains moving by doing exactly what is asked of him.   Last week he was clutch on two separate 4th-down plays.  Without Damien, we lose the Falcons game for sure.  Never thought I’d say that.

Also, it’s time to acknowledge the field goal team, which has made clutch, gut-wrenching kicks in all 4 of our wins.  Cody Parkey has been such a gem, but it also takes perfect execution from John Denney and Matt Haack.  It looks so easy each week, doesn’t it?  But we all know it’s not.

And finally, did you see Adam Gase face away from the field on the final field goal?  He couldn’t bear to watch the last play.  That’s fine if you’re an 8-year-old girl,  but not when you are a professional head coach on the big stage.   What if there was some bogus penalty called?  Or the Jets came out in some trick formation?  Or there was a mis-snap that would require a quick decision from Gase about what to do next?   A head coach MUST observe every single second of what occurs on the field.   It was embarrassing that our head coach acted like such a child.

Speaking of embarrassing, did you see Robby Anderson of the Jets jump into the empty luxury box seats?   THAT was humiliating as a Dolphan.  Those seats CANNOT be empty.   Can you imagine an opposing player scoring a TD at Lambeau Field and then making the Lambeau Leap because there were no Packer fans in the front row?  How pathetic of the millionaire fans who own those seats to not show up.   Ross needs to give those seats away to charity.  Or have a weekly essay contest for school kids.  Or tell those seat owners that if you’re not here by kickoff, the seats are getting sold to TRUE fans.   Better yet, those gigantic seats need to be torn out to make room for hundreds of extra regular-size seats.    Getting rabid Dolphans in those seats instead of businessmen buying them and not showing up is a much better way to go.