After years of spurning offers or being turned down himself, offensive coordinator Adam Gase has reportedly agreed to become the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins…
Near the end of the Denver Broncos’ record-breaking 2013 seasons — one of the greatest in NFL history — Adam Gase was the hottest young prospect on the head coaching market.
It seemed more of a case of ‘where’ rather than ‘when’ he would become a head coach, but a certain set of circumstances prevented it from happening. In 2013, Gase spurned the Cleveland Browns for an interview, and that turned out to be a great piece of judgment on his part because Mike Pettine has already been fired along with GM Ray Farmer in Cleveland.
In 2014, the head coaching carousel was spinning as rapidly as it ever has, and it seemed Gase leaving Denver — or perhaps becoming their new head coach — was a near certainty. After interviewing for a number of head coaching jobs, Gase eventually wound up as one of the last remaining coaches on the market, and he tagged along with John Fox to Chicago to be the offensive coordinator for another job.
As of last offseason, it was unclear whether Gase simply didn’t interview well enough for jobs or if the coaches that were available this past offseason were just that much better than him as prospective candidates. Looking around the league, it’s hard to argue teams made the wrong choices, but time will tell.
Gase waited a third offseason for the right head coaching gig to come along, and now reports have surfaced that he’s going to become the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins…
Breaking: Adam Gase will become #Dolphins new coach https://t.co/KcXGmX5K37
— Andrew Abramson (@AbramsonFL) January 9, 2016
Gase almost could have had his pick of head coaching jobs this offseason. He is a strong candidate after the success he had with Jay Cutler this past year, and joining with the Dolphins gives him a lot of flexibility and freedom.
The first and foremost connection to make here is the one with Ryan Tannehill, which is a marriage almost entirely up to Gase. With new leadership in the Dolphins’ front office and a team-friendly contract, the Dolphins can either choose to move forward with Tannehill as a one-year audition in Gase’s system or they could move on this offseason entirely.
That doesn’t seem a likely scenario, but Gase teaming up with Tannehill could be really intriguing. He has done a great job with Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler over the last three years as an offensive coordinator, and now calling the shots as a head coach, I think he will be able to work wonders with one of the most underachieving teams in the NFL.
Tannehill is only part of the problem, but the championship formula in Miami has been elusive. With the combination of assets both offensively and defensively, there’s no good explanation as to why the Dolphins have been so ineffective when it comes to competing for a division title as Ryan Tannehill has continued his development.
Last offseason, the addition of Ndamukong Suh to an already talented defensive front seemed to be the final straw in getting this team over the hump, but it didn’t. They were downright embarrassing at times, but ironically enough, the last game they played this past regular season was essentially a win for the Denver Broncos. The Dolphins showed some resilience, beat the New England Patriots, and helped push the Broncos up to the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
Initially brought on by the Josh McDaniels regime in Denver as a WRs coach, Adam Gase is certainly a seasoned NFL coach with plenty of connections made over the last six seasons between his time in Denver and his year in Chicago. He’s been a WRs coach, QBs coach, and offensive coordinator on his way to becoming a head coach in the NFL, and his ascent took a little bit longer than the instant gratification system we’ve seen from other teams making foolish hires, but the development will most certainly be worth the wait in Gase’s case.
He’s a strong candidate, a good offensive mind, and a guy who could come in and help a woefully inconsistent Miami offense turn things around quickly. Armed with the 6th overall pick in the draft, Ryan Tannehill, Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, Lamar Miller, and a whole host of players returning defensively, this is a great situation for Gase.
Since the Broncos don’t play the Dolphins in 2016, we can say in all honesty — good luck. We’re happy for you, coach.