The Miami Dolphins have a new head coach with the announcement today that the team has hired Adam Gase to be the 12th man at the helm of the club. Gase served last year as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and the two years prior to that as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos. To get a better look at Gase, I spoke with Dane Noble of Windy City Gridiron and Kyle Montgomery of Mile High Report, both of whom covered Gase in his last two stops.
Noble started the discussion:
Adam Gase is very smart, and is one of those coaches that will adjust his scheme and game-plan to the talent he has on the field. He won't try and stick to a game plan and force his players to execute, but rather will adjust his play-calling to their strengths (and what we saw a lot in 2015 in Chciago was him limiting exposure to the Bears glaring offensive weaknesses).
He makes great in-game adjustments, and always had his guys well-prepared.
Here's a quote from my article on WCG Saturday morning:
While many fans can't see past the quick bubble screens and the 21st-ranked offense in the NFL, Gase clearly had quarterback Jay Cutler playing the best football of his career, and managed to keep their offense competitive against even the most competitive of opponents, despite running on three flat tires most of the season
Montgomery then added:
I'm a big fan of Adam Gase, and was surprised he didn't land a head coach job last offseason. His resume isn't built on Peyton Manning's career: he got the best out of Tim Tebow, Jay Cutler, and he got the best out of Peyton Manning too, shattering NFL records in 2013. After his success with Jay Cutler this season, this is a no-brainer. Congrats to the Dolphins on a good hire.
Noble disagreed with Montgomery's assessment that Gase could have been a head coach last year:
Opposite for me. I'm surprised he was a HC [candidate] at all last year, and still don't think he has enough NFL experience to run an entire team.
Last year he only had two seasons under his belt as a coordinator. Prior to that he'd been a position coach.
Not saying he's a candidate for Peter Principle Hire of the Year, but his ascension in the league has been quite accelerated.
Montgomery did agree that we just do not know what to expect from Gase:
Absolutely. You're totally right that we all have no clue whether Gase is ready go from terrific coordinator/QB coach to head coach. The Broncos tried that with a young offensive guru named Josh McDaniels, and it was the worst thing this franchise ever did. But Gase doesn't have that same Belichickian moxie that McDaniels faked and is smart without the attitude. I also think Gase is smarter than McDaniels in that he recognized that he needs to bend his scheme to the strengths of his players, and not the other way around. I like him. I think the Dolphins found a great hire, with some risk, and I hope it pans out for Gase and Miami.
What do you think of Miami's hire of Gase? The fan base as a whole seems completely split on the move, with some upset that the team did not get someone with more experience, while others are happy the team did not pick a "retread" coach.
And, of course, thank you to Noble and Montgomery for taking the time to talk about Gase.