ADAM GASE
Most people consider Gase to be the top candidate among assistant coaches. Simply put, he has had a knack for getting QBs to play well and that is invaluable in today’s NFL.
I’m fascinated by Gase because he reminds me of an offensive version of Bill Belichick. Gase went to Michigan State, not to play football, but just as a normal student. He got coach Nick Saban to let him do some work for the football team. When Saban left for LSU, the only person he took with him was…Gase.
Gase wasn’t making much money at all. He was feeling financial and family pressure to move on from football and get a real job. He almost did, but stuck it out and eventually got a scouting job with the Lions (and Steve Mariucci). That led to a low-level assistant job with the Lions and eventually he was the QBs coach in 2007 working under OC Mike Martz. Martz left for SF in 2008 and took Gase with him.
Gase then coached WRs for Denver in 2009 and 2010. He became the QBs coach there in 2011 and 2012 and was promoted to OC in 2013 and 2014. When John Fox was fired after the season, he took Gase to Chicago with him to be the OC for the Bears.
That history is important for a few reasons.
First, Gase is a self-made man. He wasn’t a college football player. He wasn’t an NFL player. He showed great work ethic at the lowest rungs of the football ladder and carved out a niche for himself.
Another key, people who worked with Gase kept taking him to new teams. It says something pretty good when Nick Saban, Mike Martz and John Fox all like you enough to want you to follow them to new gigs. Those are three very different coaches. They aren’t close friends so this wasn’t a case of them looking out for a mutual acquaintance. Each coach was impressed by Gase after working with him.
Results are also critical. Jon Kitna had a solid season playing for Gase in 2007. Brandon Marshall posted big numbers in 2009. Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney played well for Gase. Brandon Lloyd had the best season of his career playing for Gase in 2010.
Tim Tebow went 7-4 playing for Gase in 2011 and even won a playoff game. Peyton Manning had his bounce-back season under Gase in 2012 and then posted the greatest season in the history of NFL QB’ing in 2013, throwing 55 TD passes. Jay Cutler is going to finish with the highest QB rating of his career. He did throw 3 INTs in the season finale, but greatly cut down on critical mistakes this year.
My favorite quality with Gase is versatility. He worked under Mariucci (West Coast Offense), Mike Martz (Coryell/Gillman offense) and embraced Manning’s playbook (Tom Moore offense). Gase was able to have success dealing with all of those systems.
When Tebow took over as QB, Gase got as creative as he could. He consulted college coaches for ideas. He talked to Demaryius Thomas, who had played in a triple option offense at Georgia Tech, for ideas. Gase was as user-friendly with Cutler as he could be. Gase figured out what Cutler had done well in the past and built the offense around that.
When dealing with Manning, Gase didn’t try to make life difficult. He embraced the no-huddle, shotgun attack. He learned Manning’s playbook and made that the core of the offense. Gase knew he was handed an incredible gift and he handled the situation in the smartest way possible.
Gase understands that football is more players than scheme.
Players seem to like Gase. He hasn’t had to lead a whole team yet, but has had good success with the units he’s run. Brandon Lloyd told a story years ago about screaming and cussing at Gase during a game when the coaches weren’t using him the way he wanted. Gase didn’t get confrontational. He kept things calm and defused the situation.
There are two big questions with Gase. First, can he lead a team? That is always a concern when you hire a coordinator to be head coach. Leading 5, 10, or even 25 men is different from leading an entire organization. I know Gase is smart enough to handle the job. I just don’t know if he’s a natural leader. Because he rates so well in all the other categories, I’d be willing to take a chance on him.
The other concern is whether Gase will want the Eagles job. If he’s the top guy, he will have his choice of jobs. The Eagles are getting the first crack at him so that bodes well. He wouldn’t interview if he had no interest. I just don’t know where the Eagles might fall on his list.
I like Gase quite a bit and think he could be a terrific hire.
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