Now that the New York Jets have hired Adam Gase as the organization’s newest head coach, the positives must be dissected.
I have to be completely honest with you off the top. I’m disappointed in the result of this New York Jets head coaching search. Adam Gase was my least favorite candidate out of the eight rumored options in play for the Jets.
Not only did they end up with the option I favored least, but it unfolded in typical embarrassing Jets fashion.
They reportedly denied Matt Rhule the permission to build his own staff and now seem to be allowing Gase to bring in two of his buddies from Miami at the offensive and defensive coordinator spots. They passed on the very well-qualified Todd Monken. Each of those two candidates would have excited me quite a bit.
Nevertheless, Gase ended up as the choice made by the dynamic duo of Mike Maccagnan and Christopher Johnson.
Since he is now the head coach of the New York Jets, my job is to find a way to get excited about him. So, that’s what I’m here to do. Let’s do our very best to make a case for Gase.
- Adam Gase has four times moved on from the staff of one NFL team to another. He left Detroit for San Francisco from 2007-2008, San Francisco for Denver from 2008-2009, Denver for Chicago from 2014-2015, and Chicago for Miami from 2015-16. Each of the four teams Gase left scored fewer points per game the season after he left them than they did in his final season with them.
- Gase was the Lions quarterbacks coach for one year in 2007. That season, 35-year old Jon Kitna, who was a winner of five games over his previous three seasons, ranked 11th in Y/A while winning seven games and leading Detroit to 16th in points. The following season in 2008, Gase left for San Francisco. Kitna had four terrible starts, suffered a season-ending injury, and the Lions went 0-16 as their quarterback group was historically terrible.
- Tim Tebow did the unthinkable and went 7-4 as an NFL starter and then won a playoff game with Gase as his quarterbacks coach. Every year that goes by, the fact that Tebow did this feels more and more unbelievable. Tebow was not an NFL quarterback, not even close. Yet, with Gase behind him in the QB coach position, Tebow put together one magical year.
- Following that season with Tebow, Gase was then the quarterbacks coach for a man two years his elder, Peyton Manning. The Broncos ranked first and second in scoring over Adam Gase’s two years in the offensive coordinator spot, setting the still-standing all-time record for most points scored in a season in 2013. Though they did win the Super Bowl the season after Gase left, they fell to 19th in scoring without him, as Manning had arguably the worst season of his career.
- Gase’s record exceeded the level of his quarterback play each year he spent in Miami. 2016 – Tannehill 24th in QBR, Miami T-9th in W%. 2017 – Cutler 26th in QBR, Miami T-22nd in W% 2018 – Tannehill 32nd in QBR, Miami T-17th in W%.
- How much credit should go to Gase for each man’s success is debatable, but Gase did play a hand in producing four of the biggest outlier seasons in NFL quarterback history.
Only eight quarterbacks have posted a season with 7.3+ Y/A and a 63%+ completion% at age 35 or older. Tom Brady (3x), Drew Brees (3x), Peyton Manning (3x), Ben Roethlisberger (2x), Rich Gannon (1x), Eli Manning (1x), Kurt Warner (1x), and Jon Kitna (1x). Gase was with Manning for all three of those seasons, two as his offensive coordinator, one as his quarterbacks coach, and was Kitna’s quarterbacks coach for his season.
Adam Gase is a tough sell to the Jets fanbase. There is no honeymoon period. He will be lambasted until he starts succeeding and will be under pressure to make the playoffs right away.
However, it’s important as a fan to keep the faith. Try and find the positives. With Adam Gase, while you may have to dig deep to find them, hope is there.
Will he turn out to be the right hire? Only time will tell.
