Adam Gase will return as coach in 2018

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross confirmed after Miami’s 22-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills that head coach Adam Gase would return as coach in 2018.

Although some fans have been calling for his firing, Adam Gase‘s seat as head coach of the Miami Dolphins was never really hot at this point. On Sunday, after Miami’s home loss to the division rival Buffalo Bills, owner Stephen Ross confirmed that Gase and upper management personnel would return on for the 2018 season.

Much to the displeasure of some, this news was to be expected. It was surely a disappointing season for the Dolphins finishing with a record of 6-10, but Ross understands the roller coaster this team was forced to go through this season. Gase, along with Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier, will be given one more opportunity this offseason to make the necessary changes.

Ross made it clear Sunday that he hates losing, in which he added an expletive to point out that it would not be tolerated. While Gase and company can breathe a sigh of relief for now, they cannot get comfortable in their positions, as their seats will undoubtedly be hot throughout the course of next season. Even considering the obstacles they had to endure, the Dolphins took a major step back from a year ago. There’s no doubt that another mediocre or worse season that sees Miami out of the playoff race will not be tolerated again by Ross.

One of the more concerning parts of the Gase regime is the discipline of this team, or lack thereof. At no point this season did Gase show that he had full control over his team, and it unraveled on Sunday. After a Jarvis Landry touchdown in the fourth quarter, things got heated between both teams. Both Landry, and Kenyan Drake, were eventually tossed from the game for their actions. The argument could easily be made that some of the Bills players should have been ejected as well, but the actions by Landry and Drake were evident enough to warrant their own.

Whether it be players losing their cool, or committing dumb penalties in crucial situations, the lack of discipline on this Dolphins team glared over all else. That’s not something that can be thrown around as an excuse such as hurricanes or losing your starting quarterback. No, that falls full blame at the feet of the coaching staff. If Gase and his staff cannot get this addressed in 2018 then there’s not much more that needs to be discussed in regards to his future on the Dolphins sidelines.

Speaking of Gase’s staff, although Gase has been assured he will return, the same cannot be said just yet for the rest of the coaches. With it being the first Monday after the regular season, firings are expected all across the league today – even if it is New Year’s. In fact, three coaches have already been relieved of their duties since I sat down to write this.

Gase may want to bring in someone like Jack Del Rio, whose already been let go by the Raiders, or possibly bring back Vance Joseph should Denver decide to let him go after one season as head coach. There’s no assurance that anyone Gase is looking at would be fitted in as a coordinator, but there is assurance that he is looking.

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Whatever his decision, it better be the right decision as the clock is now ticking on Gase and the rest of the upper management team. The Dolphins already possess a good team, and with a healthy Ryan Tannehill returning as the quarterback, they should be in prime position to return as a playoff contender. Miami will have the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and could clear up to $60 million in available cap space if they choose.

The Jay Cutler experiment was a failure, but Gase can put that all behind him with a successful offseason. The Dolphins had their ups and downs, mostly downs, on defense this year, but that doesn’t discount their solid draft class from a year ago, highlighted by five defensive selections. The Dolphins will look to add some offensive line help, and a young quarterback to groom in 2018.

The ice is thin for Gase, and the room for error is very little. It’s been proven, however, in this league that things can change practically over night. No team has shown that more than the Dolphins, who have bounced back from a 1-15 season in 2007 to 11-5 and a division title a year later. In his rookie season as head coach, Gase turned the Dolphins from a 1-4 start to a 10-6 playoff team.

It can be done, but if Gase and the Dolphins miss out on the playoffs yet again in 2018 then we can expect to see Ross shake things up again in South Florida.