Miami Dolphins Adam Gase’s time is now with AFC East changes looming
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have a young head coach with a lot of questions but with the AFC East heading towards big changes, Gase needs to make the most of his time now.
This is a critical off-season for the Dolphins who have yet to find an identity or a direction under Adam Gase. Is he being hindered by poor executive decisions who are picking the players for him or does he have more say and sway than we know?
Gase is trying to build a winner and there is little doubt that his drive to win is a high-priority but finding the right players for his system has proven difficult. Entering year three of his contract, Gase needs to show that he can mold and coach his players. Was 2016’s playoff appearance luck or was last years six win season due to the high level of injuries.
Gase reminds many of a young Bill Belichick. A highly touted coordinator who got his first head coaching break with a bad football team. The Browns gave up on Belichick and he returned to a coordinators role but when he surfaced again, he took the Patriots to what they are now. Granted he cheated to do it. (Sorry).
Gase is in a similar situation with the Dolphins. Miami is not a good football team. They have talent but that talent is composed of players who are good but not great or great but not leaders. That needs to change. Miami under Gase needs to find an identity. This has all been discussed before and it is becoming nauseating.
Changes are coming to the AFC East and this might be the only time if not the best time for Gase to make his case for a long-term future with the Dolphins. Gase could in another two years be the longest tenured coach in the AFC and that could pay dividends for the Dolphins.
The New England Patriots are running towards the end of their dynasty. Father Time is undefeated and eventually Tom Brady will wear down and Bill Belichick will fade away. The signs are all pointing to this inevitability sooner rather than later.
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When Josh McDaniels spurned the Colts and the chance to get back into being a head coach it was clearly a sign that he will be the heir apparent to Belichick in New England. How long will that be? It’s been reported that Belichick will open the book for McDaniels and teach him the Patriots’ way of doing things. Something he has never opened for his assistants in the past.
Rumor circulated that Belichick could have retired if the Pats had won the Super Bowl. While the Brady, Belichick, and Bob Kraft love triangle has been highly publicized to be cracking, the trio are running on their last legs. Two years perhaps.
The Jets are hoping to turn things around but they have a lot of holes and the future of coach Todd Bowles is in question despite his vote of confidence this year. With quarterback and issue and the likely addition of a young drafted quarterback this year, Bowles could be on his final season which could leave the Jets towards a further gutting.
In Buffalo the Bills have a young head coach like the Dolphins. Sean McDermott‘s first season with the Bills was very similar to Gase’s first year with the Dolphins and this could be an interesting inter-division rival between Gase and McDermott as years move on. Both coaches need to prove that their first year playoff appearances were not flukes.
As for Gase, now is his time to shine. If he can turn around the Dolphins and show a direction for the team, Miami may become the top team in the division again but hard decisions and big changes need to happen first and until those changes are made, including the futures of some of their biggest and highest paid players, the Dolphins may not know what Adam Gase can do.