Thinking About Adam Gase Culture Reset
Adam Gase has decided to change the culture this past off-season. Gone are the Diva players that had their own agenda, wanted to share their opinion regardless of who was in charge and thought they came before the team. The downside is that these Diva players were considered key pieces of the Miami Dolphins Foundation, now they are on the outside looking in.
The craziness of the NFL is that you can expect anything to happen. No player is untouchable, regardless of what they have provided to the team. Gase didn’t draft these Diva players nor did he sign them via free agency, as inherited players Gase intentions would be to see if they can play in his system. Key Word – his system. As Training camp is on the horizon, one key characteristic that Gase loves to do is bringing in former players to help develop his own. Jason Taylor, Dan Marino, Wes Welker are all former players that have worked with the Miami Dolphins during last training camp. Based on this player mentorship process, Gase and company took that to the next level. As they have brought in actual players to help develop their young promising ones. These veteran players have all made significant impact on and off the field and that “big brother” approach is the culture change that Gase wanted to introduce this season.
Big Brother Reshad Jones, mentoring little brother Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Big Brothers Robert Quinn/Cameron Wake, mentoring little brother Charles Harris
Big Brother Frank Gore, mentoring little brother Kenyan Drake
Big Brother Josh Sitton, mentoring little brother Larmey Tunsil
More from Dolphins News
- Tua Tagovailoa practicing with teammates is everything a leader does
- 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
- Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
- 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
- Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal
Interesting observation, the average age for the little brother is 22 years old. The average age of the big brother is 33 years old. The big brothers bring in over 10 years of playing experience that these little brothers have never experienced or seen. The knowledge share, which to some veterans is a no-no, based on fear of losing their job, is not present for any of these big brothers, as they all have one common goal – winning.
If you rewind to when those Diva players were on the Dolphins roster, did they have that type of mentorship on the field with them? Would Jay Ajayi run his mouth in the same locker room as Frank Gore? Or better yet, would you question anyone’s work ethic on the offensive line if Josh Sitton told Mike Pouncey that we need to play better?
The answer to both questions is no. Players react differently to other players as they can relate to each other. The coaches desire and passion can always be found. Coaches will nurture you as much as they can, but teammates will ride you all day, everyday – good times and the bad. The crazy part in all of this, is that Gase never played in the NFL, so I am not sure how he created this philosophy or where he saw this concept work.
The NFL is a copycat league. Anything that works for one team, will be adopted to see if it can work for the next. A culture re-change could potentially follow that path, as Gase has pioneered himself and his team into a new direction. If this work, many will call Gase a genius, if it doesn’t the search for the next Dolphins Head Coach will start – but you can’t blame Gase for trying.