Adam Gase - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Dolphins, M. Smith, Coughlin

January 10th, 2016 at 11:42am CST by Rory Parks

In a fascinating post from Armando Salguero this morning, the Miami Herald scribe dives into the Dolphins‘ front office drama that the team hopes will come to an end in the Adam Gase era. In 2013, Salguero writes that the relationship between then-Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and then-GM Jeff Ireland was on the rocks, and owner Stephen Ross ultimately chose to fire Ireland. Ross also debated firing then-offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, and in order to save his assistant and friend, Philbin privately blamed the team’s offensive struggles on quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Although Philbin continued to toe the company line publicly, reaffirming his faith in Tannehill on numerous occasions–with one or two notable exceptions–his internal discussions had a much different tone. Philbin urged the team to draft Derek Carr in the first round of the 2014 draft, and even after Tannehill enjoyed a relatively successful 2014 campaign, Philbin continued to take out his frustrations on Tannehill, a trend that continued into the team’s difficult start to the 2015 season. Ultimately, that situation was one of the factors that led the Dolphins to hire Gase, who they expect to forge a relationship with the quarterback they’ve committed to and to make him the best player he can be.

Now let’s dive into a few more notes from the league’s east divisions, beginning with more out of South Beach.

James Walker of ESPN.com affirms that Dan Campbell‘s future with the Dolphins will be determined by Gase, but Walker does add that Ross would like to keep Campbell on the team’s coaching staff. In a separate piece, Walker writes that Gase will be calling the team’s offensive plays.
Mike Smith will interview with the Giants for their head coaching vacancy tomorrow, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Mike Garafolo of FOXSports tweets that there were “rumblings” that the Giants would interview Hue Jackson for their head coaching job, but they may not get that chance, as there are multiple reports suggesting that the 49ers could hire Jackson as early as today.
Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer says former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin will meet with the Eagles tomorrow to discuss their head coaching vacancy. Interestingly, Berman calls the meeting an “interview,” and not a “feeling-out” as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested yesterday.
Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News compiles an offseason to-d0 list for the Bills, a list topped by an extension for GM Doug Whaley and a release of Mario Williams.
David Moore of the Dallas Morning News looks into why the Cowboys have been unable to land an adequate backup quarterback for Tony Romo, and Moore says head coach Jason Garrett should bear as much responsibility for that failing as owner Jerry Jones.

Extra Points: Dolphins, H. Jackson, Bucs, Texans

January 9th, 2016 at 10:37pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Before hiring Adam Gase as their head coach Saturday, the Dolphins considered several other candidates. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald passes along some interesting information on a handful of those names.

The Dolphins interviewed ex-Falcons head coach Mike Smith, but they felt he lacked “some of the gravitas” for the position. In Mike Shanahan‘s case, Miami’s bigwigs were worried that too many of the two-time Super Bowl winner’s potential assistants had jobs elsewhere, which would’ve negatively affected his ability to assemble a staff. They also had concern about whether Shanahan would be prone to complacency. The Dolphins discussed the idea of pursuing another two-time champion, Tom Coughlin, but they decided the soon-to-be 70-year-old was too advanced in age to factor into their long-term plans. Dan Campbell, the Dolphins’ interim head coach for most of the 2015-16 campaign, was the runner-up to Gase. The team simply didn’t think he was ready for the full-time job. Doug Marrone came in third place, largely because his plan for quarterback Ryan Tannehill wasn’t as enticing as Gase’s.

Tannehill didn’t have the belief of ex-head coach Joe Philbin, Salguero offers, but the Dolphins are confident the relationship between him and Gase will bear more fruit.

“We’re convinced you’ll see a different Ryan Tannehill next year,” a team source told Salguero. “That’s how much Adam will affect things around here.”

East Notes: Gase, Giants, Eagles

January 9th, 2016 at 9:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Before the Dolphins reached out to Adam Gase about their head coaching vacancy, owner Stephen Ross sought advice from around the NFL on possible solutions for the position. Gase’s name kept coming up during the process, which helped lead the Dolphins to pursue him. After spending time with Gase this week, Ross became sold on the 37-year-old, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.

The Dolphins hired Gase on Saturday, but the job was his to lose two days earlier, according to Beasley. Gase “wowed” Ross and his advisers during an informal interview Wednesday on Ross’ private jet, per Beasley. The Dolphins then had Gase participate in a marathon interview Thursday as a way to assess his leadership skills. They came away impressed enough to make Gase an integral member of their franchise going forward.

Now for the latest from the NFC East:

If Doug Marrone gets the Giants’ head coaching job, don’t expect him to retain offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, reports Tom Rock of Newsday. That would seem to be a less-than-ideal scenario for 35-year-old quarterback Eli Manning, who combined for 65 touchdown passes and nearly 9,000 yards under McAdoo the last two seasons.
Speaking of the Giants, they erred in keeping general manager Jerry Reese, opines the New York Daily News’ Gary Myers, who expects Reese to lose his job if the team misses the playoffs again next season. That means the next GM would have a second-year coach forced on him. Myers believes the Giants would’ve been better off letting Reese go and hiring a new GM to select Tom Coughlin‘s replacement.
At the outset of their coaching search, the Eagles pursued Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Sumlin is staying put, however, Rapoport adds.

Fallout From Dolphins’ Adam Gase Hiring

January 9th, 2016 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The lead conductor of the Dolphins’ coaching search, Mike Tannenbaum, initially preferred Doug Marrone before the franchise decided to offer its head-coaching job to Adam Gase, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.

Marrone interviewed for the position, but the 37-year-old Gase became the “unanimous favorite,” according to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross (via SportsTalk 1040 The Team’s Jenna Laine, on Twitter).

“(Gase) has worked extremely hard his entire career and is very deserving of this opportunity. I wish he could stay with us in Chicago, but everyone has a journey and this is the next part of his,” Jay Cutler told media, including Larry Meyer of ChicagoBears.com. “His work with quarterbacks is well documented and I know firsthand how good he is.“

Here is some more news on Marrone, Gase and more from the Eastern divisions.

New Dolphins GM Chris Grier will have control over whom the team signs, but Gase will be in charge of determining the 53-man roster, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). A fair amount of power will come for the new youngest head coach in the game. Fewer than 10 coaches currently possess that control, according to NFL.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Tannenbaum’s presence still looms, however, so the Fins could have a complex power structure this season.
As expected, Gase will call plays for the Dolphins this season, as he’s done for the Broncos (in 2013-14) and Bears in 2015, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. Gase’s offenses ranked first, fourth and 21st over the past three seasons, with the injury-ravaged Bears being the only one of his units to fall out of the top five.
Beasley tweets the Dolphins, per Tannenbaum, considered 25 coaches for the position before settling on seven for interviews.
Peyton Manning also endorsed Gase (per Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk), focusing on the 37-year-old’s attention to detail. “He’s an extremely hard worker, a grinder,” Manning said. “He’s extremely bright on all things football, an excellent communicator and always eager to learn more. He asks a lot of questions and writes everything down. I’ve always been impressed with his work ethic and his eagerness to learn more.” Although he passed over the wunderkind offensive mind in favor of Gary Kubiak last offseason, John Elway also endorsed the Broncos’ former offensive coordinator from 2013-14. Gase, of course, guided Manning to the record-setting 55-touchdown pass campaign two seasons ago after serving as the Broncos’ quarterback coach in 2011, when the team orchestrated a midseason overhaul of its offense for Tim Tebow.
Gase could take Bears quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains to Miami with him, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports, or John Fox could promote him to Gase’s old position. The former Titans OC contributed to Gase’s play-calling this season. Both Cutler and John Fox hold Loggains in high regard, Campbell reports. Either way, this season will bring Cutler’s sixth offensive coordinator since he was traded to Chicago.
Loggains would create the least disruption for the Bears, the Tribune’s Brad Biggs tweets. But the Chicago reporter also notes Fox could pursue newly unemployed offensive bosses Ken Whisenhunt or Pat Shurmur (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Dolphins Hire Adam Gase As Head Coach

January 9th, 2016 at 11:08am CST by Ben Levine

11:08am: The Dolphins have announced the hiring on Twitter.

10:45am: The Dolphins are set to hire Adam Gase as their next head coach, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Beasley says it’s a “done deal,” with the official announcement expected to come at a 3:00pm press conference. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that it will be a five-year deal.

The Dolphins had previously interviewed Teryl Austin, Mike Shanahan, Mike Smith and Anthony Lynn, but it was clear from the beginning that Gase was the favorite for the position. The 37-year-old spent 2015 as the Bears offensive coordinator, helping lead Jay Cutler to one of the most efficient seasons of the quarterback’s career. Gase had spent the previous six years in Denver, where he eventually served as the team’s offensive coordinator. He has also been on the coaching staff of the 49ers, Lions, and LSU.

Gase is now the youngest head coach in the league, but that didn’t discourage suitors from pursuing the coach. He had also interviewed with the Eagles, Browns and Giants. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that New York had strong interest in Gase, which may have pushed along the deal in Miami. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes that Gase was a “unanimous decision” among the Dolphins staff.

Rapoport believes that Bengals defensive back’s coach Vance Joseph is expected to be the team’s new defensive coordinator, and Salguero adds that Gase’s father-in-law is Joe Vitt, an assistant on the Saints. Salguero is uncertain if former coach Dan Campbell will remain on the staff.

The Bears had anticipated Gase’s departure, according to Rapoport, and the team will now have to seek a new offensive coordinator. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Bears quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains is the “leading candidate” for the gig.

Dolphins Making Strong Push For Adam Gase

January 9th, 2016 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY, 8:45am: The Dolphins are expected to offer Gase the head coaching job at today’s meeting, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

7:13pm: The Dolphins will interview Gase for the second time on Saturday, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. As Schefter notes, Gase is the only Miami candidate who has been scheduled for a second meeting.

FRIDAY, 5:36pm: There is “growing momentum” in the Dolphins’ building for Gase to become the team’s next head coach, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.

THURSDAY, 9:59pm: On the heels of their interview, no immediate deal is expected between the Dolphins and Gase, reports Mark Maske of the Washington Post (Twitter link).

8:17pm: The Dolphins completed their interview with Gase on Thursday, per a team press release.

WEDNESDAY, 7:40pm: The Dolphins will make a “strong, strong” push for Adam Gase, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Miami has been targeting him for some time, he adds, and they will make their best effort to keep him from getting back to the Eagles for a second interview.

So far this offseason, the Dolphins have been casting a wide net in their coaching search, as PFR’s 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows. The Dolphins already have interviews in the books with Teryl Austin, Mike Shanahan, and Mike Smith from earlier in the week. On Wednesday night, the Dolphins also announced that they have completed their interview with Bills assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, who has long been identified as a head coaching candidate for the 2015/16 offseason. Gase is scheduled to meet with Miami brass on Thursday.

After working with Peyton Manning in Denver as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, Gase joined John Fox in Chicago in 2015, and contributed to a strong bounce-back season for Jay Cutler. A year after leading the league with 18 interceptions, Cutler threw just 11 in 2015, the lowest full-season mark of his career. The Bears also ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in offensive DVOA under Gase.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Dolphins’ Head Coaching Search

January 8th, 2016 at 10:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

10:03pm: Gase continues to look like the clear favorite, as he’s already met with both Ryan Tannehill and Ndamukong Suh, according to Jeff Darlington of NFL.com (Twitter link).

9:02pm: The Dolphins were scheduled to meet with Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson on Sunday, but that meeting has been canceled, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

It’s unclear based on the report who exactly canceled the interview: Jackson or the Dolphins. Jackson, who is set to meet with the Browns and 49ers on Sunday, may have requested to terminate the meeting because he prefers other jobs. But it’s more likely that Miami canceled the interview, probably due to their overwhelming interest in Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

The Dolphins are said to be making a “strong push” for Gase, and have scheduled a second interview with him for Saturday. He’s the only candidate to have yet been invited back for a second go-round, indicating a level of seriousness from Miami. Indeed, in the article linked above, Salguero writes that “all signs point” to Gase landing in South Beach, noting that Gase was owner Stephen Ross‘ preferred candidate from the start of the search process.

In related news, if Gase is made the Dolphins’ head coach, Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joseph will be a strong contender for Miami’s defensive coordinator gig, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Joseph was a candidate for both the Broncos and 49ers DC positions last year, but Cincinnati blocked him from leaving for either opportunity. That won’t happen this year, says Marvez, because Joseph’s contract is expiring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach Rumors: Holmgren, Giants, Dolphins

January 8th, 2016 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Holmgren has reportedly expressed interest in the 49ers‘ head coaching job for the second consecutive year, and ESPN’s Bill Williamson (Twitter link) hears that the veteran NFL coach would still be open to talking to teams — especially the Niners. However, San Francisco has not yet contacted Holmgren about the team’s head coaching job, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Momentum appears to be building for Doug Marrone as a Giants head coaching candidate, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who writes that several league insiders have mentioned Marrone to him within the past couple days. Depending on how Saturday’s interview goes, the former Bills head coach could emerge as a serious candidate for the Giants.
Before meeting with Marrone tomorrow, the Giants spoke to Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase today about their head coaching job, confirming in a press release that the interview has completed.
The Dolphins confirmed today in a press release that they’ve interviewed interim head coach Dan Campbell for the permanent job in Miami. Campbell is one of two interviewees for the Dolphins today, along with Marrone.
Chargers interim special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman will likely take the permanent role for 2016, general manager Tom Telesco said today, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).

Latest On Eagles’ Coaching Search

January 7th, 2016 at 8:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo interviewed for the Eagles’ head coaching job Thursday, the team announced (link to press release). McAdoo, who talked to the Giants about their head coaching vacancy earlier this week, is the fourth different candidate to interview with the Eagles, joining two in-house names – interim head coach Pat Shurmur and running backs coach Duce Staley – and Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

One obvious similarity McAdoo, Shurmur, Staley and Gase share is that they’re all offensive-minded coaches. The same holds true for longtime head coach Jon Gruden, who has expressed interest in the Eagles’ job to owner Jeffrey Lurie through an intermediary, Paul Domowitch of Philly.com reports. Gruden has a fan in Lurie, according to Domowitch, but Lurie is unsure if Gruden and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman would be able to work well together. Gruden has told people he and Roseman would be able to get along, per Domowitch, who notes that ex-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said the same thing before taking over in 2013. That didn’t turn out well, of course, as Kelly and Roseman were at loggerheads during Kelly’s short run in Philadelphia. Regardless, Domowitch writes that Lurie’s focus right now is on the assistants the Eagles have interviewed and the ones they’ve yet to interview.

While Gruden could be a Plan B option if Lurie doesn’t end up smitten with any of the other candidates, the owner is currently bullish on Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson – who is scheduled to interview Sunday – and Gase. However, contrary to a previous report, the Eagles won’t conduct a second interview with Gase this weekend, according to Les Bowen of Philly.com.

Gruden hasn’t coached since 2008, having served as an analyst instead, but he had a successful tenure from 1998 until then atop the Raiders and Buccaneers, respectively. The 52-year-old compiled a 95-81 regular-season record, five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title with Tampa to cap off the 2002-03 season. He also won eight-plus games in eight of his 11 seasons at the helm in Oakland and Tampa. Immediately prior to his time as a head coach, Gruden worked in Philly as its offensive coordinator from 1995-97.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coach Rumors: Gase, Giants, Roman, Saints

January 7th, 2016 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Although nothing is scheduled yet, the Eagles remain interested in meeting with Adam Gase for a second time about their head coaching job, reports Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. A source familiar with Gase’s thinking tells McLane that the Bears‘ offensive coordinator came away from the eight-hour meeting with a “favorable opinion” of Eagles executive Howie Roseman.

With the Eagles and Dolphins both reportedly strongly considering Gase for their respective head coaching jobs, the Chicago OC is in the right place at the right time, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio suggests that Gase is particularly appealing to teams because he doesn’t appear to have much of an ego, meaning he’ll be more likely to stay in his lane and stick to coaching rather than pursuing any sort of other agenda.

While we wait to see where Gase lands, here are a few more of this afternoon’s coaching updates:

The Giants confirmed today in a press release that they’ve now interviewed defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for their head coaching job, in addition to OC Ben McAdoo. New York’s interviews continue today, as the team meets with Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman has received interest for head coaching roles in the past, but admits “it’s been pretty quiet on that front” this year, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. During an appearance on WGR 550 in Buffalo, Roman said the lack of interest is “somewhat strange, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
While head coach Sean Payton is staying with the Saints, it looks like at least a couple of his assistants – secondary coach Wesley McGriff and quarterbacks coach Mike Neu – are headed for college jobs. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com has the details.
Former NFL head coach Brian Billick, writing for NFL.com, views the Giants‘ and Eagles‘ head coaching jobs as the two most appealing openings this offseason. The 49ers‘ and Browns‘ positions are the least appealing, in Billick’s view.