Gase (left) is changing things up in Dolphins camp, and has high hopes for Tannehill. USATSI
DAVIE, Fla. -- Whether the
Dolphins are winning or the
Dolphins are losing, you can count on one thing -- it won't be slow and methodical. There is a definite pace and tempo to how they operate under rookie coach Adam Gase and his high-energy coaching staff. And while it may end up being more of a marathon than a sprint to finally turn this franchise around, one thing that won't be tolerated is lethargy.
Gase is clearly in charge and empowered. While he doesn't want to talk much about himself, the fact is that if the long-warped culture around here finally does alter for the better, he will have had much to do with it. If nothing else this won't be the same ol' staid Miami team, one that defined middle-of-the-road conventional thinking under former coach Joe Philbin while the front office, staff and locker room were falling apart.
Everything around here seems a bit lively, enthused with a rapid pulse, and this won't be a club that is afraid to embrace unusual approaches to common problems. Players are responding to and respecting the ideas and approach of this regime in a far more receptive manner than in the past.
"It's been very impressive to see," said star center
Mike Pouncey, one of the vocal leaders of this team. "There's a lot of excitement around here and I really feel like the team has embraced what coach Gase and his staff have brought with them. Everything is very competitive and there is a competitive edge to everything they do. Just to see how he is competing with his coordinators, and the approach the coaches take to each practice, that rubs off on us, too.
"They are very high energy. Very efficient. He really gets what players need to be successful and he has a proven track record with his offense. Everybody around here feels energized."
Gase isn't prone to group think and doesn't believe that things should be done a certain way
just because we've always done it that way, and the players and coaches seem to feeding off the new vibes and the way this staff has altered its training camp philosophies and routines.
"What we are trying to do, and I think I heard about this first from coach (Pete) Carroll out there (in Seattle) is get them in, work hard, and get them out of here so they have an opportunity to study and get good rest," Gase said. "Get them home early enough to allow them to recover and get energized, make sure the coaching staff has time to get energized. And what we've done, and what our whole philosophy is we're about is efficiency. Let's get here, let's work, whenever we're on the field, or whatever our recovery time is, let's maximize the time we have here together and when we're done with what we need to do and accomplish what we want to, then we get out of here.
"And right now I look at it as the players do get out of here fairly early for camp and they're not in here super early, but I feel like guys have been rested and energized. So right away in the morning there has been consistently juice to our practice. I've never felt like we've gone out to practice and guys are sluggish or out there not going hard. We're over eight practices in and usually around this time you start to feel that, and I haven't felt that yet. I feel like it has helped them, and they can go back to the hotel and sit around for 30 minutes and if they're not ready to go to bed they can do something else and they're studying. We're doing a good job of not having mental errors and having less of them. And even though we tweaked the schedule we're still have maybe more meeting time than we've ever had."
Of course, a few hours after chatting with Gase about his team, the offense went out and had a total clunker in what should have been an early barometer scrimmage for them. Heavy storms forced the session indoors, which is not as accommodating for individual evaluations, but regardless of the setting this was a complete shellacking for the offense. The first and second team offenses were overwhelmed, the starters only got to run about 10 plays and it was as lopsided as can be, with the unit showing little pushback on a menacing defense.
