With the loss to Tennessee still on his mind and another unsatisfactory Thursday afternoon practice before his bleary eyes on the screen, Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase decided something had to change or the 2016 season was going to go from disappointment to disaster.
And so in his office that late evening two months ago, Gase decided to basically start over with his offense.
He had already shelved his beloved no-huddle attack the week before. And now he decided if he didn't get more basic and more adaptable for his players, the offense that broke records and went to the Super Bowl in Denver was going to put his rookie season as head coach in the cellar of the AFC East.
So after all his players and most of his assistants had gone home, Gase began to trim down that offense. Options got tossed. Reads got changed. The approach on the running game was tweaked.
Adam Gase changed significant portions of the Dolphins offense overnight.
The next day -- a Friday -- he installed it with his assistants and then the players.
And, yes, his offensive line at the time was coming together. And running back Jay Ajayi had been showing signs he was ready to be a bell cow NFL running back. And, yes, quarterback Ryan Tannehill was progressing with his reaction times and reads.
But two days after Gase reworked his offense the 1-4 Miami Dolphins seemed like a different team in beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-15. That was the first of nine wins the next 10 games. That was the moment the Dolphins 2016 season turned on its axis and onto its current postseason course.
And that is one reason I will be casting a vote for Adam Gase as the NFL coach of the year next week.
I have a vote with the Associated Press and I'm using it on Gase not because he's the home team guy. It's not about that.
It's about the fact I've seen a lot of bad football played by the Miami Dolphins the past decade or two and I've seen the turnaround these Dolphins have made this season, starting that fateful week against Pittsburgh.
So I understand what a difference outstanding coaching can make for an NFL team.
The difference for these Dolphins is as stark as finishing last in the AFC East with a 6-10 record last season and making the playoffs and going into this week's season-finale with a 10-5 record.
I never believed last year's Dolphins to be as deficient in talent as their record suggested. Yes, the offensive line was not up to par and there were other issues, but not to the tune of 6-10.
This team?
It has talent.
Brandon Albert.
Cameron Wake.
Kiko Alonso.
Ndamukong Suh.
The receiver corps.
But this team also has holes and flaws. Talk to people within the organization and they freely admit this is a three-year build that is only in its first season.
The linebackers not named Alonso, the tight end position, the offensive line (again), the defensive line will all need improving this offseason. And yet with the team that has obvious flaws, Gase has thrived.
That's without even addressing the injury issue. These flawed Dolphins have also been hit with a rash of significant injuries. Reshad Jones, a Pro Bowl player last year, is on injured reserve. Mike Pouncey, a Pro Bowl player last year, is on injured reserve after playing only five games. The team's second-round pick missed nine games. The team's starting tight end has missed 10 games and is on injured reserve.
The starting running back in the season opener retired -- not just once but twice.
That's right, Arian Foster stepped away from the NFL Oct. 24 after injuring a calf muscle against Buffalo. What few people know is that he first approached the Dolphins about quitting immediately after injuring his groin and hamstring in the Sept. 18 loss at New England.
The reason Foster re-thought the idea of retiring after wanting to quit the first time?
He had forged a bond with Gase and didn't want to disappoint the 38-year-old coach.
The bottom line is this: The Dolphins had a starting lineup set for Sept. 11 season-opener at Seattle. And those 22 starters have missed a total of 89 games due to injuries or retirement.
Jelani Jenkins -- six games missed and counting.
Earl Mitchell -- seven games missed.
Albert missed four games.
Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill has missed two games.
And yet Adam Gase's team is 10-5.
