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It's no secret that the top teams in the NFL have stability at the head coach position. If you look at the top three teams from the past 10 years or so --- New England, Pittsburgh and Seattle -- they have a lot in common.
Not only do they all have long-term guys as head coaches, they all have elite quarterbacks. It goes even further, all three of those teams have almost always been at least above average in the trenches. Seattle had a couple of rough years on the offensive line, which might have costs them a super bowl appearance or two. New England and Seattle almost always have top 10 caliber defensive lines.
Anyway, this is what Gase and the front office should do in this offseason IMHO.
1. Evaluate Ryan Tannehill. Is he Alex Smith or is his window higher? The team has an opportunity to pick one of the top quarterbacks in this draft. Five are currently projected as first rounders and four may go in the top 10. If the team sees Tannehill as a little above average (my take), and if one of these college quarterbacks has more upside, then pull the trigger. Miami can do essentially what KC has done this year.
2. Gase needs to be as decisive in his coaching evaluation as he's been in player evaluation. We all applauded him and got on board when he quickly saw that Dallas Thomas wasn't the answer. IMO this means kicking Matt Burke to the curb. While it's true that Burke hasn't had a lot to work with (no team speed, few difference makers), the defense has still underachieved and has gotten progressively worse as the season has worn on. I'd like to see Gase get an established veteran coach who has had success on the defensive side of the ball, a John Fox type.
3. Since Gase took the head coaching job, he's wanted to run a fast pace offense. In two years he's been unable to do that due to lack of personnel....essentially not having his type of players. Make this the priority in the offseason. If Gase can't be successful running his own scheme with his vision of the offense, then that's an indication he's not the right guy moving forward. If the offense hits it's stride, then Gase may be the long-term answer as head coach.
4. Fix the offensive line. Going dumpster diving for guards was the biggest mistake of the offseason and the lack of talent on the offensive line has killed this team. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with #3 on my list. Gase won't be able to run his style of offense if half the plays are tackles behind the line of scrimmage (hyperbole).
Not only do they all have long-term guys as head coaches, they all have elite quarterbacks. It goes even further, all three of those teams have almost always been at least above average in the trenches. Seattle had a couple of rough years on the offensive line, which might have costs them a super bowl appearance or two. New England and Seattle almost always have top 10 caliber defensive lines.
Anyway, this is what Gase and the front office should do in this offseason IMHO.
1. Evaluate Ryan Tannehill. Is he Alex Smith or is his window higher? The team has an opportunity to pick one of the top quarterbacks in this draft. Five are currently projected as first rounders and four may go in the top 10. If the team sees Tannehill as a little above average (my take), and if one of these college quarterbacks has more upside, then pull the trigger. Miami can do essentially what KC has done this year.
2. Gase needs to be as decisive in his coaching evaluation as he's been in player evaluation. We all applauded him and got on board when he quickly saw that Dallas Thomas wasn't the answer. IMO this means kicking Matt Burke to the curb. While it's true that Burke hasn't had a lot to work with (no team speed, few difference makers), the defense has still underachieved and has gotten progressively worse as the season has worn on. I'd like to see Gase get an established veteran coach who has had success on the defensive side of the ball, a John Fox type.
3. Since Gase took the head coaching job, he's wanted to run a fast pace offense. In two years he's been unable to do that due to lack of personnel....essentially not having his type of players. Make this the priority in the offseason. If Gase can't be successful running his own scheme with his vision of the offense, then that's an indication he's not the right guy moving forward. If the offense hits it's stride, then Gase may be the long-term answer as head coach.
4. Fix the offensive line. Going dumpster diving for guards was the biggest mistake of the offseason and the lack of talent on the offensive line has killed this team. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with #3 on my list. Gase won't be able to run his style of offense if half the plays are tackles behind the line of scrimmage (hyperbole).