“With this offense, we're going to mix things up,” said Tannehill. “We're going to move quickly at times, snap the ball quickly. At other times, we're going to get up to the line quickly and take our time. At other times we're going to huddle and be like a standard offense. Just the variability and the versatility that this offense has, and the different things that we can do to create the drives that we want."
And Gase isn’t going to hesitate in trusting Tannehill to change the call at the line of scrimmage if he sees that the original call just isn’t going to work.
"I'm still the same quarterback,” Tannehill said. “Obviously, having that freedom to get the offense in a good play - we do a lot of things differently now. Being able to be on the line of scrimmage and adjust, whether its protections, routes, a whole new play. There's a lot of freedom in what we do … We're not going to have to sit on our heels and feel like the defense is coming after us, and we have to figure out a way to make it work. We can put pressure on the defense by getting in a good play and always keeping the heat on the defense."
Not only will Gase allow Tannehill to make changes during games, but he is also encouraging Tannehill to think more like a coach in game situations and to become comfortable enough with the entire playbook that he can then improvise and make this offense his own.
"It's an important thing, for sure. It's fun for me to be able to dive in and take ownership of the offense (and) being able to learn it like a coach. That's ultimately what I want to do: I want to be a guy on the field that anyone on the field can come to and ask a question, and I have the answers. I’m still in that learning process, but trying to get through that as quickly as I can, so that I am that guy that everyone can look to on the field and ask me a question and know exactly what they have.
“That's part of being a leader - knowing what everyone needs, and (being) available for them when they need help."
