Perhaps the most revealing events surrounding Adam Gase have little to do with the suspect work that he’s done in his first season with the Jets. Sure, he hasn’t shown much creativity, flexibility or ability to be consistently competitive, but there’s a more disturbing trend that shouldn’t be marginalized.
Why are so many offensive players from his former Dolphins team now flourishing without him?
The list of Gase’s former players who have taken their games to a different level this season is startling, prompting fair questions about his ability to develop talent.
Ryan Tannehill, DeVante Parker, Kenyan Drake, Mike Gesicki and Danny Amendola are playing better now than they ever did with Gase, which should make Jets fans queasy about the future with this coach.
Tannehill’s rise in relief of ineffective Titans starter Marcus Mariota is the headliner on the Gase Freedom Tour. The quarterback that Gase repeatedly defended publicly — while shredding privately over and over to absolve himself from blame — has turned into a dangerous weapon.
Tannehill went 13-11 with 37 total touchdowns, 21 interceptions, a 65.9 completion rate and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt in two seasons with Gase.
Gase was never able to turn Tannehill into anything more than a middling player.
Enter Tennessee’s first-year playcaller Arthur Smith, who has done what Gase never could with the quarterback. Tannehill spearheaded the Titans’ resurgence by winning six of eight starts. The veteran has 21 total touchdowns, only six interceptions, a 71.5 completion rate and is averaging 9.5 yards per attempt this season.
Smith actually — gasp! — helped Tannehill evolve as a player rather than privately trash him like Gase did (during — and after — the Dolphins fired him).
But Tannehill’s success is only part of the story.
Consider wide receiver DeVante Parker, who has set career highs in receptions (59), yards (954) and touchdowns without Gase this year. Gase wanted to trade Parker at various times during his three years in Miami.
Thankfully for the Dolphins, the brain trust had the good sense to keep Parker during the turbulent times with Gase and give him a two-year deal after the losing coach was fired. New Miami playcaller Chad O’Shea turned Parker into the player Gase couldn’t. Parker’s 16.2 yard per catch is the highest since his 2015 rookie year (before Gase got his hands on him). The wideout’s eight touchdowns in 14 games this season are more than Gase could get out of him (six) in 39 games.
“That’s not really what’s crossed my mind,” Gase said recently about why Parker has realized his potential after he was whacked by Stephen Ross.
Miami signed Parker to a four-year, $40 million extension last weekend.
Then there’s running back Kenyan Drake, whose usage was maddening for years. Gase never maximized the talented young back’s skillset, much to the chagrin of the team’s diehards. The coach insisted on a running back by committee approach with veteran Frank Gore.
[More Jets] Adam Gase says he was ‘bitching’ to Sam Darnold about a screw-up by another Jets player during sideline spat »
Even when Drake flashed his talent during the final month of the 2017 season, Gase didn’t turn over the keys to the backfield kingdom the following season. (Note to Robby Anderson: Keep this in mind).
Drake had double-digit carries in 10 games in three seasons with Gase. He’s had six in all six games since being traded to the Cardinals.
Drake, who rushed for 137 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a win against the Browns last week, is averaging 14.5 carries (4.8 ypc) and 18 touches with Arizona. He averaged six carries and eight touches in three seasons under Gase.
Drake averaged eight carries per game in his final two seasons with Gase, who privately whined about the player not consistently picking up three or four yards on first down rather than embracing his big-play potential.
Gesicki has also made a significant jump from his first to second season now that Gase is out of the picture. Gase played the second-round tight end on only 43.5 percent of the snaps. That has jumped to 63.4 percent with O’Shea, who has gotten twice as much production (41 catches, 454 yards, 2 TDs vs. 22 catches. 202 yards, no TDs) from Gesicki than Gase did.
Amendola’s production has also improved without Gase. The veteran receiver has 58 catches for 641 (11.1 ypc) with the Lions after finishing with 59 catches for 575 yards (9.7 ypc) in 15 games with Gase.
It’s not a coincidence that so many offensive players have elevated their play without Gase. It should raise a red flag for anyone who’s not bent on making more excuses for a professional excuse-maker.
www.nydailynews.com
Why are so many offensive players from his former Dolphins team now flourishing without him?
The list of Gase’s former players who have taken their games to a different level this season is startling, prompting fair questions about his ability to develop talent.
Ryan Tannehill, DeVante Parker, Kenyan Drake, Mike Gesicki and Danny Amendola are playing better now than they ever did with Gase, which should make Jets fans queasy about the future with this coach.
Tannehill’s rise in relief of ineffective Titans starter Marcus Mariota is the headliner on the Gase Freedom Tour. The quarterback that Gase repeatedly defended publicly — while shredding privately over and over to absolve himself from blame — has turned into a dangerous weapon.
Tannehill went 13-11 with 37 total touchdowns, 21 interceptions, a 65.9 completion rate and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt in two seasons with Gase.
Gase was never able to turn Tannehill into anything more than a middling player.
Enter Tennessee’s first-year playcaller Arthur Smith, who has done what Gase never could with the quarterback. Tannehill spearheaded the Titans’ resurgence by winning six of eight starts. The veteran has 21 total touchdowns, only six interceptions, a 71.5 completion rate and is averaging 9.5 yards per attempt this season.
Smith actually — gasp! — helped Tannehill evolve as a player rather than privately trash him like Gase did (during — and after — the Dolphins fired him).
But Tannehill’s success is only part of the story.
Consider wide receiver DeVante Parker, who has set career highs in receptions (59), yards (954) and touchdowns without Gase this year. Gase wanted to trade Parker at various times during his three years in Miami.
Thankfully for the Dolphins, the brain trust had the good sense to keep Parker during the turbulent times with Gase and give him a two-year deal after the losing coach was fired. New Miami playcaller Chad O’Shea turned Parker into the player Gase couldn’t. Parker’s 16.2 yard per catch is the highest since his 2015 rookie year (before Gase got his hands on him). The wideout’s eight touchdowns in 14 games this season are more than Gase could get out of him (six) in 39 games.
“That’s not really what’s crossed my mind,” Gase said recently about why Parker has realized his potential after he was whacked by Stephen Ross.
Miami signed Parker to a four-year, $40 million extension last weekend.
Then there’s running back Kenyan Drake, whose usage was maddening for years. Gase never maximized the talented young back’s skillset, much to the chagrin of the team’s diehards. The coach insisted on a running back by committee approach with veteran Frank Gore.
[More Jets] Adam Gase says he was ‘bitching’ to Sam Darnold about a screw-up by another Jets player during sideline spat »
Even when Drake flashed his talent during the final month of the 2017 season, Gase didn’t turn over the keys to the backfield kingdom the following season. (Note to Robby Anderson: Keep this in mind).
Drake had double-digit carries in 10 games in three seasons with Gase. He’s had six in all six games since being traded to the Cardinals.
Drake, who rushed for 137 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a win against the Browns last week, is averaging 14.5 carries (4.8 ypc) and 18 touches with Arizona. He averaged six carries and eight touches in three seasons under Gase.
Drake averaged eight carries per game in his final two seasons with Gase, who privately whined about the player not consistently picking up three or four yards on first down rather than embracing his big-play potential.
Gesicki has also made a significant jump from his first to second season now that Gase is out of the picture. Gase played the second-round tight end on only 43.5 percent of the snaps. That has jumped to 63.4 percent with O’Shea, who has gotten twice as much production (41 catches, 454 yards, 2 TDs vs. 22 catches. 202 yards, no TDs) from Gesicki than Gase did.
Amendola’s production has also improved without Gase. The veteran receiver has 58 catches for 641 (11.1 ypc) with the Lions after finishing with 59 catches for 575 yards (9.7 ypc) in 15 games with Gase.
It’s not a coincidence that so many offensive players have elevated their play without Gase. It should raise a red flag for anyone who’s not bent on making more excuses for a professional excuse-maker.
Adam Gase’s former Dolphins players are flourishing without him
Perhaps the most revealing events surrounding Adam Gase have little to do with the suspect work that he’s done in his first season with the Jets. Sure, he hasn’t shown much creativity, …
www.nydailynews.com
