Jets’ Gase toward an intriguing new future

When the New York Jets announced that recently removed Miami Dolphins coaching chief Adam Gase would be succeeding Todd Bowles as the Gang Green’s 19^th head coach, the declaration was met with a largely negative reaction. Jets’ fans are unhappy with the appointment and – given results on the field in recent times – you can forgive a Jets fan for being a little unhappy these days.

Gase was sacked by the Dolphins on New Year’s Eve, finishing with a 23–25 regular season record as Miami’s head coach. While that .469 percentage might be better than the .375 averaged by his predecessor Bowles, another record that Gase brings is unsettling Jets fans who are unsure of his credentials.

Of all of the 19 head coaches in Jet’s franchise history, Gase will be the first to not have any college or professional playing experience. Currently, only one other NFL head coach – Denver Broncos‘ new man at the helm, Vic Fangio – has also never played football at the college or pro level.

Aside from it being a first for the Jets, it marks a polar opposite from the appointment of Bowles, who won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins and was highly respected by players in the locker room as he had ‘been there and done it’. It will be interesting to see how some of the senior players in the roster will react to Gase and whether or not he will be able to command their respect in the same way Bowles did.

But despite not having the same personal playing experience to draw on, Gase still played the game in high school and having not made it beyond that level, the studious endeavours required for Gase to embark on his successful nineteen year coaching career that has led to this point make his story all the more impressive. Coaches who had a successful playing career have the obvious head start that Gase didn’t and while they may often draw on the emotional experiences of their playing days and sometimes rule with heart rather than head, a coach like Gase will surely take a more analytical, pragmatic approach in testing situations.

Gase’s reputation from his time in Miami is that he has little patience with privileged modern-day athletes as it’s a lifestyle that he never lived, which might not be a bad thing either. His first season at the Dolphins in 2016 ended with a 10–6 record leading Miami to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. As the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos in 2013 under Coach John Fox, Gase also assisted in Peyton Manning’s record-breaking passing season.

The man comes with credentials, so don’t bet against him just yet. In fact, New York is currently pegged as considerable underdogs in preliminary odds for The Super Bowl, with sites across https://bettingapps.com/ offering odds of 66/1 on them taking home a Lombardi Trophy.