Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Gase may unveil new passing offense
DAVIE — Dolphins coach Adam Gase came to Miami with a reputation as an offensive innovator. But through two years no one has seen his innovative offense for an entire season.
An altered game plan fueled the offense’s success in 2016, and a knee injury derailed it in 2017.
Perhaps this year, his third season, Gase will finally get to see if his passing-based offense works. He said he likes his collection of talent.
“I like the fact that I feel like we’ve got a lot of options,” he said. “It’s all going to be about how we can play it out to where we can spread the ball around and use guys to their strengths, create efficient plays, create explosive plays, find ways to get into the red zone more and find ways to get into the end zone.”
Generally speaking, Gase’s offense stretches the field with a diverse passing attack that sometimes features elements of the nohuddle and incorporates outside receivers, slot receivers, tight ends and running backs, with the running backs all having threedown skills.
That sounds simple enough.
But so far there’s been nothing but exceptions and complications.
Two years ago, in 2016, his first season as head coach, Gase implemented his passing offense, which featured elements of nohuddle, under quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
But after stumbling to a 1-4 start, running back Jay Ajayi shockingly ripped off back-to-back 200-yard rushing games.
“The first year, Jay took off,” Gase said, “so we felt like our best chance to win that year was to make some adjustments.”
The Dolphins, of course, led by a running offense, went 10-6 and earned their first playoff berth since 2008.
Miami, which lost Tannehill to a knee injury for the final three regular-season games and the wildcard loss at Pittsburgh, finished 24th in offense (332.8 yards per game) and 17th in scoring (22.7 points per game).
Last season, his second as head coach, Gase again started out implementing his passing offense. But then the offense lost Tannehill to a knee injury during training camp and Jay Cutler became ‘Plan B.’
Things didn’t go well from there.
“The next year we had a specific way we wanted to do things and we had to change some things around just with the injury situation to Ryan,” he said. “We were changing in the middle of training camp.”
Cutler (19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 80.8 passer rating, 23rd in NFL) never provided a spark with his veteran wisdom and the offense floundered.
Ajayi was traded to Philadelphia midseason, and Miami finished ranked 25th in offense (307.7 yards per game) and 28th in scoring (17.6 ppg).
Now fast forward to 2018. The Miami offense is led by personnel that includes Tannehill at quarterback, Kenyan Drake at running back, a complement of wide receivers led by Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker and Danny Amendola, and a new tight end duo of draftees Mike Gesicki, the thirdround pick from Penn State, and Dustin Smythe, the fourth-round pick from Notre Dame.
The offensive line features center Daniel Kilgore, guards Ted Larsen and Josh Sitton, and tackles Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James. The losses of veteran center Mike Pouncey and veteran guard Jermon Bushrod were significant.
“They’re not easy decisions all of the time,” Gase said. “When you have the relationships you have with certain guys, it’s not really that fun to go through. But we had to make the right decisions for our organization and that’s what we did.”
Gase is excited about the young tight ends, especially Gesicki, the athletic passcatching type.
“We kind of emphasize that position of a passcatching-type tight end that can win one-on-one matchups versus safeties and linebackers,” Gase said.
But don’t sleep on Smythe, regarded as a blocking specialist. Gase said he has value as a receiver, too.
“We felt like he was a better route-runner than a lot of people were giving him credit for,” Gase said.
Overall, Gase seems pleased with the offensive personnel, however, even if that comes with an asterisk regarding Tannehill.
“I’ve seen a guy that’s very confident,” Gase said. “I know he’s excited to get back out there. I know us as coaches, we’re excited to have him out there. He’s just really smooth with the operation that we’ve been able to do as far as what we’re doing in practice or those throwing sessions. It just feels smooth. He has a great relationship with all of those guys to where the communication is at a high level right now.
“He looks good to me. But at the same time, he still has to go through all of those steps with the doctors and with our trainers. We’re just going through the process of it all right now. I know nobody wants to hear that, but that’s just what it is.”