Unfiltered Bottom Line

This marriage could be special.

Sam Darnold is hungry for knowledge and Adam Gase is anxious to give it.

The word “sponge” is often used to describe Darnold.

From what I hear, Darnold lives two or three minutes from the Jets’ complex. Once it’s legal (based on the NFL CBA rules), he will be at attached at the hip with Gase at One Jets Drive.

Gase, who worked with veterans (Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler and Matt Moore) and young veterans (Ryan Tannehill and David Fales), now gets to work with much younger piece of clay.

What was the most appealing thing about this job to Gase?

“The number one thing for me was a young quarterback,” Gase said.
“I have had a chance to work with older quarterbacks late in their career, but not somebody fresh out of the draft who does have a year experience. I was excited to get that opportunity.”

People wondered why Gase didn’t sit out a year, and collect his Miami Dolphins money? Some in his family wanted him to.

Well a big part of that is this job being available.

This is his second bite at the apple. It’s usually all you get in terms of NFL head coaching opportunities. Some don’t even get that.

But the bottom line is you want to be really careful with the second choice you make. If you pick the wrong job, that could be the end of your head coaching opportunities.

Gase knew with Darnold here, $100 million in cap space, a supportive owner and the third pick in the draft, this was a great opportunity for him.

So he jumped on it, instead of sitting out, or taking a less appealing job (like Arizona).

The Jets’ job is more appealing than the Arizona job because Darnold is a less of a bucking bronco than Josh Rosen, who can be tough to coach and has durability issues.

By the way, I think this whole narrative that it’s good for first-time coaches who get fired should take a coordinator job, take a step, and then go for their next HC job, is overblown.

People always point to Bill Belichick, who got fired in Cleveland, then was an assistant with the Jets, and before going to New England, as an example of why it’s good to step back a bit before taking that second job.

I think it’s a flimsy argument.

Belichick is a heck of a coach, but the fact that he’s been a lot more successful in New England than Cleveland has nothing to do with taking an assistant coaching job for a while.

It had to do with a sixth-round QB named Tom Brady, who turned into the next Joe Montana.

If you don’t find a franchise QB in the league, you are eventually going to get fired.

Gase sees Darnold as potentially one of those franchise guys.

So he wanted this job.

And the fact that Darnold is such a willing pupil also made it very appealing.

January 18, 2019

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