Can Gase turn Tannehill into a star with Dolphins?

To put it lightly, the Miami Dolphins are in a slump.

They’ve only made the playoffs once since 2002, and that came in 2008 when Patriots superstar Tom Brady missed the entire season with a torn ACL and MCL.

After failing to reach a .500 or better record for a sixth consecutive campaign, the Dolphins completely cleaned house and brought in a fresh perspective. To lead the charge, they hired first time head coach, yet long time ‘quarterback whisperer,’ Adam Gase.

The 38-year-old offensive guru earned his nickname after his great success with Peyton Manning, turning around an underperforming Jay Cutler and managing to get productivity out of Tim Tebow.

Beginning with Gase’s time as the quarterbacks coach in Denver, Tim Tebow and the Broncos sported a 7-4 record alongside an impressive playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to see Tebow over-performed that season, and one cannot help but attribute much of that success to Gase. Shortly after, in the 2013 season with Manning as his pivot, Gase’s offence was the most prolific in NFL history. The team broke the record for most points scored, and Manning broke two more significant records as he threw for 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns. Finally, this past season in Chicago, Gase helped Cutler attain the most efficient season of his 11-year career, earning a 99.4 quarterback rating.

Now Gase is assuming his new responsibilities in Miami. Earlier this month, the now retired Manning was spotted alongside Gase at Dolphins’ training camp, which partially shows the degree of respect Manning has for his former coordinator. Gase seems to be the perfect fit to help franchise quarterback Ryan Tannehill take the next step in his development. The 8th overall pick in the 2012 draft has shown flashes of brilliance, but has not been able to maintain a high-level performance for extended periods. The challenges stretch well beyond Tannehill, however, as Miami’s offence ranked in the bottom five in total yards and points scored last season.

One reason for the offensive deficiencies and Tannehill’s stunted performances could very well be attributed to the offensive line. Since the 2013 season, Tannehill has been sacked 149 times alongside 28 fumbles, both of which are league highs. Statistics such as these highlight just how important the key pieces are, and for an offence, not many positions are more important than the blind-side offensive tackle. They must have had this in mind when they selected what may have been the biggest steal of the draft in Mississippi lineman Laremy Tunsil. Miami was able to draft Tunsil much later than many anticipated after a controversial video surfaced.

If Gase can find a way to cut down on the pressure and build a consistent run game, Tannehill will have the perfect opportunity to show off the arm talent that had scouts drooling over him in college. In addition to Tannehill, the Dolphins have very capable weapons at their disposal to complement Gase’s system, such as the deep-threat receivers of Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills. There is also great potential in their ground attack with Jay Ajayi and Arian Foster leading the charge. Both have certain health concerns. While Ajayi’s surgically repaired knee has attracted less attention as of late, Foster – a four-time Pro Bowler and 2010 rushing leader – has not played a full season since 2012 due to injuries.

There have also been concerns on the defensive side of the ball for the Dolphins. Despite the signing of Ndamukong Suh – 2010 Rookie of the Year and four-time Pro Bowler – they ranked in the bottom five in total defence, rushing yards against, sacks, and takeaways. In response, the team brought in reinforcements this off-season to help improve the overall unit, trading their 2016 eighth overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Kiko Alonso, cornerback Byron Maxwell, and the 13th overall pick (which was used on Tunsil). Defensive end Olivier Vernon left due to free agency, but he was promptly replaced by former Buffalo Bill and first overall pick Mario Williams. The Dolphins will also get Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake back from a torn Achilles injury.

On paper, Miami has the necessary defensive pieces to improve substantially on last year’s underwhelming performance, but under first time defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, will they be able to take the step and pose a real threat on the field? Beyond the usual hurdles, the Dolphin’s defensive unit also has certain unique challenges. While Suh is known for his difficult attitude, recent addition Williams poses a discomfort as well, as he was rumoured to have complained and given up on the Bills just this past year. All that said, one should not overlook the Dolphins’ intimidating front four pass rushers, who are especially capable of pouring on the pressure and relieving the team’s secondary as opposing quarterbacks are made less comfortable.

The Dolphins new regime will be tested early. Three of their first four games are on the road against 2015 playoff teams, including the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals. It is a tough start to the season, and if they are not careful, the team could easily find themselves with a 1-3 record after four weeks. For any team to be considered a true contender, they need to be able to beat top teams, as well as teams in their own division. Since the Tannehill era began in 2012, Miami has not had more than two wins out of six divisional matchups in any season.

The franchise possesses better overall talent on the roster compared to last year. They have the potential to be more competitive on a regular basis, and even steal a couple games, yet they still have to learn a completely new playbook and build chemistry, which takes time. At the end of the season, it’s likely the Fish will miss the playoffs with a .500 record, finishing 8-8 for the third time in four years.

Similar to the cliché that “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” the Dolphins probably won’t reap the fruits of their labour until at least the 2017 season. However, if anyone can build an empire down south, it is the quarterback whisperer and now head coach, Adam Gase.