Gase sounded downright Saban-esque after a near-loss to Cleveland, saying, “Whoever wants to do it right, those are the guys that we’re going to put out there. Talent’s irrelevant at this point.”
This came after his first win as a head coach. According to one report, team owner Stephen Ross presented Gase with the game ball and he declined to keep it as a memento.
_____________
Gase had to both challenge and protect Tannehill and Suh – showing belief as well as backbone.
He’s been able to do it, stepping comfortably into the top job despite never having that sort of leadership role before. He got his start as a freshman at Michigan State by bugging then-assistant Dean Pees (now defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens) for something to do to help the team. He began by creating Excel spreadsheets, and when Saban left East Lansing for LSU, Gase went along with him as a graduate assistant. By 2003 he was working in scouting for the Detroit Lions. He was 25.
Click to expand...