Denver Broncos Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase is the Hot Name as Searches Begin
By Joe Morrone
Oct 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase during the game against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos just started their bye week but the news has not stopped. Offensive coordinator, Adam Gase is the hot name for two of the open head coaching positions.
Reports are that both the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons have requested permission from the Broncos to speak with Gase about their respective openings. Gase drew similar interest last year but declined to interview because he wanted the focus to be on the Broncos Super Bowl run. Gase has not publically commented this year but it is believed that he will interview.
It needs to be noted that teams can only talk to Gase during the Broncos bye week and no hiring announcement can be made until the Broncos season is over.
Why is Gase so coveted? There are a couple of reasons starting with the fact that he was the coordinator of a record setting offense in 2012 and in today’s NFL, that’s going to get a lot of attention from owners who are starved for both wins and ticket sales.
The second reason is the fact that Gase is seen around the league as a guy who is excellent with quarterbacks. Both the 49ers and the Falcons have young quarterbacks who have had some success but could be better, and teams believe that Gase is the guy to make them better.
The detractors will say that the Broncos offensive success is due more to Peyton Manning than Gase but there’s also the Tim Tebow effect. No matter what you think of Tebow as a quarterback, Gase was his position coach in 2011 and had a big role in the Broncos success that season. Gase has shown he can adapt to different types of quarterbacks.
We won’t know if Gase is leaving to take a head coaching job until after the Broncos season, hopefully in February but it would be a shock if he was back with the Broncos next season. Assistant coaches don’t stay hot forever and if a coach like Gase continues to turn down opportunities, then eventually those opportunities go away. If Gase wants to be a head coach and I assume he does, then he has to strike while the iron is hot.
If Gase does leave, what’s next for the Broncos in terms of an offensive coordinator? There will be plenty of time to examine those options if and when it happens, but look for the Broncos to stay in house as they did with Gase.
Assuming Manning is back in 2015 and every indication is that he will be, including his own statements, then the Broncos are not going to be looking for big changes. Any hire from outside the organization is going to want to run his own system and the Broncos would have no interest in that.
The two names on staff that jump to mind are running backs coach Eric Studesville and quarterbacks coach Gregg Knapp. Knapp has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL before and that might give him an advantage but Studesville is the more interesting possibility to me.
Broncos’ fans remember Studesville as the coach who took over when Josh McDaniels was fired with four games remaining at the end of the 2010 season. He has been loyal to the Broncos and is well respected by both the players and coaches.
For a team that has shown a lot of interest in becoming more balanced offensively in the second half of the season, Studesville makes a lot of sense. He’s a running backs coach and understands the importance of running the football, and probably has some ideas on how the Broncos can be even more effective in that area.
As mentioned earlier, there will be plenty of time to discuss offseason moves when the season is over but this much is true. If Gase wants to be a head coach this year, then chances are excellent that the Broncos will be in need of a new offensive coordinator for 2015.