New York Jets fans cannot wait until the team inevitably fires head coach Adam Gase at the end of the season, and there has been speculation that Gase could land with the division rival New England Patriots when that happens. That chatter is only growing louder with all the nice things Bill Belichick has said about his counterpart this week.
Belichick went out of his way on Wednesday to compliment Gase on the job he has done coaching New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.
“I know he’s getting good coaching and has a good system that works through the quarterback,” Belichick said, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports. “Adam’s always had an offensive system that’s really given quarterbacks all the tools they need to be successful. … I don’t think you could have anybody better coaching (Darnold) than where he’s at. He’s progressing as you’d expect he would.”
Darnold has thrown for 1,942 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions in 11 games this season. His 72.3 passer rating is the worst mark of his three-year NFL career. Many believe Darnold would be better off without Gase, especially with how Ryan Tannehill has turned into an MVP candidate with the Tennessee Titans. Tannehill struggled under Gase with the Miami Dolphins.
Belichick praising lousy opponents is nothing new. However, the way he gushed about Gase is noteworthy because there has been talk recently that the Patriots could hire Gase as their quarterbacks coach if and when he’s fired by the Jets.
Patriots quarterback coach Jedd Fisch recently left to take the head coaching job at Arizona. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe said during a recent appearance on WEEI that there has been “buzz” Belichick could hire Gase to replace Fisch.
Gase and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have a history together. They were both on Nick Saban’s staff at Michigan State, and Gase was an assistant under McDaniels when McDaniels coached the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010.
Gase’s tenure with the Jets has been a complete disaster, and some of these ugly stats are an illustration of that. But, for whatever reason, Belichick seems to think very highly of him. That could lead to an unpopular hire for the Patriots this offseason.
