Bears OC Adam Gase accepts Miamis head coaching job

Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase was named the Miami Dolphins head coach on Saturday, becoming the NFL's youngest head coach at age 37.

It also means Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will soon begin working with his sixth offensive coordinator since he joined the Bears in 2009.

Gase's game-planning and play-calling helped Cutler achieve the best statistical season of his 10-year career in 2015. In Miami, Gase inherits 27-year-old Ryan Tannehill, who had 24 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in his fourth season with the Dolphins. Miami, like the Bears, finished 6-10 this season.

The loss of Gase surprised no one at Halas Hall, as he was considered one of the hottest candidates last off-season when he interviewed for five head-coaching positions, including the Bears. His work this season with Curler made Gase an even more attractive candidate.

The day after the Bears finished their season at 6-10, coach John Fox was asked how the loss of the 37-year-old Gase might impact the team.

"We have a good plan in place," Fox said, "and finding good quality coaches has never been a problem."

As a 27-year veteran coach in the NFL, including 14 as a head coach, Fox has a long list of contacts and potential additions to his staff.

"It never stays the same, whether it's players or coaches," Fox said. "It's business as usual. I'm familiar with a lot of very good coaches."

The Bears' 38-year-old general manager, Ryan Pace, acknowledged as much, as he joked about the 60-year-old Fox's extensive experience.

"One of the benefits of John being 100 years old," Pace said, "is he knows a lot of coaches around the league."

Fox had already begun preparing to hire Gase's successor, as three teams requested meetings with Gase last Monday, less than 24 hours after the Bears' season ended. Gase also interviewed with the Giants, Browns and Eagles for their vacant head-coaching positions.

Gase got high marks for his work with Cutler, who responded with a career-best passer rating of 92.3 and his lowest interception rate for a full season.

"I'm sure he'd be similar (as a head coach) to what he is as an offensive coordinator," Cutler said during preparation for the regular-season finale. "He's going to be good. He deserves it. He's done some really good things in this league, and they speak for themselves, whether it's (working with) Tim Tebow or Peyton (Manning) or myself or Kyle Orton.

"Whoever he's worked with, he's found ways to manage the system and make them successful."

Gase's hands-on style resonated throughout the offense, not just with the quarterbacks.

"He's very, very good at having his finger on the pulse of the team, understanding the highs and lows of a season and understanding what buttons to press to get guys to go," offensive tackle Kyle Long said. "He does a really good job with personnel and understanding each guy on the team."

Despite working with an injury-ravaged group of receivers, Gase directed an offense that was sixth in third-down efficiency and 11th in rushing yards.

"He got our offense going," tackle Jermon Bushrod said. "He got our quarterback in positions to make some great plays."

Tight end Zach Miller also had a career year in Gase's system and didn't relish the idea of him leaving when he spoke the day after the season finale.

"He's a great coach and a great offensive mind, obviously," Miller said. "He's going to have opportunities to move forward. I'm happy for him, but selfishly I'd like for him to be here."

Gase maintained a strong rapport with players, even those who weren't on the active roster. First-round draft pick Kevin White missed the entire season following surgery for stress fractures in his left shin, but Gase kept him involved.

"He always called me, checked up on me, sent text messages," White said. "He (would) tell me to watch other receivers on different teams, just be a pro and learn the game as much as possible."

But White, like most of his teammates, considered Gase's departure a foregone conclusion.

"It's a business," White said. "I understand that. You've got to keep going if there's a change."

The change is likely to affect Cutler more than anyone, but Fox and Pace both downplayed that.

"We have extreme confidence in Jay," Pace said. "We can do a lot of things similar offensively. When guys are leaving here, that's going to happen when we're doing good things. It's up to us to find the best replacements."

Fox was quick to second that notion.

"Our systems are our systems," he said. "They're not any individual's systems, they are our systems. Our systems aren't changing, offense, defense or special teams.

"You tweak and you grow and you adjust. You have to do that in this league because it's a fluid league. That's all part of coaching."

Dowell Loggains, currently the Bears' quarterbacks coach, will be considered for the coordinator's job. He is credited with helping Cutler avoid the turnovers that plagued him in the past, and he has previous experience as an offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.

"Dowell is with Jay every day in meetings, game-planning, (working on) fundamentals, some of the pocket presence things that we talk about," Fox said. "Dowell has had a lot to do with that."

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