As vacant coaching positions are filled after the conclusion of this year’s Super Bowl, the AFC East now welcomes two new head coaches to two of its teams: Adam Gase for the New York Jets and Brian Flores for the Miami Dolphins.
These young, skillful coaches were both chosen to lead their new respected franchises to new beginnings, but which new coach/team combination brings the biggest threat to the Buffalo Bills?
With the presumable assumption that the Miami Dolphins are going to go into a low scale “rebuild” with recent rumors of a possible Ryan Tannehill departure, this leads the Bills to its biggest new threat between the two new head coaches: Adam Gases New York Jets.
After a disappointing 4-12 season, the Jets are looking to bounce back into the equation with the hiring of Adam Gase, who previously served as the Miami Dolphins head coach from 2016-2018. For a team that ranked 29th in total offense this previous season, the Jets franchise realized that its main priority is to begin the development of their hopeful franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold and build key pieces around him, which is a reason for the firing of former head coach Todd Bowles.
But what does all this change and hope in the Jets franchise really do towards the Buffalo Bills? It poses a threat, a real threat the Bills have not seen from East Rutherford, NJ in a long time.
First off, Adam Gase gets his real first opportunity to work with a potentially explosive young quarterback in Sam Darnold. The combination of an offensive guru in Gase and a raw talent in Darnold could be the next face of the AFC East because Gase has worked with the likes of Jay Cutler, Peyton Manning, and even Ryan Tannehill who all have had sustained success under a Gase offense.
After coming off a season where injury and interceptions plagued his rookie debut, Darnold has the ability to start fresh, learn from a true offensive coach, and see his development skyrocket into what Gase hopes is a winning culture. Building that relationship between what is an offensive head coach and a now second-year quarterback is a major step towards the development of the Jets offense overall, something the Jets have struggled with for many years.
Secondly, under Gase’s decision, the Jets recently hired Gregg Williams as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Now, Bills fans know who Gregg Williams is after his stint as head coach of the Bills from 2001-2003, but what can be an issue for this team is his ability to coach up a physical defense.
With the Jets coming off a season where they were the 25th ranked total defense, the hiring of Williams allows this young, fast defensive unit to become a 4-3 defensive core that brings heavy pressure and physicality to the opposing team every game. For the Bills to combat this defensive front, the team needs to mainly focus on the building of their offensive line this off-season through free agency and through the draft.
Rookie offensive tackles like Jonah Williams or Jawaan Taylor, a free agent center like Matt Paradis, or even a savvy veteran like Rodger Saffold would be key people to look at when thinking about who would match up well with the likes of Leonard Williams and other key Jets defenders now under this piercing Gregg Williams defense.
Lastly, the culmination of Gases experience as a coach and in big-time situations can be an issue for the Bills. Even though 2016 was the start of Gase’s head coaching career, he previously worked as an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, and many other positions over his nearly 20-year coaching career. These positions have seen him in playoff games and even a Super Bowl appearance with the Denver Broncos, as the main catalyst in the success of Peyton Manning in his time with the team.
Gases experience at many key offensive positions will likely bring a new light to a struggling Jets offense and will possibly attract other free agents or rookies who urge to learn from an experienced offensive vet, unlike previous years.
All those who doubt Adam Gase’s experience, his lack of team coaching, or his non-ability to make both sides of the ball stellar may be in for a rude awakening come next season. As much as the hiring of Brian Flores may impact the Buffalo Bills, the combination of Gase and Darnold, Williams and a 4-3 defense, and the experience on Gases coaching staff may be the ultimate threat to a team that has seen up and down success against the New York Jets.
