Ever since he got the Dolphins head coaching job in January, Adam Gase has rarely missed an opportunity to publicly state his confidence in quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Gase will call offensive plays this season, citing the close relationship with Tannehill as part of the reason for that choice, and said that he thinks the 2015 season was a “hiccup” for the quarterback. All of that goes to illustrate Gase’s belief that a quarterback’s confidence grows with a supportive coach, as does Tannehill’s response to what he’s heard from Gase.
"[Gase] has made it abundantly clear to me that we’re on the same team,” Tannehill said, via the Miami Herald. “He has my back and just to have that reassurance, that confidence in me, it’s huge. It gives me a lot more confidence in the things I can do and how I can carry myself. I can just believe he’s always going to have my back. Obviously, you have to play well to keep your spot. But just to have his confidence going in and that he’s going to have my back, it means a lot.”
Tannehill wasn’t allowed to audible or otherwise change offensive plans during games under former coach Joe Philbin, something that has been much discussed in the past, and Tannehill said it is “exciting” that Gase will give him more freedom at the line. If the results are equally exciting come September, Gase will be in good shape as his first season in Miami unfolds and confidence in Tannehill will establish a foothold well beyond the head coach.