By WFAN.com
New Jets head coach Adam Gase is intrigued by the opportunity to mold 21-year-old quarterback Sam Darnold.
"I'm excited because this is really the first time I've been able to get with a guy this young this early in his career," Gase told reporters at his introductory news conference Monday at the team's facility in Florham Park, New Jersey. "We're going into Year 2. He's hungry for knowledge. He wants to be coached, which when you have that type of player that does have the physical traits, this is an exciting thing for me to go through."
MORE: Twitter Reacts (Hilariously) To Adam Gase's 'Crazy Eyes'
Gase landed with the Jets last week after being fired following three seasons as the head coach of the Dolphins. He went 23-25 in Miami, leading the Dolphins to the playoffs following a 10-6 season in 2016. Miami then went 6-10 in 2017 and 7-9 this past season.
What lessons did he learn from his up-and-down tenure with the Dolphins?
"Over three years, you're going to have mistakes that you make, and really it can be either a mental note or really you start creating that list from year to year," said Gase, 40. "It's really started in this first part of the process. We've gone trying to put a coaching staff together. It's the first thing I learned the first go-around is don't get impatient. Don't think you have to rush to get into that 'we've got to get this guy hired.'"
Before hiring Gase, the Jets also interviewed former Packers coach Mike McCarthy, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard, former Lions and Colts coach Jim Caldwell, former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken, former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury and Baylor coach Matt Rhule.
MORE: Maccagnan On WFAN: Johnson And I Chose Gase Together, But He Had Final Say
"At the end of our interview process, Adam really stood out as the best fit for the New York Jets," team CEO Christopher Johnson said Monday. "His thorough understanding of our roster, his familiarity with our division and his road map to success all impressed me. My expectations for this team under Adam are very high. In short, I chose him to win -- to win for our players, to win for this organization and most importantly to win for our fans.
"Adam's vision synched well with what (general manager) Mike (Maccagnan) and I had talked about quite extensively before we even started the process," Johnson added. "He is intelligent, forward-thinking, aggressive. He's to paraphrase Wayne Gretzky, he's coaching to where football is going. And that really appealed to me."
Johnson, meanwhile, insisted he never told coaching candidates they couldn't choose their own staffs. Rhule told a Waco, Texas, radio station that the Jets wouldn't let him hire his own offensive coordinator. A CBS Sports report Saturday said talks between the Jets and McCarthy also broke down over staffing issues.
The Jets, who finished 4-12 this past season, not only have Darnold, but also the third overall pick in April's draft and nearly $100 million to spend in free agency. But Johnson refused to place a playoff mandate on the team.
MORE: Who Is Adam Gase? 5 Things To Know About The New Jets Coach
"The fans do deserve better, no question about it," he said. "I do have high expectations, but there will be no playoff mandate. Absolutely not. I'll never do that."
Gase has developed a reputation as an offensive guru, even leading the Peyton Manning-quarterbacked Denver Broncos offense in 2013 to an NFL-record 606 points en route to a Super Bowl appearance. However, in Miami, Gase's offenses were never ranked higher than 24th.
Gase said his offense sacrificed statistics by trying to play a ball-control brand of football that kept the Dolphins in more games. But he admits he'd like to see more offensive production in New York.
"I wish it was top 10, top five, but I think we have a different set of players here and a different set that we'll grow to, and hopefully we can really be in that upper echelon of offenses," he said.
Gase said that he won't be in charge of the 53-man roster as he was in Miami, adding that was a responsibility he wasn't interested in.
"I didn't even ask," he said. "I just knew coming in here it was going to be a team effort to make sure that I do my part, which is coach the team, do everything I can to help bring in good players, and when my opinion was asked, give my opinion."
