The Miami Dolphins are on a five-game winning streak and Adam Gase has earned the right to feel pretty good about the progress the team has made since a rough start. He also feels entitled to throw out a helping of “I told you so” at the critics who wanted him to bench Ryan Tannehill earlier in the year.
“He’s not coming out,” Gase told reporters in October after a 1-4 start. “You can ask me a hundred times. He’s going to be in there the rest of this season.”
Since then, the Dolphins have climbed to 6-4 and Tannehill has six touchdowns with just one interception.
Adam Gase to media: "Between him being able to throw the deep ball & his play in the 4th qtr, I kind of question your evaluation skills."
— Dave Hyde (@davehydesports) November 21, 2016
For most of the team’s Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Tannehill and the Dolphins offense were ineffective. But the quarterback led the Dolphins down the field on a 77-yard touchdown drive followed by a 75-yard touchdown drive that erased a 10-0 deficit and gave the Dolphins a 14-10 victory.
“I don’t even know (how the comeback happened),” Gase told the Associated Press. “Just nothing was going right for us. We were terrible on offense.”
Tannehill finished the game by completing 12 of his last 13 passes for 115 yards. On Monday, Gase was quick to remind everyone that he always believed in Tannehill’s abilities.
“Before I even took the job; that’s why I took the job,” Gase said. “When you feel comfortable with the quarterback you are coming in with, that’s a good starting point.”
With the Dolphins carrying the longest winning streak in the AFC, Gase’s belief in Tannehill certainly appears justified.