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Three teams the 49ers, Falcons and Bears have asked to interview Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Can Adam Gase become the answer to the enigma that is Jay Cutler?
The Chicago Bears are curious enough to interview the Broncos offensive coordinator.
The Bears became the third team to formally consider Gase for their head coaching position, joining the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.
Those three teams have one thing in common: Talented quarterbacks who have led their teams to at least one conference championship game but are coming off disappointing seasons. Cutler has been perhaps the NFLs most underachieving quarterback the past three years.
A first-round draft choice of the Broncos in 2006, Cutler earned a Pro-Bowl berth in 2008. But when the Broncos fired longtime coach Mike Shanahan after the 2008 season, Cutler demanded to be traded both in the days before and weeks after the team hired Josh McDaniels as their new coach and head of football operations.Dealt to Chicago in 2009, Cutler helped the Bears reach the NFC championship game in 2010 and he was playing well in 2011, winning five games in a row when he suffered a season-ending thumb injury. He has been erratic since, throwing 66 touchdown passes in the past three years, but also 44 interceptions.
Still, the Bears gave him a contract extension that paid him $22.5 million this season and hes virtually guaranteed to make about $15.5 million in 2015.
Cutler would pose a unique challenge for Gase, who worked closely the past three seasons with Peyton Manning, the Broncos meticulously prepared star quarterback. Gase was the Broncos quarterbacks coach in 2012 and offensive coordinator in 2013-14.
Manning averaged 43.7 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions in his past three seasons while leading the Broncos to records of 13-3, 13-3 and 12-4.
Ryan led the Falcons to the 2012 NFC championship game, in which they lost to Colin Kaepernicks 49ers. Ryan compiled a 56-22 record in his first five seasons as a starter but is 10-22 in his last two seasons.
Kaepernick was 21-8, including playoffs, in his first two seasons as the 49ers starter, but was 8-8 this season as he fell from the 10th-rated passer in 2013 to 20th this season.
Gase has been working with the Broncos offense this week in preparation for the teams second-round AFC playoff game next week Sunday, Jan. 11. However, thanks to having a first-round bye, the Broncos are off Thursday, Friday and Saturday before reconvening Sunday at Dove Valley.
Gase will conduct his interviews during the off days with contingents from the Bears, Falcons and 49ers meeting him here in the Denver area.
The Bears have hired former NFL general manager Ernie Accorsi to oversee their search for a new coach and GM. Broncos general manager John Elway has called Accorsi his front-office mentor.
The Falcons are using former Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns executive Joe Banner as a consultant for their coaching search. Banner was with the Browns last year when the team courted Gase to fill their head coaching vacancy. Gase withdrew from consideration and the job went to Mike Pettine.
The 49ers coaching search is headed by owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke. Gase worked for both in 2008 when he was the 49ers offensive assistant to offensive coordinator Mike Martz.
Gases work as an offensive coordinator includes an NFL record 606 points and 55 Manning touchdown passes in 2013, and a midseason shift to greater run balance in 2014 as the Broncos still finished second in scoring at 30.1 points per game.
Source: http://blogs.denverpost.com/broncos/2014/12/30/bears-ask-permission-interview-adam-gase/31800/
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