Head Coaching Search: Adam Gase

Adam Gase is another one of the hottest names that teams are looking at for their head coaching vacancies. He is the current offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. Both the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers have requested to interview Gase for their head coaching position. As the coordinator of one of the best offenses in the league, it's no surprise he's garnering interest.

However, what makes Gase difficult to judge is that he has Peyton Manning and an All-Star cast of talent on offense. How much is truly him and how much are what he's been given? Undoubtedly, he has shifted the offense to more of a run-heavy scheme this season as Manning has somewhat faltered, so he can be malleable, however he also does not have much experience that we can look back on.

Gase is just 36 years old, and this is his first coordinator job. He worked for LSU for two years before coming to the NFL as a scouting assistant, offensive assistant, and quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions. In 2008, he spent a year with the San Francisco 49ers as an offensive assistant. Since then, he has served the Broncos as their wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, and now, the offensive coordinator. He has worked for two years in his current position.

According to Emmanuel Sanders, "Of course, he has what it takes. Whatever happens, he'll do what's best for him and his family. If he does, that would be sad for me, but we've still got goals that we want to achieve together. Hopefully if it does happen, he'll go to one of those jobs with a Super Bowl ring on his finger."

Gase is arguably the brightest offensive coach in the NFL.In his two years as Denver's offensive coordinator, the Broncos ranked No. 1 in scoring in 2013 by compiling an NFL-record 606 points (37.88 points per game) mostly by throwing the ball with quarterback Peyton Manning.

This year, the Broncos implemented an older-school running game into their offense, starting with Game 11, and they still finished No. 2 in scoring with 30.1 points per game. Green Bay was No. 1 with 30.4 points.

Last year, the Cleveland Browns were seriously considering Gase before he withdrew from consideration as his team went deep into the playoffs. Some, such as Jason LaCanfora, believe it's just a matter of time before he's a head coach:

The respect and admiration he has earned from Manning is well known around the league, and Manning, who has a strong relationship with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, was no small part of the reason why Haslam was so driven to land Gase a year ago, leaving the job unfilled for a long time in hopes he might change his mind. Manning's report to Browns ownership on Gase was so strong, league sources said, that Haslam was on a mission to get him.

According to LaCanfora, Gase is a "coaching no-brainer, with the full endorsement from the likes of Nick Saban, who gave him is start, and Manning."

Despite these strong endorsements, the questions about his experience are still valid. I have strong concerns that we would be getting a Josh McDaniels-type character who will blow up in a year or two from inexperience. I would definitely still bring him in for an interview and see if there's maybe more than meets the eye, but at this point, while he has the offensive ingenuity I'd love to see, I think he still has too much to prove before he should be given a head coaching shot.