Miami Dolphins

Dolphins owner puts new coach Adam Gase on strict playoff timetable

Published Feb. 15, 2016 2:34 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

After a disappointing season filled with lackluster performances and firings, the Miami Dolphins seem to be headed in a new direction. And it's safe to say ownership is excited about the future of the team under head coach Adam Gase.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross discussed Gase on Monday, comparing him to a handful of great coaches -- including Bill Belichick.

Via the Palm Beach Post:

“Instead of getting a retread that really hasn’t had a great track record as head coach, I was looking for somebody that really could be the next, if you will, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, you know, really great head coach, and I think we got one,” Ross said Monday.

That's obviously fairly high praise for a guy that's never held a head coaching gig in the NFL before. Gase has a history of working with quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler and Brock Osweiler, but that's hardly proof he'll succeed as a head coach.

Given that fact, Ross and the Dolphins front office won't be hesitant to cut ties on the Gase experiment if they're not back in the playoffs in three years.

“After three years, if we haven’t made the playoffs, we’re looking for a new coach,” Ross said. “That’s just the way it is. The fans want it.”

Gase is Miami's eighth head coach since 2004 and the fourth since 2011. Additionally, the Dolphins have made the playoffs just once since 2001. It won't be easy for Gase to turn the team around immediately after a 6-10 season, but there are pieces in place.

Ryan Tannehill looks like he could potentially be a franchise quarterback, and he's certainly being paid like one. Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker are dangerous weapons, and Ndamukong Suh is one of the best defensive linemen in the league.