Adam Gase, the current head coach of the Miami Dolphins, should be one of the top coaches considered to win the NFL Coach of the Year. Called the quarterback whisperer, Adam Gase got signed for the job of the Head Coach before the 2016-2017 season started.
Many people probably don't identify the Miami Dolphins as legitimate playoff contenders, but if you have been watching the NFL as close as I have this past year, you can see that Adam Gase has drastically improved the Miami Dolphins. In the 2015-2016 season, Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell led the Dolphins to 6-10 record, but this season Gase led the Dolphins to a 10-6 record, reversing the previous record and making it into the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Since starting one to four with their only win coming against the Browns in the first five games, Adam Gase changed the outcomes of their last 11 games, going nine to two with the losses coming against former Super Bowl Champions, The New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. During this run, Adam Gase won six games in a row starting from week six. Adam Gase had turned Ryan Tannehill into a reliable and threatening quarterback, and his nickname, The Quarterback Whisperer, was proving to be true until week 14 as Tannehill hurt his ACL in the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals. This was a huge blow to Miami as Tannehill was out for the rest of the season and the playoffs, but Adam Gase never let down. His backup quarterback finished out the game with a win and was able to end the season in a three to one record, with the loss being against New England in week 17.
Even though the Dolphins lost their first game in the Wild Card round against the Steelers, Adam Gase should still be considered a candidate for Head Coach of the Year; he was able to completely turn around an organization that has not had success in so long. He was able to turn Ryan Tannehill into a franchise quarterback; he found a way to make their running back Jay Ajayi successful; and most importantly he led the Miami Dolphins back into the playoffs with their backup quarterback. If Adam Gase was not highly considered to win this award, then there are not many other candidates who could win as well.