MIAMI (AP) — Adam Gase has been fired after three seasons as the Miami Dolphins coach, including a 7-9 finish this year.
Gase confirmed his dismissal in a text message Monday to The Associated Press.
Owner Stephen Ross made the move after Gase went 23-26 with the Dolphins. A 42-17 loss Sunday at Buffalo sealed his fate.
Miami will miss the playoffs for the 15th time in the past 17 seasons. After beating New England on the play of the season — a pass and double lateral for a touchdown as time ran out — the Dolphins were outscored 100-41 in their final three games by other also-ran teams.
Stuck on a treadmill of mediocrity, the Dolphins have finished with six to eight wins in nine of the past 10 seasons, and haven’t won a playoff game since 2000. The next coach will be their 10th since 2004, including three interim coaches.
Last week Gase said his biggest regret about 2018 was a slew of injuries. The Dolphins lost 13 key players to season-ending injuries, including two top offensive linemen, their best run stopper, top cornerback Xavien Howard and dynamic receivers Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill missed five games.
Gase, 40, was seen as a rising young star coach when the Dolphins hired him, and even more so after they went 10-6 in his first season and made the playoffs for the only time since 2008.
But they regressed to 6-10 in 2017, when Tannehill missed the entire season following knee surgery.
Although Gase’s background is on offense, the Dolphins ranked 31st this season in yards, a franchise worst. Tannehill failed to show much improvement and is widely expected to be traded or released because of an escalating salary.
There’s already speculation Gase will be coaching another team in 2019, and his supporters argued he overachieved given the quality of the Dolphins’ roster.
They were outgained by 1,619 yards, worst in franchise history, and outscored by 114 points. Miami ranked 29th in defense, allowing a franchise-record 6,257 yards.
Gase went 7-1 this season in one-score games, and 20-6 in three seasons. But his record in games decided by more than one score was 3-20. His teams struggled especially on the road, losing their final seven away games this year while being outscored 248-117.
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