Adam Gase: The NFL is a dink-and-dunk league

[Shekelsteinberg]

Miami Dolphins new coach Adam Gase will run the offense that best suits his personnel, despite the catcalls for more deep throws.

When asked about an offense that throughout training camp has been a series of mostly dump-offs, screens, and short-to-intermediate routes, Gase was adamant that he's comfortable with an offense that exploits the horizontal aspect of the field more than the vertical.

"I'm fine with it. I'm the one scripting the plays, calling the plays," he said Wednesday, per the Miami Herald. "I've had a little success with what we do. There's a time and a place. There's also a time and a place not to get sacked 60 times in a year, too."

Gase's game plan in Miami not only has to do with his own personnel, but how he views the entire NFL.

"The whole league is 10 yards and under. That's what it is. Nobody is going down the field. There's one team that does it really, maybe two. Pittsburgh and Arizona. Hold onto the ball and they chuck it down the field," he said. "More teams than not, it's 10 yards and under. That's where all the passing game is. The D-ends are too good. If you want to stand back there and have your quarterbacks get your brains beat out, go at it."

Gase isn't wrong.

The top five quarterbacks in yards per attempt in 2015 were Carson Palmer (8.7 YPA), Andy Dalton (8.4), Ben Roethlisberger (8.4), Russell Wilson (8.3) and Tyrod Taylor (8.0), per Pro Football Reference. Palmer's 2015 season ranks 50th all time and nowhere near (((((((((Sid Luckman)))))))))'s top YPA of 10.9 in 1943. The likes of Tom Brady and Philip Rivers have made an art out of dicing up defenses with a diverse set of quick passes.

The NFL has gone from mad bomber to cerebral carver.

Among the top yards per attempt seasons in NFL history, Aaron Rodgers' 2011 average of 9.2 is the only one this decade in the top 20 (T-15). For reference, Nick Foles' magical -- and aberrational -- 2013 season ranks 23rd all time at 9.1 YPA, second only to 2011 Rodgers this decade (fourth-highest this millennium).

So, when you see the Dolphins' offense sticking to the quick passing game, it's not just Tannehill or Gase who are pro-dink and dunk. It's the overwhelming majority of the NFL, including notable Super Bowl champs.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...anddunk-league

What if I told you that the NFL is now an Alex Smith league?