Once upon a time, Adam Gase served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning.
In 2019, serving in his first year as head coach of the New York Jets, Gase will be forced to look across the field and do battle with Peyton’s younger brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
In the recent past — especially during the tenure of Rex Ryan — Eli was a common target of the enemy, with the Jets frequently poking fun at the youngest Manning despite minimal success against their cross-town rival.
Having been around Eli over the years and witnessing firsthand what he can do in the playoffs, Gase refuses to underestimate the scrappiest Manning ahead of their 2019 showdown, crediting Eli with a “fearlessness” that ultimately led him to two Super Bowl titles.
“I always look at it like this, when he’s gotten into the playoffs, his focus and his ability and his fearlessness . . . that’s what got him two rings. And they beat New England doing it,” Gase told The Michael Kay Show on Monday. “Everybody teed it up like, ‘undefeated season!’ And he’s like, ‘all right, well see.’
“He’s got a calmness about him. . . The times I’ve been around him, you can always tell this guy is steady.”
Gase stopped short of saying Eli is a shoo-in Hall of Famer, noting that he’s not the man who makes those decisions, but made the argument in Manning’s favor nonetheless.
It’s actually a somewhat refreshing change for a Jets head coach to shower Manning with praise, but we’ll see if that persists prior to their Week 1 matchup in the preseason and their Week 10 matchup during the regular season.
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