January 07, 2016
Michael Perez/AP
Jordan Matthews cuts into the Cardinals' 37-10 lead, which was cause for celebration.
The morning after Chip Kelly was fired, we published a profile of Philadelphia Eagles head coaching candidate Adam Gase, making the point that the Eagles have had one of the most unstable situations at the quarterback position in the NFL. And the hiring of Gase could help fix that. To note, Gase is the only coaching candidate we have profiled since Kelly was let go more than a week ago.
We made the obvious observation in that piece (and everyone else has by now as well) that Gase had extraordinary success working with Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler, who all had the best seasons of their careers under Gase's watch.
However, Gase's success didn't stop at the quarterback position -- He has also guided wide receivers to some of their best seasons in the pros.
From 2009 to 2010, Gase served as the Broncos' wide receivers coach. In 2010, Brandon Lloyd had by far his best season in the NFL working with Gase, when he amassed 77 catches for 1448 yards (18.8 YPC), and 11 TDs. Here's how that compares with the rest of his career:
| Brandon Lloyd | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2003 49ers (16 games) | 14 | 212 | 15.1 | 2 |
| 2004 49ers (13 games) | 43 | 565 | 13.1 | 6 |
| 2005 49ers (16 games) | 48 | 733 | 15.3 | 5 |
| 2006 Redskins (15 games) | 23 | 365 | 15.9 | 0 |
| 2007 Redskins (8 games) | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 |
| 2008 Bears (11 games) | 26 | 364 | 14.0 | 2 |
| 2009 Broncos (2 games) | 8 | 117 | 14.6 | 0 |
| 2010 Broncos (16 games) | 77 | 1448 | 18.8 | 11 |
| 2011 DEN/STL (15 games) | 70 | 966 | 13.8 | 5 |
| 2012 Patriots (16 games) | 74 | 911 | 12.3 | 4 |
| 2014 49ers (14 games) | 14 | 294 | 21.0 | 1 |
Lloyd's quarterbacks that season were Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow.
In 2009, under Gase's watch, Jabar Gaffney had what was at the time his best career in the NFL, at the age of 29. He improved on those numbers in 2010 at the age of 30.
| Jabar Gaffney | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2002 Texans (16 games) | 41 | 483 | 11.8 | 1 |
| 2003 Texans (16 games) | 34 | 402 | 11.8 | 2 |
| 2004 Texans (16 games) | 41 | 632 | 15.4 | 2 |
| 2005 Texans (16 games) | 55 | 492 | 8.9 | 2 |
| 2006 Patriots (11 games) | 11 | 142 | 12.9 | 1 |
| 2007 Patriots (16 games) | 36 | 449 | 12.5 | 5 |
| 2008 Patriots (16 games) | 38 | 468 | 12.3 | 2 |
| 2009 Broncos (16 games) | 54 | 732 | 13.6 | 2 |
| 2010 Broncos (16 games) | 65 | 875 | 13.5 | 2 |
| 2011 Redskins (16 games) | 68 | 947 | 13.9 | 5 |
| 2012 Dolphins (3 games) | 4 | 68 | 17.0 | 0 |
Gaffney was a guy the Eagles signed in 2006, and then cut before the season even began. Again, to repeat, the Broncos' quarterbacks in 2010 were Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow.
And then there's Brandon Marshall. In 2009, Marshall was suspended for throwing a tantrum doing training camp because he was upset with the team for misdiagnosing a hip injury, as well as unhappiness with his contract. Despite the distractions and time missed, Marshall still caught 101 passes for 1,120 yards and 10 touchdowns, and made the Pro Bowl under Gase.
It is also noteworthy that Gase has gotten outstanding production from receivers like Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and Eric Decker during his tenure as offensive coordinator.
Over the last two offseasons, the Eagles have invested heavily in wide receiver talent in the draft:
| Year | Player | Round | Overall |
| 2014 | Jordan Matthews | 2 | 42 |
| 2014 | Josh Huff | 3 | 86 |
| 2015 | Nelson Agholor | 1 | 20 |
Matthews has largely panned out, but has struggled catching the ball at times. Huff and Agholor, meanwhile, have flashed talent, but have been disappointments very early on in their respective careers.
| Jordan Matthews | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2014 | 67 | 872 | 13.0 | 8 |
| 2015 | 85 | 997 | 11.7 | 8 |
| Josh Huff | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2014 | 8 | 98 | 12.3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 27 | 312 | 11.6 | 3 |
| Nelson Agholor | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2015 | 23 | 283 | 12.3 | 1 |
The numbers suggest that Gase has been able to get the most out of his receivers in the past. It would be a major bonus if he could help Matthews, Huff, and Agholor maximize their full potential as well.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski
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