Colin Cowherd Compares Jets Head Coach Adam Gase to 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Colin Cowherd likened New York Jets head coach Adam Gase to one of the best young coaches in the league. But he worries that Gase doesn’t have the same support network around him to thrive as does San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, the coach whom Cowherd compared Gase to.

Cowherd, a Fox Sports personality, is host of ‘The Herd’ which airs on FS1 and Fox Sports Radio. He has embraced Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as having all the tools to be successful in the NFL and he compared the embattled Gase to Shanahan, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl last year.

Gase is already on the hot seat. A 7-9 season in 2019, his first with the Jets, led to some momentum in the offseason. But the Jets looked bad in their 27-17 Week 1 loss at the Buffalo Bills.

An unpopular hire among Jets fans last offseason, Gase has been criticized by local and national media throughout the week.

“I think he’s got some Kyle Shanahan where he doesn’t suffer fools gladly, very smart, very intense,” Cowherd said when asked about Gase.

“The difference is Kyle has a better support system. Gase is not a very conciliatory personality so he just lays it out. And I don’t think Kyle Shanahan is either but Kyle has support…[49ers general manager] John Lynch, an owner winning to spend. Gase will show his frustration, he’s not good at hiding it…Also, Kyle can lean on his father on a bad day. Who can Adam lean on during a bad day? Not only does Sam Darnold need a support system, but who is Gase’s support system? But I worry about him unraveling during the course of the season if things get worse.”

The Jets, despite being 7-9 a year ago, are still in the midst of a rebuild. With the second-hardest schedule in the NFL this year and a roster that is still being overhauled, this year was always going to be about development and growth.

Their strength a year ago, a defense led by coordinator Gregg Williams, took a hit when the Jets traded All-Pro safety Jamal Adams in July. But there are pieces in place that are promising.

Left tackle Mekhi Becton, a first round pick, was solid in Week 1. Safety Marcus Maye, who moved to box safety with the departure of Adams, was outstanding at the Bills. And the offensive line, featuring four new starters, had some positives in their first time playing together.

Ironically, Gase’s Jets face Shanahan’s 49ers on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

“I predicted them at 6-10 and I say that I like Joe Douglas and I like Sam Darnold. I am getting to a point where there are fewer and fewer people I support. Again, the left tackle looks very promising. I think the safety, despite the loss of Jamal Adams, they’re pretty steady there,” Cowherd said.

“We’ll see how the young players develop. Gregg Williams can be a real rogue, a little bit of a loose cannon. I think he did a really nice job on a week-to-week basis in preparation. They gave lots of different looks and frustrated a lot of different quarterbacks. It’s just, I think, when you have a young quarterback, the one thing I really like is that Joe Douglas recognized really early that we have to get Sam Darnold help up front. They did a nice job, I thought, in the offseason to get the offensive line operating, I think it’s better than it was last year. They will protest better.”