Adam Gase's Comeback Tour May Begin With a Stop at Nick Saban's Halfway Home for Wayward Coaches

Adam Gase is 42-years-old. His lackluster tenure with the New York Jets did not double as a Men In Black device that wiped his memory of all football knowledge, even if at times it wasn't clear why he was ever considered to be the man for the job.

Failing in the biggest media market is never an enviable course. But all is certainly not lost for the accomplished offense enthusiast. Not when he has perhaps the most accomplished and powerful ally waiting in the wings.

Bruce Feldman reports that Nick Saban is considering Gase, along with Bill O'Brien, as a candidate for the offensive coordinator role Steve Sarkisian will depart.

This, of course, makes all the sense in the world. Gase and Saban have a relationship dating back to before Y2K when the former was a student at Michigan State. When Saban left East Lansing, Gase followed him to LSU.

More than that, though, the best coach in college football has taken it upon himself to run a sort of halfway house for embattled coaches in recent years. Both Lane Kiffin and Sarkisian have used the Tide's offensive coordinator position to relaunch their careers after hitting some hiccups.

One can bemoan the process as cronyism and the timeless ability for rich people to fall upwards. Or one could look at what Saban is doing as an extremely human and worthwhile endeavor. Something a local mechanic or prep sports editor might do. Give someone a second chance.

Both Kiffin and Sarkisian made the very best of it, parlaying it into head coaching opportunities. Gase would surely do the same if given the opportunity, if only for the fact that having access to that type of weaponry allows a chef to really cook.

Gase still has a bright future. Even if the present and recent past have been a bit cloudy.