DAVIE, Fla. -- In the midst of some in-game struggles, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill kept pushing for certain plays on the sideline for the offense to run in the second half of Sunday's 12-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Instead, first-year head coach Adam Gase stuck with his initial plan for three quarters as Miami’s offense continued to sputter.

Gase finally relented and took Tannehill’s suggestions in the fourth quarter, and that was when the offense was at its best. The result was an 86-yard touchdown drive, which featured four first-down throws and a 2-yard touchdown run by Tannehill that nearly held up as the game-winner.

“Next time he says something, I’m going with it because he had a good feel for what’s going on,” Gase said. “He was telling me the right information. I just have to go with it. That’s kind of that relationship you develop as you play games.”

The rapport between a head coach and quarterback is among the most important on any NFL team. Gase and Tannehill have been together for just nine months, but their relationship continues to show growth.

After coming up short in the Dolphins debut of coach Adam Gase, left, Ryan Tannehill & Co. visit New England on Sunday. AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Gase, who also worked closely with quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow and Jay Cutler during his coaching career, made it a point to back Tannehill from Day 1. Gase gave the fifth-year quarterback the most audible freedom Tannehill’s ever had, and Gase admitting he should’ve listened to his quarterback sooner is a perfect example of their two-way communication.

“I didn’t know that he said that, but it’s nice,” Tannehill said. “The more that we can communicate and be on the same page -- not just myself but the other guys that are out there, communicate what we are seeing and what we are facing from the defense -- we can make the adjustments on the sideline and get the ball in the right spot.”

The Dolphins’ offense will only go as far as Gase and Tannehill can take it, and there is plenty of room for improvement after Week 1.

Last season, Miami averaged just 19.4 points per game; the Dolphins scored 10 points Sunday against Seattle. Last season, the Dolphins offense ranked 31st in third-down conversion percentage (30.7); they were 3-of-14 (21.4) in Week 1. These are two areas that must improve this season.

“As a guy calling the plays, I’ve got to do a better job of putting our guys in position to where he at least has an opportunity to get the ball to an open receiver,” Gase said. “There were a couple of times where [Tannehill] just didn’t have time and he tried to put it out there and give our guys a chance to catch the ball.”

The Dolphins are going to be aggressive in their offensive playcalling, according to Gase. They failed on a fourth-down attempt early in the game in a call that could be second-guessed.

But Gase's approach in that situation is to his quarterback's liking.

“It’s great. He’s had that mindset since he came here,” Tannehill said. “He’s said, ‘Hey, early in games especially, if we’re inside the 50 and it's fourth-and-short, we’re probably going to go for it.’ Just that mindset that we’re going to have another shot and four downs to make 10 yards is huge for a quarterback, knowing we can check it down and have another shot at it. Or if we run it on third-and-short and don’t get it, we’re going to have another shot, whether it’s a run or a pass. As an offense, we just have to come through.”