After the Dolphins’ 13-6 victory against the Jets, fans are left wondering if that was a fluke win over a struggling team. They have also begun to question Adam Gase and his play-calling ability, which makes some wonder if he is the right coach for the job.

Quite a few fans are taking the glass-half-empty approach by saying they are barely above .500 and the wheels will eventually come off, while some are taking a glass-half-full approach with the Dolphins being the seventh seed in the AFC.

It does feel like the same thing as before with Joe Philbin – being so close to the playoffs just to fall short.

Or is it?

Let me give a little perspective that may shed some light on Gase’s tenure with the Dolphins.

There have been three Super Bowl-winning coaches that won in their fourth season. Those coaches are Sean Payton, Pete Carroll, and Tom Coughlin. Three very different coaches and three very different coaching styles, yet they all started out similar to Adam Gase.

Coughlin started out at 6-10, 11-5, and 8-8 during his tenure with the Giants. He had a record of 25-23* (Keep that in mind). He led the team to a 10-6 record and a Super Bowl victory against the undefeated New England Patriots in 2007. At the beginning of that season, Coughlin was on the hot seat entering his fourth year. Coughlin had his quarterback from the beginning of his tenure in Eli Manning.

Payton surprised everyone by leading the Saints to a 10-6 season in 2006 that ultimately ended in an NFC Championship loss to the Bears. His Saints teams struggled at 7-9 and 8-8 the next two seasons after. Payton finished his third year with a record of 25-23* (same as Coughlin). Payton may not have been on the hot seat, but his seat was getting a bit warm. However, during his fourth season, Payton led the Saints to a Super Bowl victory.

It is worth noting that Drew Brees signed with the Saints the same year Payton was hired. Again, Payton worked with his quarterback from the beginning.

Carroll is a little different than the other two, as he did not get his quarterback until his third season as the Seahawks coach. Oddly enough, the Seahawks won the NFC West with a 7-9 record during his first season in 2010. They also defeated the defending Super Bowl champs, the Saints in the wild-card game.

The next season, they went 7-9 again, this time landing third in the division. That is when they drafted Russell Wilson and things began to change for them. The team went 11-5 and made the playoffs. What was his record after Year 3? 25-23. In Carroll’s fourth season, the Seahawks won their first ever Super Bowl.

I am not saying Gase is going to go onto lead the Dolphins to a Super Bowl in his fourth season like the other three did, but I am saying it may be too early to give up on him. He is already at 21 wins during his tenure and has done so with the likes of Ryan Tannehill, Jay Cutler, Matt Moore, and Brock Osweiler. It is worth noting that 11 of the 21 wins were with Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback.

Building an NFL winning team is difficult, and developing a team that is far removed from winning and has become mediocre for nearly two decades, is even more difficult.

The staff is young and they are showing their growth as a young staff. They are trying to adapt by making necessary changes, and they have battled through an immense amount of injuries. Will they grow enough between now and next year to have success?