HOUSTON — Back in 2013, I ran into then-Dolphins assistant GM Brian Gaine on the Gillette Stadium field a few hours before Miami played New England. Gaine asked me, “What do you think of Bill O’Brien?”
It wasn’t a haphazard question. Gaine had been on a couple GM interviews, and was working to prepare himself for more. That meant researching potential head-coaching candidates he felt he’d pair well with. And that background work led right him to the former Patriots offensive coordinator, who was at Penn State at the time.
“What I appreciated about him was his leadership skills, his ability to communicate clearly with players.