In the NFL, performing so well in the regular season that you receive a first-round playoff bye is looked at as a major positive - players can rest their weary bodies, and coaches have an extra week of preparation before they must again wade into battle.
But, in some cases, it can also be a negative, like when a young up-and-coming coach on your staff suddenly has a week-long window in which to parse the various and sundry interview offers coming from a number of other interested NFL organizations.
For Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, this week may end up being a busy one - beyond the normal game-planning and film study he'd normally do for the Broncos.
The Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers are rumored to have requested permission to interview Gase for their respective head coaching vacancies, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Gase coached for the LSU Tigers, the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Denver Broncos as wide receiver coach, then quarterback's coach.
He was promoted to offensive coordinator in Jan. 2013.
Working with quarterback Peyton Manning, Gase and the Broncos have been positively prodigious offensively, scoring 76 touchdowns and amassing 7,317 yards in the 2013-14 regular season, propelling the team into the playoffs and to a Super Bowl appearance.
This year, they've managed 6,446 yards offensively and 58 touchdowns, despite Manning's inevitable aging and a number of offensive line issues.
The Falcons and owner Arthur Blank, who fired head coach Mike Smith early Monday morning, have hired the consulting firm of Korn Ferry to assist with their coaching search. General manager Thomas Dimitroff is reportedly safe, but there is no word yet as to whether or not he is assisting in the effort to find a new coach.
The 49ers' split from Jim Harbaugh had been expected for months, and the announcement of his dismissal as the team's head coach came late Sunday. The team is reportedly interested in adding a bright, young offensive mind, which would seem to describe Gase perfectly.
