Dowell Loggains – July 29, 2018
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Sunday, July 29, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(Your thoughts four days in?) – “It’s been good. We need to clean up some things that happened in the red area. (We were) a little bit sluggish the first day in the red area. Just details we need to clean up. Overall, (I’ve) been pleased with the group. (We’re) still not where we need to be, but we’re getting there.”
(How would you handicap your backup quarterback battle? Where would you say it stands right now?) – “It’s too early to tell right now. It’s four days into camp. Those guys are making improvement up and down, but I think they’ve gotten better each day and that’s what they need to continue to do.”
(In your ideal offense, would four, five or six guys share the receptions? Might there be four or five guys with 40 catches at the end of the year? Do you prefer that over one guy with 85 catches?) – “I think it always depends on who you have and how those guys keep developing. I’ve been on teams where I’ve had receivers lead the league in third down receptions. Kendall Wright has had big years for us and (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) has had a bunch of guys that’ve had big years. I really think it depends on how these guys develop. They really determine the cut between them and how they develop and where the ball takes the coverage.”
(Do you see the ability to spread the ball around with this group?) – “I see we’re deep at wide receiver and we have the skill guys that can make plays in space.”
(Two days ago Head Coach Adam Gase said he wants to run the ball more and be more of a running team. Do you believe him?) – “Do I believe him? (laughter)”
(Yes.) – “He’s the head ball coach, so of course. I do know that he wants to create toughness. I do know that he wants to create balance in the offense and I think that changes weekly. I think sometimes it’s 30 runs, 40 runs and sometimes I think it’s 50 passes. It depends how the game is going. How’s the defense playing? How’s the matchups? How are we running the football? A lot of that dictates … I know that we need to be … The thing we need to do a better job of this year (as opposed to) last year is we need to be in control of more of those games and not let these things get lopsided.”
(How do you develop that running game here in the preseason and training camp?) – “It’s why Coach (Gase) goes pads when he does. It’s why he has live periods, because he wants to create a team that’s going to be physical and push the ability to run the football.”
(What has impressed you most about QB Ryan Tannehill’s first four practices of this preseason?) – “His intelligence. He’s a competitor. He comes out with a great urgency every day to practice. We’re not where we need to be but I’ve been really pleased with that part.”
(At tight end, what’s something someone needs to do to win that job? What are you looking for?) – “Just keep getting better. Right now, It’s the same thing with the wide receivers and the running backs. We’re a long way away from creating a depth chart and doing those things, but we need to really figure out what these guys can and can’t do. Adam (Gase) has always done a great job of putting those guys in situations to do that. Right now, it’s too early for us to know. We’ve had two days with some of these guys in pads. One thing I will say is Durham (Smythe) has done a great job – I’ll say a good job – the last two days – in pads blocking. He’s seen a huge improvement that way. (We) just (need to) continue to develop these guys. We need to get Mike (Gesicki) the ball in practice as much as we can and figure out what he can do. Obviously, Coach (Gase) and these guys have a feel about the guys who were here from last year.”
(It seemed at times maybe TE Mike Gesicki has an issue or two with blitz pickup. Is that something you’ve been on him about?) – “As much as we can get him out there doing it. It’s not something he’s had a ton of experience with. He’s very willing. That’s the biggest thing is it’s the courage to stick your face in there and do it, which he has. As he learns technique and stuff, he’s always going to be a guy, because he is a pass-catching tight end. None of those great guys are sitting there fired up to protect. Obviously, we want to try to get him out as much as possible into routes; but you also want him to have the ability to say, ‘Every time Gesicki is in the game, they’re getting everybody out.’ He’s going to have to block and do some of those things and we’ll be really smart with how we use him in those situations.”
(What have you seen from QB David Fales and QB Brock Osweiler so far?) – “I’ve had some experience with Fales, obviously, in Chicago. The one thing that David does is he plays really well once the ball is snapped. He can process information quickly. He’s a really football-savvy guy. The thing that Osweiler does a really good job of is he has great command of the offense. He was behind No. 18 (Peyton Manning) for four years in Denver. He’s really good with snap count etiquette, huddle etiquette and those things. He’s done a better job the last two days of going where he should go. I think it was three days ago he had a couple turnovers. Sometimes at quarterback, there are things that happen that we can’t control; but he cleaned it up the next day and is starting to stack a couple of good days. That’s really what we want is who can consistently day after day stack good days. That’s how the battle will unfold.”
(Can you think of some of the reasons QB Ryan Tannehill to WR Danny Amendola seems to be like it’s going to be a thing?) – “I think whoever the quarterback has been to Amendola has been a thing for a long time. Danny has a great feel for zone coverage. He’s got enough quickness to beat man coverage and he has a knack because he understands defenses so well, of when to sit. You guys saw in the red area out there, all of a sudden they box a bunch and he sees it and he’s giving Tannehill as he’s coming in motion he’s like, ‘Box, box, box, box.’ There’s not a lot of guys that see coverage like that. And then he slides that yard over and he’s sitting in a soft spot in the zone. I think that’s what helps everyone throw to Amendola.”
(With the wide receivers – back to them – is it something that you want each guy to have a defined role going into the season or do you want game by game to really change what personnel you’re in?) – “The most important thing for us is to figure out exactly, not define their role, but figure out their skill set. Once we figure out their skill set of what does (Albert) Wilson do well, what does Amendola do well, Stills, Parker, all these guys that we have – the list goes on and on – is now put them in those situations. Inside the matchups, sometimes that will change. It’s not going to change dramatically where one week you’re going to see a guy play 80 snaps and the next week you’re going to see 10, but there will be a rotation. There will be things that each guy does well. Then there’s going to be personnel that we throw out that we didn’t play for two or three weeks before that, because Coach (Gase) is creative and all of a sudden he’s like, ‘What if we put this group of guys out there at one time. The defense hasn’t seen it’ and self scout tendencies and all of those different things that come in. It’s not as simple as … It’s not black and white. It’s very fluid.”
(Have you had a conversation with them and said, ‘Hey guys, we’ve got a lot of talent here. One guy might not have 100 catches this year?’ Is that even needed?) – “No. The conversation is, ‘Get better every day. Worry about what you can control.’ If you don’t catch a ball in practice, when we’re watching tape, you better be getting better. There are always things … Sometimes you don’t catch a ball. There have been days when DeVante has had two catches, but it might’ve been his best practice, because he got better at his break points and he’s better sitting in zone and separating in man. He can’t control that stuff, but what he can control is lining up, doing the right thing play after play and when the ball comes your way, you need to make plays.”
(WR DeVante Parker said he wants to be great. Of course, we all want to be great. I think he can be great, but it hasn’t happened yet. What do you think is going to have to happen for that to happen?) – “It’s hard for me to speak on that because I wasn’t here. I see a really talented player that needs to continue to stack good day after good day after good day. I think once you keep stacking those good days together and build some consistency and rapport with the quarterback, I think that’ll carry into the season. It’s hard for me to comment on what’s happened in the past other than when I look out here. I get really excited to have him, because he is really talented.”
Laremy Tunsil – July 29, 2018
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Sunday, July 29, 2018
T Laremy Tunsil
(What are your thoughts on the first few days of camp?) – “It’s going pretty good so far. There’s always things we need to work on – the run game, pass game. Just continuing to work, I guess.”
(How much do you like the idea that it appears there’s a set five guys up front and it’s going to stay that way? How much difference does that make?) – “I think it’s going to make a lot of difference. We’ve got a lot of veterans up there – Josh Sitton, ‘D.K.’ (Daniel Kilgore), we’ve got Ja’Wuan (James) back on his fifth year. So that’s a lot of experience on that line, so I think we should be good.”
(What do you have to do as a tackle? You worked with C/G Ted Larsen a lot last year. How does the dynamic change now that G Josh Sitton is there? What do you guys work on as a tandem?) – “Sitton is an 11-year vet, so he helps me a lot. Sitton has been to many Pro Bowls; he’s been to the Super Bowl, so Sitton is always out there helping me. He has a lot of experience in games, so it’s always good working with a vet like that.”
(Is there a communication deal that the guard and the tackle have to have and do you work on that here?) – “I think it’s more of a relationship, and me and (Josh) Sitton have a good relationship so we’re good.”
(How would you describe your expectations for yourself for the 2018 season?) – “I just want to be great. That’s it. I want to be great.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said he wants to run the ball more. It’s hard to believe considering how much he’s pass happy.) – “Gase said that? (laughter)”
(Yes. Head Coach Adam Gase said he wants to run the ball more. How much do you think that plays into this line’s strengths?) – “I think that plays to it a lot. I think we have a nasty front and I think we can get it done. We definitely have some good running backs back there. We’ve got Kenyan Drake and we’ve got Frank Gore.”
(Do you think you can build an offense off of rushing the ball?) – “I think so. That’s all on Coach Gase.”
(What have you learned about G Josh Sitton’s personality so far?) – “Country Boy! That’s all I’ve got to say. (Two words). He’s a country boy and I love it.”
(With Offensive Line Coach Jeremiah Washburn out here with a broken leg, what does that do…) – “He’s a savage. I love that, just to see a coach out there on crutches and still coaching the way he (would) if he had his regular leg. I love it.”
(You guys got a little bit of a break today. I saw a lot of smiles when you walked out.) – “Yes, because we didn’t see that sun. (Laughter) It was nice.”
(On that topic, it’s been hot first few days. How do you see guys trying to cool off? What’s your method?) – “The cooling tent right over there. I try to go over there as much as I can. (laughter) It’s just something you’ve got to adjust to and get used to. We’ll be fine.”
(Did you do anything unique in the summer to prepare to be your best this season?) – “I went back to Ole Miss and I was training outside in that heat. That’s something real up there. No breeze at all in Mississippi.”
(Were there any former players or coaches that you trained with?) – “I (trained) with one of my assistant strength coordinators up there who was there when I was there for three years. His name is Dominic Studzinski. That’s my guy.”
(Any reason for the number change?) – “I just like 78. That’s what I wore in college.”
(You’re used to this heat from college. Was it hot in Mississippi?) – “Oh man, we used to go run outside and my cleats used to melt. That’s how hot it was. It was bad.”
Ben Johnson – July 29, 2018
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Sunday, July 29, 2018
Wide Receivers Coach Ben Johnson
(How would you evaluate the work of the wide receivers in these early parts of training camp?) – “It’s been good. We’re only four days in, so we have a long ways to go; but we really picked up where we left off this springtime. We’re not making the same mistakes that we made back then. It’s encouraging. It’s encouraging. I like the direction this group is heading right now.”
(WR Isaiah Ford is a guy who has flashed to us watching practice. What have you seen from him?) – “There’s no question. He’s a guy that when he left college, he kind of faced some adversity. He got drafted later than he hoped for (and) got injured that first year. He’s done a nice job for us in terms of picking up this offense and now he’s being able to show us what he’s able to do. For him, we’ve just got to see him in games. He missed all of preseason last year, so the games will tell us the tale of how good Isaiah can be for us this year.”
(How has WR Danny Amendola stepped up as a leader so far?) – “It’s unbelievable because as long as he’s been in the league, he’s still the first one in the meeting rooms every time. He’s the first one in the bubble for walkthrough. I think it’s great for the rest of the group just to see his professionalism. And, believe me, he has not mastered this offense yet. He comes in (and) he’s scared. He’s scared that he’s going to mess up and he doesn’t want to do that. I think the rest of the guys understand, ‘Hey, if this guy, with as much success as he’s had, is this worried about not messing up, then I better be on my stuff as well.’ So it’s great to see what kind of leadership he’s got for the rest of the group.”
(How have you seen WR DeVante Parker’s development coming along so far?) – “He’s done a great job. Like I said in the springtime, we’re going one day at a time with him. We’re going to have some bad days in there, but we’re just looking to keep stacking as many good ones in a row as possible. He’s trending in the right direction right now. We’ve got to keep developing him and get him going; but we’re really, really excited about him as well.”
(Have any under-the-radar young guys caught your eye so far?) – “That whole back end, there’s a ton of competition. I could not tell you four practices in who’s going to separate themselves in terms of back end of the roster (and) practice squad spots. Everybody is in play. As you know, (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Darren Rizzi is going to have a huge say, special teams-wise, in who ends up staying on the roster this year. I’m really confident because none of those guys are rookies. We’re probably the only group in the NFL that doesn’t have any rookie receivers. We’re in front of probably the rest of the league in terms of knowing the playbook and being where we’re supposed to be for the quarterback. It’s encouraging.”
(What have you seen from WR Isaiah Ford? He’s a guy who seems that he’s flashed out here.) – “Like I said, he faced a lot of adversity coming out of college, and being injured last year was part of that. It’s funny because when he faces this, it’s not ‘woe is me’ or anything like that. He just puts his head and starts grinding harder than the rest. It’s almost like he’s a mute because he’s just focused on his job. It’s been fun to watch him work. He’s incredibly smart. I was in the quarterback room for a little bit early on in my career and he would be fine surviving in that room with everything a quarterback has to handle. He’s that intelligent. He knows every position. He’s extremely versatile, but we’ve just got to see him in games at this point. We’ve got to see him do it live. He’s got to also contribute on special teams, like I said earlier, but he’s headed the right direction.”
(One more on WR Isaiah Ford. With size at 6-foot-2 and he has some speed, we’ve seen some acrobatic catches. You said you obviously need to see him in games, but does the package and the talent suggest better than seventh-round talent?) – “Oh, yes. We liked him better than the seventh round. We were shocked that he was still there in the seventh round. We felt like we were getting a steal when we got him in the first place. His 40 time that he probably ran in college, it’s not indicative of how good of an athlete he is. He can jump out of the roof. I know (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Shawn Jefferson and I joke all the time, he probably could play in the NBA. That’s the level of athleticism (that he has). When you get him on the basketball court with the rest of the receivers, he’s the best one, which you might not think of because that room is so talented. He’s an incredibly talented player and has a lot going for him, no doubt.”
(I’d like to ask you one thing about WR Isaiah Ford, tongue firmly in cheek: Isn’t it unfair to throw to a guy in a red jersey? How can they defend him?) – “(laughter) He’s been trying to take that jersey off in the middle of practice and it’s up to us to keep that thing on him right now. He hates it. He hates it. He doesn’t want it on there. He wants that thing off as quickly as we can get off of him.”
Jeremiah Washburn – July 29, 2018
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Sunday, July 29, 2018
Offensive Line Coach Jeremiah Washburn
(What happened with your leg and how did it happen?) – “This is the first time I’ve told this story. (laughter) No, we were in Uganda for a couple of weeks. We got back and the next night I was just running an errand and you know that you can’t just run an errand across Federal (Highway) on a bike. I was on the sidewalk and going through a crosswalk and a truck was trying to get out on a red light and turned right. He accelerated into me and then ran over my left leg. It was an accident. The guy owned up and he was great. It should have been way worse. I was really … It was a blessing. God is good. It tore an MCL and PCL and I just got a couple of lacerations.”
(Were you taken by ambulance to the hospital?) – “I was, yes. Lighthouse Point first responders – they’re studs.”
(And how are you today?) – “Better. I’m better. Considering what happened, there’s a lot of gratitude that it wasn’t worse.”
(What’s the prognosis as far as rehab?) – “Well, we have the best training staff in the league; but they are savages. They are working to get range of motion right now. (Assistant Athletic Trainers) Nao (Inoue) and Troy (Maurer) are both very tough on me right now with that. The whole group has been awesome. Dr. (Gautam) Yagnik and (Dr. John) Uribe have been … It’s a blessing to work for the Dolphins. They have such first-class care.”
(Does it show your players how tough you are?) – “Heck, no. Those guys go through way more than I do. I didn’t make much of it with the guys. They were awesome. All of them reached out and have done a lot for me and have mocked me pretty well. They’ve been great.”
(I assume you’ll still be on crutches when preseason games start.) – “I threw my crutches out there today and tried to walk. (Josh) Sitton started picking on me. I don’t know. I’m going to try to walk. I think I can.”
(How hard has it been to do your job out here when you’re out here with these two hour practices?) – “There’s nothing to it. (Senior Director of Football and Player Development) Joe Vitt had to work with an Achilles. My dad (former NFL coach Jim Washburn) got leg-whipped like five years ago by a Pouncey and he had to work with a broken leg. We all have to deal with something so it’s not hard. We all have to do our jobs.”
(You’re a field guy anyway. You wouldn’t be in the booth, right?) – “I think. We haven’t talked about any of that, to be honest with you.”
(When did this happen? What was the date?) – “July 3rd. The night before (the Fourth of July).”
(We’ve been asking QB Ryan Tannehill about going with different braces and stuff like that. Did you have like a scooter or a different kind of crutches?) – “So they threw the scooter out at me. I just kept thinking of George Costanza, so (Head Coach Adam) Gase kept sending me YouTube clips of Costanza when he was working at Play Now Sports. So we’ve had a thing going with that. (laughter) So I said no way. Luckily they gave me a golf cart. They’ve been great. Adam has been unbelievable.”
(How much support have you gotten from Head Coach Adam Gase?) – “It just tells me the man. I mean I don’t want to patronize him but he stayed on the phone with my wife all the way until like 2 a.m. through my surgery. He’s amazing.”
(Was the incident itself to the level of where the trauma was almost like a life-threatening incident to you?) – “Yes. You do … (Director of Football and Player Development) Clyde Christensen called me a couple of days later and you know, he’s Clyde. So he gave me a verse. He said ‘Hey, Psalm 23:2: He layeth me down in greener pastures.’ And he said, ‘You just meant to lay down here for a couple of weeks,’ so that’s how I took it. I spent a lot of time with my family and watched a lot of football and felt prepared for training camp.”
(I think you mentioned there was a chance you could have lost a leg. Was that correct?) – “Well, it just looked bad. The adrenaline is flowing and when you stand up, you stand up and my leg is kind of at an angle and I thought, ‘My gosh, I just lost it.’ But then I was standing. You have those prescient moments where you think, ‘I think I just lost my leg,’ but then I didn’t so I was pretty grateful.”
(Has this always been your personality? You’re talking about something that most people would be … You’re kind of nonchalant about it right now. You take things in stride, I guess?) – “To be honest with you, you can roll your eyes but I’m a man of faith and I was raised by a man of faith that went through a lot: my dad. He always took everything in stride and when you witness those things growing up, that’s just how you’re conditioned to be. You don’t say ‘Why me?’ It’s ‘Why not me?’ I’m grateful for the things you get. And I had just come back from a third-world country. We’re fine. They deal with real stuff. I’m dealing with a leg and I’ve got the world’s greatest care. Those guys, where I had just come from in Uganda … You see a whole lot different there.”
(Are you pleased so far with what you’ve seen from the offensive line in the first four days of practice?) – “No; but yes, I guess? We’re not near where we need to be. I think Adam (Gase) probably said the same thing yesterday. But I do like our group. It’s a good group of guys and they’re working hard, but in terms of production, we’re not near where we need to be – protections, run game and screens. We’re going to have to continue to work at it. I know that sounds cliché but that is really it. We tell them the same thing every day and those guys should be saying those things to you, as well. We’re not near where we need to be. I know (Defensive Line Coach Kris) Kocurek just said that about his group and I thought, ‘Really? They look fantastic.’ (laughter)”
(Can you elaborate more on the work that you’ve done in Africa and how that started and what you guys have been doing over there?) – “Sure. Four years ago I had a couple of players in Detroit that supported this mission and this ministry is an orphanage. The quick of it is they wanted a sports camp for the kids that go to school there. There’s about 150 (of them). A couple of players set it up. (Defensive Coordinator) Matt Burke and I went, one of my players – Dylan Gandy – in Detroit, we all went over. It was an impactful experience more for us than for them. My gosh, they took to American Football really well. It was just a way for us to mission. My father-in-law is a doctor and he’s traveled overseas and I think, ‘My gosh. I’m so worthless.’ But then you go over there and you say, ‘There is a place for all of us.’ My gosh, journalism is such a big deal over there. Not being corrupt in terms of that, let’s go over there and help. So we all have a place and we’ve just found our place. We’ve gone for the last four years and it’s expanded and it’s been a blessing for us to be able to go.”
(With the chemistry that you’re trying to develop by keeping that unit together since OTAs, are you seeing progress?) – “Yes; but it’s not fast enough. You guys know that have been around, we just don’t get the time that we used to with groups. That’s not an excuse but every day is priceless for us. It’s so precious out here – a padded day – so we need to see progress. But I’ll say this, it is nice having some continuity. It really is. You guys know around here that it’s been a shuffle, even when I was here in 2016 and then in Chicago (last year) we had the same thing. It is nice having that same five start every day and hopefully we’ll see some benefits from it.”
(What do you lose when you’re not shuffling?) – “Well, something always happens. What is that, Murphy’s Law? It’s always going to happen so you do have to get guys in there. We do have to stay mindful of that of getting guys in non-traditional spots. In Chicago last year, I had two guards that had never played guard before – Tom Compton and Bradley Sowell. And you’ve had it here too where you had (Anthony) Steen, (Kraig) Urbik. You had Sam (Young) playing. You had all of these guys playing different spots, so they need to get valuable reps in that, as well. You do lose that but we have to stay mindful with that with the rotation, which Adam (Gase) does a good job with that.”
(What do you want to see from G/T Jesse Davis to make sure he takes that next step?) – “I can’t answer this without being incredibly cliché but just consistent day-to-day play. I mean that’s the life of an offensive lineman. We’ve got to be boring. We don’t want you to talk about us. It’s just embracing the monotony of offensive line and being consistent with that technique day to day. He’s getting there. He’s working at it.”
(Talking to the guys, you use the word “Forged” a lot when you talk to them. What does that word mean to you and what message do you want that to send to your guys?) – “Oh, the ‘forged.’ You’d have to ask more of Coach Gase. That’s been a really cool message. I’ve enjoyed that. I haven’t worn the t-shirt yet but I think it’s just building relationships and connection through work. I think a lot of that is authenticity, which is hard to find in the NFL. That’s what I really enjoy about our team is there are a lot of genuine, authentic guys that speak their mind – sometimes to their detriment. (laughter) I think those things are going to forge a real team, not just some of this fake stuff that you see in the NFL. I think you can be real and authentic, so I think that’s the message.”
(With T Laremy Tunsil, is there anything you guys are trying to do to rebuild his confidence and get him out there playing with some swagger and kind of a nasty demeanor?) – “He’s done it himself. He came with that eye. He had that eye as soon as he came back in the spring. It was something that he found within. Look, I’m his biggest fan. I was here Day 1 with him. He’s come back with that. It really hasn’t been … I don’t have to motivate Laremy Tunsil. He’s a motivated young man and he knew after last season. He’s very prideful. You guys know that talking to him. He’s wired that way. He just has to keep that up.”
