Dowell Loggains – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(Your expectations for the 2018 Dolphins offense is what?) – “Have a good practice tomorrow. (laughter) No, it really is that simple. It’s a long season. I’m excited about the roster we have. Those guys in the front office and (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) have done a great job of building it and we really need to have a good practice tomorrow and get ready to go play a ball game.”
(How does losing TE MarQueis Gray affect your tight end rotation and what you want to do there?) – “We drafted two tight ends (Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki) and have high expectations for those guys. They’ve had a good camp and a good round of OTAs with Durham and those other guys. The nice thing is we have a guy that had been in our system for a long time (Gavin Escobar) that we were able to bring back. We expect those guys to play well. They’re smart kids. They understand the offense. They’ve had an opportunity to be in it for a little while now. They’ll keep getting better with every rep and every play they get.”
(Is it safe to say that neither TE Durham Smythe and TE Mike Gesicki will be eased in anymore given you guys need them to produce now?) – “I think all of them were going to play to begin with. It may expedite the process a little bit because ‘Q’ (MarQueis Gray) would have been part of the offense. But they’ll be ready to play.”
(Can you give us some insight on how far WR Albert Wilson has come since you got your hands on him?) – “Yes, Albert was a guy we really liked in free agency. He’s a guy that can do a lot. I don’t know how far he’s come but he’s really done a good job of studying and learning the offense. There’s a lot. He’s a guy you can move around and do a lot of cool things with. We’re excited to actually be able to use him and do some different things with him in a variety of different ways.”
(You were one of the leaders in the league when you called plays for Chicago in terms of running the football. Maybe that had a lot to do with the fact that you had a rookie quarterback but how do you translate that commitment to the rushing attack here?) – “To me, it really depends on what you have. If you’re a team that is built around your offensive line and you have an inexperienced quarterback and you’ve got good running backs, then you’re going to run the football more. If you’re a team that has good skill guys and good tight ends and good backs and a veteran quarterback, then you can do different stuff and you can be more versatile in your system. A lot of these guys are in Year 3. Our quarterback is in Year 3 of an offense even though he’s only played in it … This will be his second year actually playing (in it); but just being around and understanding it. I do think it’s important to run the football. I think you need to be able to run the football when you want to and when you need to. Sometimes that means you run the ball more late than early because you’re trying to close out a lead. Or sometimes you get it going early in a game and then you stay with it. It really depends on how the game unfolds.”
(What sign more than any other gives you confidence that QB Ryan Tannehill is going to have a productive season?) – “His preparation. He has been an impressive guy that way. He works at it. It’s very important to him. It’s very important to him. He’s a good practice player. He studies a lot. I’m really excited to see how it is this first Sunday that I get to be part of it.”
(Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi told us that from his unit, the most improved player from the end of April until now is CB Cornell Armstrong on special teams. The most improved player offensively from the point of the draft until now would be who or what couple of guys?) – “That’s hard. That’s a hard one. Ryan (Tannehill) number one. Just seeing how he’s developed over the last couple of weeks and during training camp. The more we’ve been able to give him (the better). Kenyan Drake has been a guy that’s been impressive, just his versatility and the things that he can do as a runner and in pass pro. The two young tight ends (Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki) have done a really good job of really getting up to speed quickly. I don’t know if I can say one guy. Obviously Josh Sitton has been impressive. Laremy Tunsil I think has done a really good job and the more I think about it, Laremy may be that guy as far as just a guy that we have high expectations for because of the talent he is and where he was drafted. He’s met that to this point and he needs to go out and play well for us.”
(Titans S Kevin Byard, what makes him so dangerous?) – “His eight interceptions last year. He’s a guy that has good range in the middle of the field. He’s smart. You can tell he understands their system. He’ll be in a new system but I think he’s a smart football player that gets around the ball.”
(Some offensive lines are great at pass pro. Some are great at run blocking. This offensive line is great at what?) – “We’re about to find out. (laughter) I think it’s a group that right now, their strength is in pass pro. It helps going against our defense because they play the Wide 9 and they’re going to rush the passer and they run all of these stunts and games and (Defensive Line Coach Kris) Kocurek has them going crazy and playing hard. Right now, I think that’s the strength of it. We need to become balanced and be a good run football team as well and be able to run and rely on those guys because that should be a strength for us.”
(Is there anything RB Kenyan Drake can do to prove to you and Head Coach Adam Gase that he should be the focal point of this offense?) – “Perform. Consistently show up and do his job. He’s got a unique skill set that a lot of backs don’t have – the ability to catch the football and run the football. So when you have those traits … As he proves the more he can do and the more he can handle, we’ll continue to give him more that way.”
(Preparing for a game and having three veteran quarterbacks, what possible opportunity does QB Luke Falk even have to show you all what he can do? Are there throws after practice, just learning? What exactly?) – “That’s a great question. Luke was a guy that we brought in here in the draft visits and is a guy that we were all intrigued with. He had a unique personality. He has a swagger to him and a confidence that you feel right away and he’s a smart kid. He’s a natural thrower; but just the opportunity. What’s great is we have young guys like that, that we’re able to work with him after practice. There’s been some times where the coaches have gone up and I’ve stayed on the field and they went up and watched the tape. I’ve had an opportunity to get on the field and work with him and the extra meeting time that (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo (Hardegree) has had with him. He’s a guy that loves football. It’s important to him. Any time you get young, hungry players in the building, as coaches that’s what we like to do. I’d rather go on the field and coach quarterbacks for an hour and fundamentals and technique then stay until two in the morning drawing up ball plays.”
