Dowell Loggains – January 19, 2018
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Friday, January 19, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(I’m wondering what you’ve been up to your first two weeks on the job?) – “I’m just trying to get settled in, going back and watching as much Dolphin tape as I could and (getting) caught up. I’ve been traveling back and forth between here and Chicago and trying to find a place to live and all of those things before we get the staff settled and really get going on self-scout and the college process and evaluation process.”
(Tell us about your relationship with Head Coach Adam Gase?) – “I’ve known Adam for a really long time. I had an opportunity to work with him in Chicago when he was the offensive coordinator and I was the quarterbacks coach and we’ve had a really good working relationship. We see football the same way – offensive football and quarterback play the same way – so for me, it was a no-brainer to have the chance to come back here and join up with him.”
(You mentioned you see things the same way as Head Coach Adam Gase. Can you be more specific? What exactly do you guys share? What traits?) – “Just the philosophy and the way that offensive football is supposed to played. The stuff that we do, we have a common vision for how we think that way, how we think you go about the process of practicing and developing young players and developing quarterbacks. I think that’s our common bond with the vision we had – the evaluation process of the quarterbacks, the way you coach them on the field, the way you develop them in offseason. I think we have a shared vision and we became close quickly because of that.”
(What will be your role as far as play calling and working with QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “(Head Coach) Adam (Gase) will be the play caller and then I’ll be involved in every aspect of the offense, including being with (Quarterbacks) Coach (Bo) Hardegree and (Director of Football and Player Development Clyde) Christensen, and being around the offense, especially the quarterbacks”
(I know you said you’re going to get more into the self-scouting as we go along, but first impressions – when you took this job, you obviously had some familiarity with what the Dolphins were doing. What went wrong last year and what needs to get better?) – “It’s hard. During the year, I always watched the Dolphins. Every offensive coordinator in the NFL is watching a couple of teams weekly, whether it be the Saints, the Rams, the 49ers, the Dolphins. A lot of people watch those teams. Obviously, I was able to, in the first year in (2016), to watch every game. This year, I’m trying to get caught up right now in watching these games, so I can’t really comment, because I wasn’t here. I know we have a talented group of young players that we’ve got to do a better job with next year than we did last year. I’m really excited about diving in with these coaches. It’s hard to talk to players right now because of the CBA rules, but diving in with the assistant coaches and figuring out where we failed and where we need to get better going forward.”
(What’s your impression of QB Ryan Tannehill coming into the job?) – “I’m excited about working with him. He’s been in the league for a while now. I had the chance to evaluate him when he was coming out. He’s a guy that’s got a lot of physical traits. I know (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) thinks a lot of him, so I’m excited when the offseason starts, to be able to get in the classroom, start grinding on the field and doing those things to help him get better.”
(We’ve gotten to know Head Coach Adam Gase pretty well over the last two years. He’s definitely an interesting personality. How similar are you guys in that regard, and why are you laughing? Can you shed a little light on how you guys interact with each other?) – “We see football the same way, so that helps our relationship. I don’t know that we’re the same as far as personality and those things go, but just the way … We’re able to communicate very well with each other, very blunt and to the point. There’s no … I think when you have mutual respect for each other, you cut through a lot of those things and get right to the point. I think that’s what we both appreciate about our football relationship. I think the number one thing is … It’s the offseason right now. I’m here by myself staying at a hotel, my wife and kids are in Chicago, and when I leave the office every night, the only person left in this office is Adam Gase. I respect the heck out of his football work ethic. When you see him in the office in the offseason at 10:30 at night grinding tape and trying to figure out and make the corrections that you need to make and figure out how you’re going to evaluate the roster when the season didn’t go the way you wanted it to, I have a tremendous amount of respect for that and those are the type of football people I want to be around.”
(Why did you laugh when I asked you that?) – “I think you know why I laughed when you guys asked me that. (laughter) Adam (Gase) is a very passionate, intense person that loves football. I’m glad to be back in those interactions that we had in 2015 in Chicago and good to be around. It’s been enjoyable again (to be around) someone that that’s passionate about winning and wants to succeed that bad.”
(I know it’s early but what are you first impression of the receiver corps you have to work with?) – “We’ve got a young, talented group. I haven’t gotten to watch all the tape that I want to watch. I’m really excited to sit down and talk to (Assistant Head Coach/Offense Shawn) Jefferson and (Wide Receivers Coach) Ben Johnson about those guys each individually. When you watch the tape, you see splash plays on splash plays. It could be a really good group. We’ve just got to keep coaching these guys hard to get them to where we want to go next year.”
(I see that you’re listed at 5-foot-6 and I know that you played quarterback at Arkansas. What was it about your skill set that allowed you to be a Division I quarterback at your size? Was it talent or skill set?) – “It was work ethic. It was knowing your own limitations and knowing what you had to do to separate yourself when you’re playing with guys that are a lot more talented than you. You just work your tail off and put yourself in good situations. It’s kind of the same way with coaching. You might not always be the smartest guy. You have to know your own limitations and just try to work harder than the next guy. I think that’s how you get jobs in this league and stay in this league is just develop an unbelievable work ethic, try to out-work as many people as you can and have self-awareness.”
(Given your size, have you already taken a liking to WR Jakeem Grant?) – “It wasn’t the size, it was when I watched that slip screen that he took to the house. His play strength for being a small guy, he plays very physical and very strong. I’m really excited about him. I’ll probably try to stand next to him as much as I can on TV games and pregame warmups. (laughter) I’ll enjoy talking and being able to look eye-to-eye with him.”
