Dowell Loggains – September 20, 2018
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Thursday, September 20, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(The skill that WR Albert Wilson has at that size to be able to shed tackles, have you seen that before from a guy with his stature?) – “How are you referring to his stature?”
(As far as size – 5-foor-7 – WR Albert Wilson is obviously not a guy who’s enormous weight-wise.) – “When you get up on Albert, the one thing that you notice is his lower body is thick. He has really strong in the lower body. Obviously, he creates … He’s an explosive lower-body athlete. He has some suddenness. But he’s strong in the lower body.”
(I saw one website, I don’t know if it’s true, but they said that T Laremy Tunsil has only allowed – you’re probably a better source than this website – one pressure all season. I don’t know if that sounds about right, but what are you seeing in terms of in what areas he’s just really good right now?) – “Someone asked that question last week. That was a guy I said since I’ve been here that I saw grow the most. I think a strength of Laremy’s has definitely been pass pro. He’s doing a good job of … I think playing with Josh Sitton for that limited time was a big asset to him as well. That was Sitton’s biggest strength was in pass protection and Laremy has done a really good job taking it really serious. I’ve said it in the spring, the other advantage Laremy had was going against ‘94’ (Robert Quinn) every day and I think he grew because of that.”
(So is it accurate, one pass pressure?) – “I don’t know that. I’m sorry. You guys will find out that I’m not good with stats. But it’s probably … There haven’t been very many.”
(And T Ja’Wuan James’ play the first couple of weeks, how would you assess that?) – “I’ve been pleased with it. He’s played hard, played aggressive. I thought the first game he played really well. Last week was solid. He had a good game. He’s done everything we’ve asked, played hard and he’s been an asset for us.”
(Can the run game and the efficiency you guys have had in the run game, can that be sustained?) – “Each week, it’s going to change and each individual matchup is different. We knew last week was going to be tough. That’s a really good defense. It’s very well coordinated by (Jets Defensive Coordinator) Kacy Rodgers and (Jets Head Coach) Todd Bowles. They do a tremendous job. Our guys executed the plan well. I thought there was some stuff that helped scheme-wise and the RPOs (run-pass options) and obviously using ‘15’ (Albert Wilson) in some different ways. So, we’ll find different ways to run it. You’d love to say, ‘Sure, it’s going to be great every week,’ but there is going to come a time in the NFL when you’re going to have to throw it 45 times to win a game. Obviously, we’d love to have balance every week and be able to play the game on our terms and be able to do that; but at some point, somebody’s going to load up the box and try to take it away.”
(I saw Head Coach Adam Gase was out there with, what do they call it, foam pads?) – “The big orange things with the receivers?”
(And someone said at one point that Head Coach Adam Gase hit TE Mike Gesicki in the face.) – “You guys don’t have much right now, do you? (laughter) This is where we’re going? (laughter)”
(I want to ask you about TE Mike Gesicki and what he’s shown in terms of separation and what do you call that, escaping jams?) – “Separation is the best term for it, absolutely. He’s getting better with it. The interception we threw in the red area against Tennessee, his release wasn’t great. He slipped off line; we left the ball inside a little bit. Obviously, it’s a point of emphasis for the head coach to come over and do that. Right there, when the head coach lines up in front of you with those big, orange pads, you know all of a sudden it’s real. But it’s something we’re going to continue to work on him with. He’s getting a better feel for it, but it is an area he has to improve on, because he has drawn … There were a couple times last week where he drew some double coverage and they were bumping him off the line of scrimmage and people are aware of where he’s at. Everyone knows we drafted him to be a playmaker for us and he’s actually drawing some attention that’s freeing some other guys up.”
(Did you have time this week to attend the TE Nick O’Leary workout or is that more of a General Manager Chris Grier and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum thing?) – “I was there. I did go out. Chris and Mike do a great job of scheduling those things, so it was at 7 a.m. We don’t start meetings until 7:30, so I was able to go over there and watch it. He’s an impressive guy. I’m glad he’s here. We needed some depth there and we’re excited to get him in the practice field and see what he does. I paid attention to him a little bit today, made a play on a corner route for us. Obviously, you know the name because of Florida State and he had a good career and being in Buffalo. We’re really excited to have him here and work with him.”
(The skillset there that could intrigue you guys is mostly at receiver. Is he a receiving tight end or what would you say?) – “It’s early for us to say. He’s obviously had some success that way. He’s a guy … He’s thicker than you think he is. When he got here and we got to see him, he’s got some size. He’s not the longest guy in the world, but he’s got some thickness. I can just see what he does in the run game.”
(When you have a lot of people that can make plays at a certain position, I’m talking about wide receiver. And you are adding a guy that hasn’t played the first two games in WR DeVante Parker. Does that cause a good problem for you, as in now you’ve got to spread it out a little thinner, and how do you resolve that problem? Is it just taking care of itself? How does that get resolved?) – “I think some of that takes care of itself. We’re obviously excited to have DeVante and get him back on the field and get him going. He’s a guy that he’s been here before. Coach Gase and the rest of the staff have a good feel for him. He was able to go through OTAs before he got banged up. Any time you’re able to get a talented player on the field, we’re excited about it. There will be parts of the game where things are designed to go to him. Now maybe coverage dictates the ball goes somewhere else, but he’ll have plays just like the rest of them do. The coverage will dictate where the ball goes. Sometimes we’ll scheme plays and sometimes the ball doesn’t go where it’s supposed to go. Ryan (Tannehill) does a good job of going to number two or number three in the progression.”
(What does WR DeVante Parker bring to the table? That’s a very diverse array of wide receivers, what makes him different?) – “The length. We’re not the tallest group of receivers, but I wouldn’t say we’re small either because most of them are put together pretty well. Albert (Wilson) and Jakeem (Grant) are both thick guys. They’re strong. That’s the thing that he has. He can run, he’s big, but he has length.”
(How did the interior of the offensive line, the three guys collectively, work together and perform and execute in the last game?) – “They were solid. They really were. Ted (Larsen) came in and did a nice job filling in for the role that Josh (Sitton) was going to fill. I thought Jesse (Davis) played really well. He probably played his best game. (Daniel) Kilgore was solid and Ted stepped in and did a nice job.”
(Is TE A.J. Derby the main guy on that play, the first read on that touchdown?) – “No.”
(It seemed like…) – “Yes. Is he the first read? Yes. Did it happen in the timing of the play? Absolutely not. You talk about the interior of the offensive line, they did a great job, because it really turned into a scramble drill. Derby is one, the back is two and then Ryan (Tannehill) had so much time in the pocket that he was able to create a scramble drill right there and A.J. found a soft spot in the zone and got there. The protection was so good that Ryan saw it and threw a missile to him.”
(I wanted to ask you about those four sacks. A lot of people are saying that QB Ryan Tannehill held onto the ball too long. Some people, myself included, are saying nothing was open there, that maybe he could’ve thrown the ball away. How do you view those four sacks?) – “Number one, at the quarterback spot, we’re always going to take responsibility. Absolutely Ryan needs to get the ball out, regardless. We don’t want to take sacks on first and second-down plays. We don’t want to take sacks on naked (bootlegs). That’s a cardinal sin for us. We need to do a better job with that stuff. The offensive line protected pretty good for the most part. There’s always going to be some things … There’s an element of everything involved in it. Sometimes it’s coverage, sometimes it is us making a poor decision at quarterback, sometimes it’s getting beat inside. I’d have to go back and look at all four of them. I know there were a couple like the naked (bootlegs). That doesn’t need to happen. That should never happen. It’s our responsibility to get rid of the ball and Ryan is definitely a talented enough player, a good enough player, to do that.”
