It's worth a copy and paste just to be able to highlight some stuff. Hope you don't mind brother.
Dowell Loggains Again Can’t Help But Jab at John Fox By Erik Lambert - Dec 16, 2017
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains has played the political game well. He’s never lost his cool in front of the cameras. Every answer given is diplomatic and never designed to throw somebody under the bus. He at least deserves credit for that. Especially given the heat he’s received from all directions over the performance of his offense in 2017.
It hasn’t been pretty for long stretches. They rank 30th in the NFL overall and dead last in passing. Through 13 games they’ve scored just 26 touchdowns. Or two per game. That is not good. What’s even more frustrating is that the 2017 Bears offense looks nothing like the 2016 version. Granted there are some reasons for that including a somewhat handicapped receiving corps.
At the same time the aggressiveness that Loggains showed last year has almost completely vanished. It’s hard to understand why because it seemed to work. The Bears moved the ball well regardless of who was at quarterback. Instead they’ve gotten far more predictable and far more conservative.
Most believe this has everything to do with head coach John Fox.
Fox conservative nature chaffing Dowell Loggains patience
Once again Loggains let it slip how much he’s walking on eggshells around Fox when it comes to his play calling during games. It took place when he was talking about one of the key plays during the Bears’ victory over Cincinnati. Mitch Trubisky took a snap at the goal line and fired a pinpoint pass to tight end Adam Shaheen for a touchdown.
Loggains was thrilled with the execution on that play, along with the outstanding accuracy of the pass. At the same time he also revealed just how closely monitored he is by Fox in such situations.
“You better draft the right guy because that’s dime-ball accuracy,” Loggains said. “There’s nothing I can tell him to make him a better thrower, to put that ball exactly where it needs to be. If that’s not a perfect throw, it’s incomplete and I’m going to have Coach (John Fox) yelling at me, ‘Why didn’t you run the ball?’”
That right there is a small but glaring indication of how short the leash is on the offense. Loggains is nervous about calling certain kinds of plays. He’s not allowed to execute his offense with free reign. While it’s Fox’s team and that’s his prerogative, it also can often lead to friction and a coaching calling scared rather than with natural instincts.
Last week felt like the first time Loggains got to be himself. The results were spectacular. One can understand why frustration is mounting with Fox.
When Adam Gase left for Miami it prompted the media to ask about him taking his offense with him and Focks was asked about this. He got incensed and said it wasn't Gase's offense it was the Bears offense and that nothing would change. LOL
Well "nothing" could have been farther from the truth and by now we all know just how fast and loose John Focks often plays with the truth. When Gase left it very obviously became John Focks offense and Dowell Loggains his personal dupe to run it.
QUOTE:"Last week felt like the first time Loggains got to be himself. The results were spectacular. One can understand why frustration is mounting with Fox."
This has been my thought all week long. Focks knowing his job was already gone finally allowed Loggains to run his own offense and what we saw was the difference. For the past two years and especially this one Focks has done nothing but inhibit the growth of this team by worrying far more about preserving his own job than developing his young talent. He was NEVER the right hire for a young rebuilding team and now it's a proven fact.
When Adam Gase left for Miami it prompted the media to ask about him taking his offense with him and Focks was asked about this. He got incensed and said it wasn't Gase's offense it was the Bears offense and that nothing would change. LOL
Well "nothing" could have been farther from the truth and by now we all know just how fast and loose John Focks often plays with the truth. When Gase left it very obviously became John Focks offense and Dowell Loggains his personal dupe to run it.
QUOTE:"Last week felt like the first time Loggains got to be himself. The results were spectacular. One can understand why frustration is mounting with Fox."
This has been my thought all week long. Focks knowing his job was already gone finally allowed Loggains to run his own offense and what we saw was the difference. For the past two years and especially this one Focks has done nothing but inhibit the growth of this team by worrying far more about preserving his own job than developing his young talent. He was NEVER the right hire for a young rebuilding team and now it's a proven fact.
Had the Bears been playing like this all season (with Trubs as the starter not the Ginger bust), I think the Bears record would have been better.
I bang on the Loggains for his play calling, but it really is Fox. I would not mind another year of Loggains under the right HC, but I think he is dead. Guilt by Fox association. Not sure anyone can look past that uninspired offense and say "this guy is good". I think he goes to. And I think he does well elsewhere. This is hand been so handcuffed by Fox that it is really a crime.
When Adam Gase left for Miami it prompted the media to ask about him taking his offense with him and Focks was asked about this. He got incensed and said it wasn't Gase's offense it was the Bears offense and that nothing would change. LOL
Well "nothing" could have been farther from the truth and by now we all know just how fast and loose John Focks often plays with the truth. When Gase left it very obviously became John Focks offense and Dowell Loggains his personal dupe to run it.
QUOTE:"Last week felt like the first time Loggains got to be himself. The results were spectacular. One can understand why frustration is mounting with Fox."
This has been my thought all week long. Focks knowing his job was already gone finally allowed Loggains to run his own offense and what we saw was the difference. For the past two years and especially this one Focks has done nothing but inhibit the growth of this team by worrying far more about preserving his own job than developing his young talent. He was NEVER the right hire for a young rebuilding team and now it's a proven fact.
Had the Bears been playing like this all season (with Trubs as the starter not the Ginger bust), I think the Bears record would have been better.
Provided Focks let Loggains operate under far less restrictions I agree BF. There were times when we saw evidence of it but then they'd retreat right back to the same old predictable crap. Focks has no one to blame but himself. He's been shooting himself in the foot and his career in the ass for well over a year.
No one can convince me the defensive collapse late last season wasn't cause partly be our offensive futility and the defense becoming plain old worn out and injured. Focks is a very stubborn one trick pony who'll never win with a young inexperienced team doing things his way. Keeping him around this year was a huge mistake.
I bang on the Loggains for his play calling, but it really is Fox. I would not mind another year of Loggains under the right HC, but I think he is dead. Guilt by Fox association. Not sure anyone can look past that uninspired offense and say "this guy is good". I think he goes to. And I think he does well elsewhere. This is hand been so handcuffed by Fox that it is really a crime.
I think it all depends on who Pace hires. Loggains has proven to be adaptable and a team player and I think we can admit that he and Ragone have not done a bad job preparing Mitch given the handicap they've been working under. Loggains did a nice job correcting many of Cutler's flaws too so as a QB coach he offers something.
Some guys may see his time in with Trubisky and whatever trust Mitch has in him as a positive provided they don't already have someone else they work with they're more comfortable with. I don't expect him to be retained but then until a new HC is hired we really won't know. If there's an argument for some continuity he may be it.
