May 13--Dowell Loggains couldn't offer any definitive conclusions about the future of the Bears offense Friday. How could he have?
It was merely the first day of a three-day rookie minicamp at Halas Hall. The regular season is almost four months away. And Loggains, promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in January, won't get his first chance to blend his veterans and rookies on a practice field until organized team activities begin May 24.
So patience remains mandatory as Loggains transitions into his new role with great curiosity and an open mind.
"I'm excited about getting our guys on the field," he said, "and seeing where we're at as a team."
Loggains, 35, spoke briefly Friday, his first media availability since landing the coordinator role after Adam Gase's departure. Naturally, he fielded a handful of questions about quarterback Jay Cutler and the rapport they forged in their first season together.
Loggains refused to take much credit for Cutler's encouraging 2015 campaign, a 15-game portfolio in which he played with increased efficiency, posting a 92.3 passer rating and cutting his turnovers by 33 percent from the previous season.
Best of all, Loggains acknowledged, he and Cutler have an ongoing dialogue and the green light to be blunt with one another.
"I respect him and he respects me," Loggains said. "When you have that mutual respect, then all dialogue is legal. So whatever I say to him, he knows where it's coming from and vice versa."
Coach John Fox offered Loggains even more praise for his connection with Cutler.
"That relationship is important," Fox said. "I saw tremendous growth in Jay from one year ago."
Still, in the grand scheme of the Bears' evolution, Cutler is only one piece of the mammoth puzzle Loggains is attempting to assemble. Change remains constant at Halas Hall.
As evidence, six opening-day offensive starters from last season are no longer with the team, a notable list that includes Matt Forte, Martellus Bennett and Matt Slauson.
All that flux has left Loggains with a long inventory of questions for the months ahead. On that list are these:
--How will the offense evolve with a revamped line?
--Can Jeremy Langford be the top workhorse in the backfield to enliven the running game after Forte's exit?
--What's the vision for tight end Zach Miller to maintain the momentum he built last season?
--And what will a receiving tandem of Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White look like?
On that last question, Loggains may be the most curious -- and arguably the most invested -- observer of anyone.
"I can't wait to get them both on the field at the same time," he said. "It's something we've never seen in Chicago."
White missed all of his rookie season after surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left leg. Back at full strength and showing encouraging flashes through the early parts of the offseason program, White has everyone at Halas Hall enthused about his potential.
"He's everything we expected," Loggains said. "He's a hard worker. His attitude is contagious because he is very positive. He doesn't have bad days."
Similar compliments could be directed toward Loggains, who acknowledges his evolution as a coach is ongoing. He has borrowed concepts and philosophies, he noted, from former colleagues such as Gase and Kyle Shanahan. He learned greatly from his stint as the Titans coordinator in 2012 and '13.
And he is embracing this opportunity with a profound respect for the Bears franchise, for Fox's track record and for the culture being established.
"I'm excited about the opportunity because of my boss and the people above me and because of the locker room," Loggains said. "We're building something here. We're building a roster where I'm happy with the direction it's going."
dwiederer@tribpub.com
