Emma: Bears OC Dowell Loggains Must Be Critical With Self-Evaluation

By Chris Emma--

(CBS) To his credit, Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains was honest as can be when it came to acknowledging the rise of running back Jordan Howard.

Few, if any, back in Bourbonnais saw Howard as a candidate to break Matt Forte's franchise rookie rushing record. Howard was the Bears' fourth-string running back in training camp, fighting for reps with Jeremy Langford, Ka'Deem Carey and Jacquizz Rodgers.

Even Loggains didn't realize what he had in Howard.

"I'm going to be real honest when I say this: I didn't the greatness in Jordan in OTAs and training camp," Loggains said in late December. "Part of it was because he was hurt. Part of it is because he's a much better player when the shoulder pads are on and it's live. Because he's a big back. He's hard to tackle.

"He's a much better player on Sunday than he is during the week just because his running style is different. Sometimes it's hard to see that."

Loggains speaks for a lot of people at Halas Hall with such an assessment. His honesty there is refreshing.

But it seemed that Loggains never quite realized the greatness of Howard as the season went along. Howard was underutilized during his rookie season, rushing the ball 252 times for 1,313 yards -- a 5.2 yards-per-carry average. He finished the season with just six touchdowns.

There was a situation in the Bears' loss to the Redskins in December when Loggains called for three goal-to-go passes, including two from the 4-yard line. Consider that evidence to why the Bears finished 28th in scoring but 15th in yardage.

Bears coach John Fox stood by Loggains all season long. When pressed on Howard's sometimes-light usage, both pointed to the deficits that the Bears faced most of the season, which forced them to throw the ball, whether it was Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer or Matt Barkley. The counterpoint to that is arguing that Loggains used the pass as a crutch far too often.

Then there was Hoyer's run as the starting quarterback, which saw the career backup become the first quarterback in Bears history to throw for 300 yards and zero interceptions in four straight games. The Bears went 1-3 in that stretch and averaged just 17.5 points per game, with Loggains' play-calling for Hoyer far too conservative.

Fox stood by Loggains again at the end of the season by retaining him as offensive coordinator. Loggains was a logical pick to replace the Miami-bound Adam Gase last January, because he brought continuity with Cutler, both in terms of schemes and communication. Now, Cutler appears to be on his way out, and the Bears will likely be building around a new quarterback.

As the Bears move forward with Loggains, an evaluation must be made into the fatal flaws of this offense. The Bears averaged 356.5 yards and just 17.4 points per game. Fox often pointed to the lack of cohesion of the offense, even deeming Barkley the fourth-string quarterback.

"The continuity and consistency helps when there is continuity and consistency," Fox said. "And that's not been the case. It's a credit to the coaching staff, Dowell in particular."

Loggains is well-liked around Halas Hall. He has a sound relationship with Fox, Cutler and his players. Fox's defense of Loggains' offense isn't exactly surprising.

But the Bears' struggles on offense fall on Loggains. The unit's scoring struggles were alarming, regardless of personnel.

Howard will be the centerpiece of this Bears offense moving forward. He will carry the burden as the team figures out its future at quarterback and receiver, both of which are presently filled with unknowns. Howard sure better be touching the ball more in 2017, because he's a talented, consistent playmaker.

With Howard's reliability, the Bears can take more chances in the passing game. Aggression was lacking in 2016 -- look no further than the scoring totals. There's plenty of blame to go around for 3-13, and Loggains is deserving of his fair share.

To get his offense in form for next season, Loggains must first honestly acknowledge its fatal flaws from this past year.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.