- Liam Coen detailed his four-pillared head-coaching philosophy when the Jaguars introduced him as head coach on Jan. Then, in an excellent interview at the scouting combine, he explained how that philosophy will manifest itself this season.
The philosophy is F.A.S.T., which stands for fundamentally sound, attacking, situational masters and toughness. He said last week that the last part is most important.
“The mentally and physically tough part is the one that we really want to talk about,” Coen said on W-Wednesday’s edition of Barstool’s Pardon My Take. “We go into Tampa this past year, they have the 32nd-ranked run game in the NFL in the last two seasons and we go and bring it to No. 4 this past season.”
Coen inherits something similar in Jacksonville. The Jaguars’ rushing offense combined over the 2023-24 seasons (99.3 yards per game) ranked 28th in the NFL. The team’s average yards per carry (3.89) ranked next to last at No. 31. Suffice to say, the ground game is fertile for improvement as long as Coen can achieve the same buy-in he got from the Buccaneers last season.
Would Brian Thomas sacrifice some of his catches and yards to take out a third-level defender for Tank Bigsby?
“It was buy-in,” Coen explained. “It was all about toughness, physicality, the way that we wanted to play the game; our style of play. I mean, Mike Evans is digging out support on safeties. He doesn’t have to do that. And so, we got him to that point. There was immediate buy-in. I think that that’s where it all kind of stems from.”
Where Coen’s game-management philosophy stems from is a Bill Belichick book of secrets. Whether smuggled out of New England by undercover operatives or simply duplicated on a Gillette Stadium Xerox machine, Coen said a lot of coaches are using it. He got it from Sean McVay.
“We thought it was like the Bible that you have, and it’s been kind of passed along through a lot of different people. He’s got specific games, situations when things came up to where you can go back and look at. Those situations still come up today.”
Speaking of those situations, the rookie head coach explained how he’d handle two specific game circumstances. Quizzed by hosts Big Cat and PFT Commenter, Coen said he’d be aggressive.
Situation A: Down 14 with five minutes in the game, the Jaguars score a touchdown to cut their deficit to eight points. Would Coen go for two or kick the PAT?
“Going for two,” he said. “Just so you know what you’re going to deal with, going forward.”
Situation B: Late in the game, Jacksonville has fourth-and-goal at the opponent’s 8-yard line. Oh, by the way, the opponent has the greatest quarterback of all-time. Will Coen kick the field goal to cut the deficit to five points, or go for the touchdown and potential game-tying two-point conversion?
“Got to go for it.”
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Published Mar 9, 2025
Zak Gilbert
ZAK GILBERT
Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He’s spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL’s New York league office.
WATCH: Robert Hainsey Talks Reuniting With Jaguars HC Liam Coen
What did Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Robert Hainsey have to say on Thursday?
By John Shipley | Mar 13, 2025
Jul 25, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey (70) works out during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Jul 25, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey (70) works out during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Jacksonville Jaguars center Robert Hainsey spoke on Thursday, and we were there for it all.
To listen, view above.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen spoke last month at the combine this week. Below is a partial transcript.
Q: On his expectations for the NFL Scouting Combine this week?
Coen: “Well, first and foremost, super excited to be here. I mean, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been able to get here. This has been a great opportunity for our staff to really kind of get in the weeds with each other. We just really kind of finalized this staff, and it’s been a great op [opportunity] for us to be able to get into the weeds. We’re really just working from Indy. We’ve taken our whole process, what we would be doing in Jacksonville right now, and taken that to Indy. We’re doing, obviously, some of the free agent meetings, going through the draft, and then also, obviously, doing some schemes, some football, and getting with the coaches. So, it’s been a great transition so far and really kind of—we’re really happy to be here.”
Q: On what he saw from Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving’s rookie campaign?
Coen: “There’s not many better people than Bucky in terms of the way his process went. I mean, he was one of the first guys in the building, 5 a.m. meeting with [Buccaneers Senior Offensive Assistant] Tom Moore on our staff in terms of just getting some of that experience. He was one of the last guys to leave. So, you saw a player that was already mature beyond his years, and then, OK, he comes in and has the impact that he had both in the run, the pass, got much better in the pass protection as the year went on, dynamic in space. Just have so much respect for Bucky, both as a competitor and as a person. Wish him nothing but the best, and hopefully, we can continue to get some of that production out of the guys we have because there are a lot of similarities there.”
Q: On balancing having patience with a quarterback versus knowing when to move on?
Coen: “Wow, that’s a great one. The time—you look at these quarterbacks specifically coming out in the last few years. Well, you’re in Pop Warner football and you’re in a no-huddle shotgun system, and then you’re in high school and you’re in a no-huddle shotgun system. OK, you go to college, that may have been the case. We’ve got to have patience with these guys because the communication piece that you miss with the no-huddle offenses, not to knock it, it’s just, hey, we have to take that into consideration when we’re going through the longevity of a quarterback’s career. I think when you’re ready to move on, I think it’s pretty clear to a lot of people in terms of the building, the staff, the players. If the clip has fallen off, it’s typically something you can see with the naked eye, but it’s more the development, the fundamentals, the technique. If that’s all still there, then you can continue to win with that player.”
Q: On experiencing multiple quarterback injuries in 2022, and how that has influenced how he builds his scheme?
Coen: “That’s a great question because it really came up last year in a different way. We were decimated in ’22. Last year, we lose two of our best receivers in Tampa and credit the process to just kind of, hey, put our heads down. It’s our job as coaches to go play with the players that we have and be able to pivot. That was the learning experience that we had there, that we have to be able to pivot, be able to supplement that production, maybe with a different group of players. It might be Mike [Buccaneers WR Mike Evans] and Chris’s [Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin] production, and ended up having to become a little bit more developed through the running back room, the tight end room. Obviously, the quarterback being able to play off-schedule. So, we learned so much from that year, and it was really just, do we have the ability to pivot and be able to kind of supplement some of that production through different avenues and different players?”
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Published Mar 13, 2025
John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY
Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast: Breaking Down Eric Murray
In today’s episode, we discuss the Jacksonville Jaguars signing Houston Texans defensive back Eric Murray.
By John Shipley | 23 Hours Ago
Jul 29, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans safety Eric Murray (23) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Jul 29, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans safety Eric Murray (23) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
In today’s Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, we take a look at the signing of Houston Texans safety Eric Murray.
To listen, view above.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen spoke last month at the combine this week. Below is a partial transcript.
Q: On his expectations for the NFL Scouting Combine this week?
Coen: “Well, first and foremost, super excited to be here. I mean, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been able to get here. This has been a great opportunity for our staff to really kind of get in the weeds with each other. We just really kind of finalized this staff, and it’s been a great op [opportunity] for us to be able to get into the weeds. We’re really just working from Indy. We’ve taken our whole process, what we would be doing in Jacksonville right now, and taken that to Indy. We’re doing, obviously, some of the free agent meetings, going through the draft, and then also, obviously, doing some schemes, some football, and getting with the coaches. So, it’s been a great transition so far and really kind of—we’re really happy to be here.”
Q: On what he saw from Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving’s rookie campaign?
Coen: “There’s not many better people than Bucky in terms of the way his process went. I mean, he was one of the first guys in the building, 5 a.m. meeting with [Buccaneers Senior Offensive Assistant] Tom Moore on our staff in terms of just getting some of that experience. He was one of the last guys to leave. So, you saw a player that was already mature beyond his years, and then, OK, he comes in and has the impact that he had both in the run, the pass, got much better in the pass protection as the year went on, dynamic in space. Just have so much respect for Bucky, both as a
Coen: “Wow career. I think when yo
Q: On experiencing multiple quarterback injuries in 2022, and how that has influenced how he builds his scheme?
Coen: “That’s a great question because it really came up last year in a different way. We were decimated in ’22. Last year, we lose two of our best receivers in Tampa and credit the process to just kind of, hey, put our heads down. It’s our job as coaches to go play with the players that we have and be able to pivot. That was the learning experience that we had there, that we have to be able to pivot, be able to supplement that production, maybe with a different group of players. It might be Mike [Buccaneers WR Mike Evans] and Chris’s [Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin] production, and ended up having to become a little bit more developed through the running back room, the tight end room. Obviously, the quarterback being able to play off-schedule. So, we learned so much from that year, and it was really just, do we have the ability to pivot and be able to kind of supplement some of that production through different avenues and different players?”
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