How Liam Coen And Dave Canales’ Offenses Are Similar
February 4th, 2024
The new Bucs offensive coordinator has a connection to Dave Canales.
This isn’t an X’s and O’s type of story. Instead, it’s to demonstrate how Liam Coen’s offense is similar to the one executed by departed Dave Canales.
In Canales’ last two years in Seattle, he was the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. There he worked for Shane Waldron, the Seattle OC.
Waldron came from Los Angeles where for his last three years there (2018-2020) he was the Rams’ passing game coordinator. Who worked right alongside Waldron for those three seasons, 2018-2019? Liam Coen.
So in a sense, Canales and Coen are sort of football half-brothers. Same dad, different moms.
One big difference between Canales and Coen, as pointed out by Brianna Dix of Buccaneers.com, Coen was actually a former quarterback. Canales was a receiver.
In high school, Coen was an all-state quarterback and named Gatorade Player of the Year for Rhode Island. As a quarterback at UMass, Coen set all sorts of passing records at the school including completions (830), attempts (1,302), completion percentage (63.7), passing yards (11,031) and touchdowns thrown (50).
Unlike Canales, Coen can likely relate to what Mayfield is seeing or what bump in the road Mayfield is trying to climb over.
February 4th, 2024 at 1:19 pm
Nice story by Brianna Dix.
I used to date her sister Sharon…
February 4th, 2024 at 1:26 pm
I’m glad Coen is a former VERY successful QB admittedly on a small stage at UMASS.
Still he’ll think like a QB! I thought Canales deserved a C+ – B-. I give far more credit to Mayfield than Canales who really had inconsistent play calling and the desire to FORCE the run up the middle where the OL was the weakest. I’m not sure why he didn’t run more to the left behind Wirfs. Perhaps it was the weak link at LG.
At any rate I thought Canales game plans and calls were the major reason for the Bucs inconsistency acknowledging that Baker turned in a few stinkers especially when he was hurt.
As much as I admire Baker’s guts am I the only one here who believes Canales/Bowles should have forced Baker to the bench when he was clearly nowhere near 100%…perhaps closer to less than 50% for a couple of games.
February 4th, 2024 at 1:26 pm
Also, unlike Canales, Coen has previous coordinator and play-calling experience. Should be a smooth transition, or as smooth as could be expected. You can’t really replace Canales positive energy, but this guy is young and should be able to relate to guys.
February 4th, 2024 at 1:38 pm
Another big difference is Coen has actually been an OC. Canales was never in charge of creating the strategy or running an offense.
February 4th, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Sounds good to me on paper. Just need our guys back now.
February 4th, 2024 at 2:01 pm
Marine buc, wow what a coincidence?? I dated her twin sister Anita!
February 4th, 2024 at 2:11 pm
I think he’s an upgrade from Canales. I believe we went the entire season without an opening drive for a TD, the slow starts were brutal. Bowles defense has to be paired with an offense that can score. Also thought the 3 FGs vs Carolina was absolutely pitiful. Canales couldn’t scheme anything vs the worst team in the league?
February 4th, 2024 at 2:28 pm
Bobby M. because Baker had to start because he saw what Trask was doing all season during practice and was deftly afraid that if Trask started he would never see the field as a Buc again. Cornales was forced to keep the game plan as physically simple as possible for Baker because he could barely throw the ball more than 12 yards because of those bruised ribs. The fact that Blowles and Cornales willingly put our playoff hopes on the line for an injured qb instead of going with the healthy back up is why they shouldn’t be on this team. There’s no way the back up couldn’t have put up better numbers and more points on the board than an injured Baker
February 4th, 2024 at 2:31 pm
Baker would have had to be flat on a slab for the Bucs not to play him. A one-legged, broken-armed Mayfield was/is a better option than trotting Kyle’s Trashk out there.
Maybe Wolford . Never Trashk.
February 4th, 2024 at 2:42 pm
Damn, she’s a triplet? I dated her sister “Fonda” Dix.
February 4th, 2024 at 3:07 pm
Speaking of Coen being that he played QB, What does this mean for T Lewis. Will Coen want to bring in his own QB coach? Kinda excited about the hire but, I’ll wait until October before I get really really excited.
February 4th, 2024 at 3:17 pm
Are we going to have to endure another 8-10 games worth of “learning the new system”, or can the new OC learn the current offense and tweak that, since they’re similar? You know, like Brady did.
February 4th, 2024 at 3:25 pm
Byron Leftwich was a former quarterback too, and he was as clueless as someone could possibly be. So that’s not a big selling point to me, at least.
But keeping the same system is a good idea if you’re bringing Baker back.
Of course, from his side, if Baker does what most players do coming off a career year out of the blue, and busts, then Coen will be blamed. If Baker is back, and looks the same, then he doesn’t get credit but instead just isn’t screwing things up. But, considering Baker was 18th in QBR, the lowest scoring starter that played 16 or 17 games, and the Bucs were 20th in scoring, there’s lots of room for improvement.
February 4th, 2024 at 3:56 pm
Being a former quarterback didn’t help him when he was the Rams OC because their offense was trash that season. But at least he has more experience calling plays than Canales. Speaking of X’s and O’s, I was impressed by a YouTube video explaining one of Coen’s play designs where a receiver ran a slant route and another receiver ran a flat route to beat man coverage. That touchdown pass was scored from pure play design, and not player talent. That’s what we need from an Offensive coordinator, good play designs to exploit specific coverages and calling the right play at the right time.
February 4th, 2024 at 4:10 pm
@WillieG Baker Mayfield said Liam Coen’s offense is basically the same as Dave Canales
February 4th, 2024 at 4:15 pm
Byron Leftwich has a superbowl ring as a oc.
February 4th, 2024 at 4:58 pm
Doc
You risk the wrath of some here by stating a simple FACT.
That was when he had BA and a focused Brady who hadn’t yet gone over the hill.
February 4th, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Davidbigbucsfan99 you don’t deserve to have 99 in your screen name
Everything you just said sounds like someone who just did a ton of drugs. Nothing made any sense. All jibberish
February 4th, 2024 at 5:52 pm
Coen ran Kentucky offense as OC and they averaged 31 points a game. Arrow up and I like the hire because it makes Baker contract more of a possibility.
I did not date Sharon.
February 4th, 2024 at 6:01 pm
With ya #99thebigfella.
Some of the comments here should not be put in “moderation” but in “Translation to English.” Good grammar is not a bad thing.
February 4th, 2024 at 6:06 pm
Evans will fly away.
February 4th, 2024 at 6:08 pm
Coen is an upgrade from Canales. Coen has real OC, playcalling and game planning experience, unlike Rah Rah, who was never tapped for OC by the Seahawks, despite his obvious ambition for years. Coen is also a “QB whisperer”.
From the same coaching tree makes him a pretty seamless transition.
Obviously this is an overture to Mayfield, for better or worse.
The main issue with this team remains Bowles. Still Bowles. Basically we are in exactly the same situation as one year ago, with a slightly better OC.
Honestly is that good enough? To win in the weakest division in the NFL again, strong probability, since it doesn’t take more than .500. To win a SB?
February 4th, 2024 at 8:08 pm
@steele where was all that “QB whispering” when Coen was the rams OC?
February 4th, 2024 at 9:42 pm
Baker 😅 mvp pro bowl