Sean McVay On Liam Coen
February 3rd, 2024
What is he like?
So what kind of offensive coordinator are the Bucs getting with the expected hire of Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen? An old video quoting Coen’s former boss Sean McVay surfaced yesterday.
J.C. Allen of SI.com dug up a three-year old video on Twitter of BSPN college football voice Joe Tessitore reading a text he received from his friend McVay about Coen.
The expected new Bucs offensive coordinator spent two hitches with McVay and the Rams before bouncing between Los Angeles and Lexington. Tessitore, when the video was recorded, was hosting a BSPN show from SEC media days. Coen had just been hired by Mark Stoops at Kentucky to be the Wildcats offensive coordinator.
So Tessitore texted McVay asking for a brief breakdown of his former assistant. Tessitore read McVay’s response on air.
“Has a great feel and understanding of the game from an All-22 perspective,” McVay texted Tessitore. “Expect him to use motions, formations. Tempo is a weapon to apply pressure to the defense.
“One of my most-trusted coaches who I heavily relied on behind the scenes. Strong communication skills. Great ability to connect with the guys.”
Sounds like Dave Canales a little, doesn’t it? Canales always talked about setting a tempo with the run game.
Motions and formations are a far cry from Byron Leftwich who mocked such things as “fantasy football.” BTW, Joe is curious, is Leftwich alive? You hear or read anything anywhere that Leftwich interviewed for a job outside of a local high school?
The track record of McVay assistants going on to other jobs and having success is uncanny. Just based on that alone, Joe is looking forward to seeing what Coen can do with Baker Mayfield and company.
(Hat tip: J.C. Allen.)
.@JoeTessESPN asked @RamsNFL Head Coach Sean McVay to get "the skinny" on our offensive coordinator @LiamCoen
"Spent the last three seasons as one of my trusted coaches who I heavily relied on behind the scenes." 🗣 Sean McVay pic.twitter.com/OVMbKrkOJ7
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) July 20, 2021
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:06 am
IF he signs here- I’m always skeptical until the ink is on the page, and I’m sure KY boosters are ponying up to keep him – he will be 1-2 and done. The curse of a Defensive head coach.
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:09 am
Feels like an upgrade to Canales.
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:12 am
Who is going to fix the WORST pass defense? Good coaches design a system to fit the strength of the talent on their roster.
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:13 am
I wonder if we will keep Lewis on as QB coach.
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:17 am
Sounds good. Hope he works out. Leftwich was why our offense was terrible the last year with Brady. No Arians…..no offense. Was that Brady’s worst year???? About the same as Mayfield’s season wasn’t it. I’ll have to look at that. GO BUCS!!!!!
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:26 am
First two years we were playing sandlot, Brady would stand there and wait for Godwin, Evans or Gronk to go down to the manhole cover and turn right, worked awesome.
THIRD year, Brady couldn’t wait like that, and no Gronk
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:26 am
Well, would you expect McVay to say something negative about Coen? These types of comments in public have to be taken with a grain of salt. That said, I do think that McVay has respect for Coen.
I hope Coen brings in some good run-game OL coaches!
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:36 am
Leftwich was “considered” for Steeler’s OC job.
[“Considerd” as in ruled out. In the fall, Leftwich called the Steelers to offer his services after the Steelers canned Matt Canada. Leftwich’s camp told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic that the Steelers never called back. LOL — Joe]
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:38 am
2022
O ranked 15, Brady ~4700 yards
2023
O ranked 23, Mayfield ~4200 yards
February 3rd, 2024 at 8:49 am
If it works out maybe we should KEEP THIS ONE?!!!!!
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:00 am
Sounds like a winner but as someone has already said, until he signs, it’s just good talk. Also I wonder if he is bringing someone with him from Kentucky like a WR or OL coach Bucs need both. I know he just signed a 3 year contract with Kentucky so I figure there has gotta be some kind of compensation before he signs with the Bucs
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:02 am
Ok negative Nancy’s you may begin!
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:06 am
Florio basically said the same thing about leftwich
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:12 am
. — Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield beat Houston’s C.J. Stroud in the precision passing skills challenge, helping the NFC build a 12-6 lead over the AFC on the opening night of the 2024 Pro Bowl Games…The inaccurate tag was cooked up by the Browns to deflect bad press from Deperverts criminal behavor.
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:12 am
Why’d he go back and forth between College and NFL? He was OC with the Rams? And left to be OC with Kentucky? Or was he a figurehead OC with the Rams, like Leftwich under Arians? Just chasing money?
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:19 am
FYI
Byron Leftwich has retired from football and is now a professor of English at Berkely.
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:21 am
One and done negative Nancy says!
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:42 am
VA Tom, he wanted to be a play caller. As OC with the Rams McVay was still the play caller.
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:49 am
Negative Nancy says Liam Coen as OC 2022 Rams were 32nd in total offense at Kentucky the Wildcats total offense was 10th out of 14 teams in the SEC just doesn’t sound like an offensive genius to say the least.
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:57 am
Canales who?
February 3rd, 2024 at 10:08 am
VATom Says:
Why’d he go back and forth between College and NFL? He was OC with the Rams? And left to be OC with Kentucky?
———————————————————–
The simple answer is because HC McVay calls plays for the Rams offense.
Coen was a WR and QB coach with LA from 2018>2020. He wanted advancement and more experience himself calling plays so took the OC job with Ky in 2021.
McVay talked Coen into coming back to the Rams in 2022 with the offer of NFL OC position which Coen accepted. McVay even turned over play calling to Coen for the last 5 games of the 2022 season which just happened to coinside with Mayfield’s arrival in LA.
But Coen went back to his OC job at KY for the 2023 season because he was maxed out as an offensive coach in LA (see first sentence) and wanted to continue honing his play calling craft because he knew his next opportunity would be a ‘legit’ OC position calling plays in the NFL.
And here we are……
February 3rd, 2024 at 10:16 am
I’m happy we got an OC. Now we can move on. Will be interesting to see who he keeps on his staff and who he brings in.
February 3rd, 2024 at 10:17 am
Shaun King is bashing Baker and has no credibility. Career bakup. Dressed as a #3 in the 03 SB. Ended his career in the CFL like Manziel. Dont listen to him.
February 3rd, 2024 at 10:18 am
Shaun King is bashing Baker and has no credibility. Career bakup. Dressed as a #3 in the 03 SB. Ended his career in the CFL Dont listen to him.
February 3rd, 2024 at 10:40 am
When I was down on someone I used to say “He/she sucks canal water”. That always comes to my mind these days, thinking about Dave Canales. He is so not ready to be a HC, IMO. I hope we swim over the Panthers every time we play them.
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:05 am
Wonder if it came down to Coen or Lewis because no one else would take the job. I wonder if Lewis leaves next?
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:09 am
I like the hire. Canales wasn’t straight out of the McVay tree. He was kind of a hybrid between McVay and all of Pete Carroll’s OCs before Waldron. Coen has a closer connection to McVay. He’s a young offensive mind from a stong coaching lineage. Count me in. I hope it doesn’t take half a season to rev up.
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:11 am
Lol” Crickett Baker I’ve called Canales Canal water a couple times earlier in the season when he was stuck on running the ball up the middle. I will call him Canal Water permanently now 🤣 I hope he continues to run up the middle on us first and second down and Kancey, YaYa and Vea stuff YFL every time. I wish him nothing but complete failure in Carolina.
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:16 am
R-O Again the clock strikes the same time twice a day.
I absolutely agree with your take!!!
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:19 am
Per: Joe
“The track record of McVay assistants going on to other jobs and having success is uncanny.”
McVay’s crew making waves elsewhere is pretty slick, no doubt. But let’s not forget the coaching tree he swings from—the legacy of Bill Walsh, Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, and Jon Gruden. Those legends laid the foundation. McVay’s team is holding it down, but they’ve got some major footsteps to follow in the coaching game
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:29 am
We will see, Brady had time, until his last year. Why Marpet, Jensen, Fornett throwing some good blocks, I’ll even give Smith his credit. Baker needs a little more help up front in the rotation baby. Let’s Go Bucs, it was a pretty good season. Now let’s let the offensive coordinator call the shots..
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:34 am
I suspect we agree more than you think we do. We’re just at opposite ends of one pretty big issue.
February 3rd, 2024 at 11:41 am
R-O
Again I agree with your suspicions. And the big issue is now a moot point anyway,
February 3rd, 2024 at 1:34 pm
why did he leave McVay for a lateral move college job at KY, where he wasn’t successful? I don’t understand the hype. Canales had success in the NFL, Coen did not have success at the Rams or KY except one year before all of it. Seems risky.
February 3rd, 2024 at 1:47 pm
$$$$ and a chance to mold his own offense and call his own plays.
Will Levis would likely take issue with your suggestion Coen wasn’t successful. LOL Coen took a Penn State castoff and molded him into an NFL starter. That hasn’t been done since Kerry Collins!
McVay hired Coen twice! Most coaches don’t do that unless the guy is competent.
February 3rd, 2024 at 3:15 pm
Lefty is working as my dog walker. I got tired of my dog running away. With Lefty he has no ability to run it all. He just starts to run up the middle and he’s instantly stopped every time.
February 3rd, 2024 at 3:53 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:19 am
FYI
Byron Leftwich has retired from football and is now a professor of English at Berkely.
😂
February 3rd, 2024 at 9:08 pm
I didn’t know they taught English at Berkeley jerkly I thought they only taught wokeism
February 3rd, 2024 at 10:57 pm
Lefty is alive. We were on the same redeye out of Vegas a couple months back.