Ex-Coach And A Former Star Running Back Blast Liam Coen
January 18th, 2025
“You fumbled, Bake, and these guys are killing me.”
Buccaneers playcaller Liam Coen had a magical season.
A couple of huge voices in NFL media think he closed his campaign with a major mistake.
Joe likes and respects Coen, but that doesn’t mean Joe will ignore major darts fired in Coen’s direction.
First, Joe will turn to retired All-Pro running back Tiki Barber, who is very friendly to Tampa Bay because his brother is a Bucs legend.
Speaking on his WFAN radio show this week, Barber roasted Coen for running a jet sweep from his own 15 yard line in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Commanders. Baker Mayfield and receiver Jalen McMillan fumbled the first-down call and Washington recovered on the 12 yard line.
The Commanders scored a touchdown four plays later.
Barber talked about the crushing turning point and blamed the first-year NFL playcaller.
“The fumble that led to the touchdown was on Liam Coen. It was just a stupid playcall,” Barber said.
“Why are you running a reverse on the 15 yard line. Like seriously, just go forward. We all do the same thing when you’re backed up. Go forward. Don’t try to get, I don’t know, cute.”
Ouch! Barber also took shots at Todd Bowles’ overall clock management.
Former Jets linebackers coach and personnel chief Pat Kirwan, the prime time voice on SiriusXM NFL Radio, also said Coen got it wrong.
“People want to cite the fumble on the jet sweep. Please, why are you calling a jet sweep, which is a very tricky, timed-up play?” Kirwan railed. “The guy’s flying across the backfield and you’re going to take the snap and hand it to him deep in your own territory?”
Joe already has noted how successful the Bucs were this season running the sweep. So Joe doesn’t think the call was out of line, only the execution.
However, it is rare to run a sweep that deep in your own territory, and it’s fair to note it’s a handoff that carries more risk than most.
🤦🏼♂️ Baker Mayfield fumbles the snap and the Washington Commanders recover. pic.twitter.com/kRaIeNGy2x
— Ghost Warrior (@ghost_warrior34) January 13, 2025
January 18th, 2025 at 5:10 pm
If you can’t trust your players to be able to handle a jet sweep hand-off than that’s an indictment on the players not the coaching staff. They’ve statistically been one of the best teams running the jet sweep this year. Just an unfortunate blunder in what was the biggest moment of the season
January 18th, 2025 at 5:11 pm
Eh.. if it worked would have been a savvy play. Hindsight is easy.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:12 pm
Wondering of KC fans are mad because they are not winning 24 to 3 right now like buc fans always are lol
January 18th, 2025 at 5:13 pm
Since the jet sweep worked most of the year, I’m not gonna harp on that play…That, and the Bucs probably win 7 or 8 games last year without Liam Coen.
Did these same guys mention anything about Diaby trying to cover Ekeler and failing miserably? How many times did that work last year, the big guys in coverage? Continually doing things that don’t work is what peeves me.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:18 pm
McMillan made no attempt to recover the fumble, he just stood and watched the ball roll around until the play was over. It is infuriating to watch.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:28 pm
It worked plenty of times this season but Bucky was heating up. And Evans was dominating. Hard to say, but in hindsight it would have been better to just go with one of them.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:40 pm
Now if that play would have worked ,the same people blasting Coen would be calling him a genius.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:42 pm
How many jet sweep fumbles this year? Is it really risky? It is more of a risk to play soft zone when the defense doesn’t (or forgot) how to tackle an opposing player for 60 minutes.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:46 pm
Baker fumbled the ball because he’s a choke artist. Just like last year in Detroit in the playoffs with the game on the line, has the ball, 2 minutes to go, 2 timeouts, and immediately goes out and throws an INT. He’s a short version of Matt Ryan, collapses in the biggest moments.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:49 pm
These same guys would be saying what a great play call it was if it was a big gainer and there was no fumble. It’s a risky call but no risk no reward.
January 18th, 2025 at 5:53 pm
Its all in the cards…just chill. We were almost there, its ok. Higher draft positions for very needed spots. its all good….JUST PLEASE TODD CHANGE A LITTLE BIT…PLEASE!!!
January 18th, 2025 at 5:55 pm
I feel like im stuck with a new stepchild that wont mind the new rules of the house
January 18th, 2025 at 5:57 pm
I’m sure it was valuable lesson for Cohen
January 18th, 2025 at 5:58 pm
We get it Rod , You hate Baker.. we know. You let us know all the time
January 18th, 2025 at 6:05 pm
How many times did McMillan run the Jet Sweep throughout the year. Just wondering. I recall others but not him.
January 18th, 2025 at 6:08 pm
Agree with Tiki and Korean.
Coaching. A novel concept.
January 18th, 2025 at 6:10 pm
Kirwan not Korean LOL
January 18th, 2025 at 6:12 pm
Geez, sometime no matter what play is called , players make mistakes or the play gets blown up. The way the defense played, I can’t blame Bake or Coen. How many times did the defense screw up? How many times did Bowles screw up? A lot more than Baker or Coen.
January 18th, 2025 at 6:24 pm
Buc4evr – The defense gave up 16 points, made a 4th quarter goal line stand, gave Baker the ball back with a chance to go up two scores. Baker meanwhile scored a net of 13 points.
The game was lost because Baker choked, again, in the biggest moment of his life.
January 18th, 2025 at 6:27 pm
Rod Quarterback Envy Munch shows his football ignorance every single time he posts. Anybody that knows about “jet” sweeps can see exactly what happened. For the utterly ignorant, like “little Envy”, watch the Kansas City Chiefs run it to perfection in 6 different games and it’s nothing like McMillan ran his part. Or the Buffal Bill’s, they run it correctly and it’s not the way McMillan ran it. For it to work good it has to happen very fast since it is very fast it has to be precise, no room for error. If the quarterback has to reach even an extra half yard it will mess up the precision/timing which is EXACTLY what happened. Get used to it Envy, Baker Mayfield is Tampa Bay’s FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK for at least 5 years and all your ignorance isn’t going to change anything at all. As Coach Bowels said when asked about the fumble, “Baker’s the main reason we’re here”. Case closed, case closed. Lmao
January 18th, 2025 at 6:33 pm
Davyboy – Baker lost the game, single handedly. Period. If he doesn’t choke, the Bucs win. He did choke, the Bucs lost because of it. Maybe he should go back to the broadcast where Brady tore him a new one for complaining about how the team wasn’t ‘fun’ when Brady was around (even though Baker wasn’t around to know that). Instead of focusing on ‘fun’, maybe he should work on the fundamentals, then perhaps he won’t collapse under pressure like he has 2 playoff games in a row.
January 18th, 2025 at 6:36 pm
Georgia runs it too perfection on a you tube short under “Crazy jet sweep with Brock Bowers”. He’s not even 3 yards off the line of scrimmage. McMillan was about 4, huge difference when moving that fast. It’s why Baker was reaching straight back, trying to make up that 1.5 yards.
January 18th, 2025 at 6:39 pm
Todd Bowles is the ultimate choke artist and his failures are too multiple to list. Baker was a top 10 quarterback. It’s true the offense didn’t have its best game but as a first time coordinator at least Coen has an excuse. It’s great that everyone is trying to criticize one or two plays from Coen unlike Bowles ENTIRE game plan which apparently was dependent on Dean staying healthy
January 18th, 2025 at 6:42 pm
Coen did way more right than he did wrong this season. And also it was a questionable play call for the moment.
Bowlers however did way more wrong than he did right this season.
His pass defense made Cousins look like Joe Montana.
It was so bad last week that Joe thinks Daniels is the next Tom Brady.
28-27 Fire Bowles now!!!!
January 18th, 2025 at 6:43 pm
Actually rod Brady didn’t but I have no doubt you heard it that way because you are…different to be nice. I guess you have forgotten what Bady has said about him lately. How convient for you.I am sure the team will get right on that since you said it because you haven’t been proven wrong too many times to count over the last years.
January 18th, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Baker didn’t have a 146.5 passer rating, one of the highest ever in a playoff game. What a joke you are
January 18th, 2025 at 6:48 pm
Sometimes ex players are annoying, A guy who fumbled 53 times in 10 seasons and 45 in 6 season which included 9 in 3 different seasons is actually the one person criticizing a play resulting in a fumble that’s just great Tiki
January 18th, 2025 at 6:50 pm
Don’t listen Liam. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t even BE in the playoffs! You are great and going to get better. So happy you are here. Don’t go anywhere.
January 18th, 2025 at 7:05 pm
I agree with the experts. A dumb call. Should have been passing to Evans, who was on a roll. Or running with Irving.
January 18th, 2025 at 7:16 pm
At least Coen is no longer hot commodity after that play, we need to keep Coen. Baker should of kept it if the timing was off. Going forward though hope we stick to less risky play calls on the 10 yard line.
January 18th, 2025 at 7:18 pm
He has a lot of green in front of him if he doesn’t fumble. Genius call if it works. There was 11:53 left in the game let’s not act like it was a last minute gaff. Like Barton’s
January 18th, 2025 at 7:21 pm
Love Ronde, Hate Tiki
January 18th, 2025 at 7:27 pm
That fumble and the criticism of Coen calling the play might be the reason why he stays as OC in 2025. The Jags requested an interview before the loss. Coen kind of did a Sam Darnold to end the season.
However, Todd Bowles should still be held accountable for his bottom 5 pass defense, poor clock management, lack of team preparation on numerous occasions, winless on prime time and the fact his D could not force a punt in the final season ending loss. I realize now that he is likely to be back next season but he needs to make adjustments with his long in the tooth D coaching staff, get a time management specialist and consider letting someone else call plays for the D. Otherwise it will be more of the same in 2025. Bowles’ ceiling might be what we have seen tge past 2 years, a slightly above 0.500 team that could win a playoff game every now and then.
January 18th, 2025 at 7:31 pm
20/20 hindsight from the blind. Play was going to go for 30 yards. No reason to play scared right there. Tiki’s coaches still gave that fumbler the ball. Baker didn’t snap the ball prematurely on the earlier series. Lots of mistakes to point to. Just a team not quite ready for prime time. Maybe next year.
January 18th, 2025 at 7:52 pm
The propaganda garbage the Joes peddle her is ridiculous
January 18th, 2025 at 7:53 pm
Everyone’s a expert in hindsight
January 18th, 2025 at 7:58 pm
The coach that resurrected a dead run game and finished top 5 in the NFL in points scored is raked over the coal while DEI genius Todd who still hasn’t figured out when to call a timeout and couldn’t get his defense off the field to save his life is given a free pass. Great reporting
January 18th, 2025 at 8:02 pm
The Chiefs have a defense they shut Houston down on their home turf. Our defense let Washington have their way with us. Daniels ran around, and threw to open receivers at will. That was the difference in the game. Lets see how Daniels does tonight against Glenn’s defense.
January 18th, 2025 at 8:05 pm
Rod is losing it smh, sad when people start going down hill.
January 18th, 2025 at 8:10 pm
Rod hasn’t been the same since his bff Ray Finkle moved away
January 18th, 2025 at 8:23 pm
The jet sweep was a bad call because of the circumstances, not the play design. The offense was backed up near their end zone, shortening the backfield and allowing the defense to play aggressive, so the fact that that play was successful all year is irrelevant, because the circumstances were different. However, Coen was a first year OC, so errors in judgment were to be expected.
January 18th, 2025 at 8:36 pm
Actually Rod you are wrong again. Bakers biggest moment is when he took the 0-16 Browns to a playoff game with the Kansas City Chiefs to the wire and would have beaten them if not what every single person that watched that play says was targeting and caused the receiver to fumble it out of the end zone. And KC went to the superbowl 1 game later. So I am quite sure if Baker can do that for the lowly Browns he can for sure take Tampa to the promised land. And he will, proving you wrong for the 31st time in 2 years. If I were you, I wouldn’t like Baker either…
January 18th, 2025 at 8:45 pm
Alright, Rod Munch…If Baker is so terrible, how did the Bucs make the playoffs the last 2 years? Weren’t you the one always defending Jameis, the turnover machine who NEVER took the Bucs to the playoffs? 🤔
January 18th, 2025 at 9:03 pm
Then rod in 2021 Cleveland played KC in their first game and lost by 4 whole points and KC missed going to the superbowl by an OT game. Let’s not act like we don’t know what kind of a quarterback we have now. Is he perfect? A long ways from perfection, but he is darn good and getting better, fast. Statistically he kicked Mahomes’ butt all over the place this year, which you said he would never do. 32nd time Baker proved you wrong. If he can get that gunslinger mentality out of his head and lower his interceptions he will be one of the very best and everyone will see why ESPN voted him the best college quarterback of the 21st century-Mahomes wasnt.
January 18th, 2025 at 9:13 pm
What #99 said.
Had JMac shown up .3 seconds LATER, it’s a 15-20 yard gain
January 18th, 2025 at 9:13 pm
Munch, Baker really is your blind spot. You’re getting roasted here, justly so. For a guy that has decent insights, you’re really making yourself look like an idiot. If you’re a Bucs fan, try to be a fan of their quarterback. Cuz he’s going to be here for a while. Certainly criticize him when needed. But very clearly, we didn’t lose the game because of a mistake on that one play. Don’t be an idiot.
January 18th, 2025 at 9:22 pm
The mental gymnastics some of yall do to protect Liam. Yes he is good but some of yall make him out to be the greatest coach ever. Haha
January 18th, 2025 at 9:27 pm
Interesting stat, if you take out the 2 games where Baker was sacked 7 & 5 times and had a down passer rating he would have a rating of 114.2. That would be 4 points behind Lamar Jackson at #1. He’ll get closer and better in 2025.
January 18th, 2025 at 9:38 pm
Detroit just scored a touchdown on pretty much the same play.
January 18th, 2025 at 9:39 pm
I wasn’t upset with the Jet Sweep call, I was upset where we made that call. Bucky was heating up, and you also could have used Rashaad or Tucker to run the clock. THEY COULD NOT STOP THE RUN…
January 18th, 2025 at 9:45 pm
For a long time I would see what Rod Munch would post after an Joe’s article. I just am tired of his spill now. He says he a life long Bucs fan I think he’s a life long Baker hater. I just don’t see what he does Baker Mayfield is a top 5 quarterback in the league. Our defense lost 5 games this year 3 of those game because of poor clock management by Bowles. My God what more does Baker got to do play all 22 positions. Just shut up Rod you are no Bucs fan period.
January 18th, 2025 at 9:48 pm
Second int for St. Goff. This one in the end zone. What a choke artist, haha. I guess Marino is a choke artist too. Had a terrible super bowl and never got back to the big game. What a choke artist. /s
January 18th, 2025 at 9:50 pm
Stan, munch is turning into a clown. All the vitriol he spills against a quarterback who led the moribund Browns to a playoff victory and did the same for the Bucs here, a team practically every pundit bet against before the season. He seems to have a weird, interesting hatred for Baker. Someone mentioned it above on the thread. It seems to be envy. Which is weird when you think about it.
January 18th, 2025 at 9:52 pm
ballsy call, wrong WR
January 18th, 2025 at 10:11 pm
Completely agree. Poor play call. Poor execution. As “bad” as Bucs D was, they held a 17-13 lead against #5 scoring offense. If that doesnt mean anything ro you, Washington put up 31 in the 1st half against #1 seed in NFC.
So..offense failed this team.
January 18th, 2025 at 10:32 pm
the fault was on the execution, not the call. had that not been botched, and gone for 20 yards, they would have lauded his bold play calling. something was off with timing that game on several plays.
we’ve got some amazing rookies. next year I think a number of players we have been developing will be playing at peak level. look at goedeke and kancey this year… I think irving, mcmillan, mccollum, diaby, hall, mauch, barton, smith, and izien. will all be f*cking studs next year.
January 18th, 2025 at 11:00 pm
It caught them off guard it was blocked and with his speed could’ve been a good play. Nothing wrong because it was the playoffs. Fortune favors the bold in the playoffs. Washington went for how many 4th downs??? Bowles is not bold. 4th&2 and not go for it in the playoffs was no guts no glory behind it. How many times we’ve seen Bucky get 3rd&2 Jet sweep woulda worked there I bet. That’s what they should be squawking about not Liams call
January 18th, 2025 at 11:56 pm
Cohen has run the Jett sweep all year long with great success, the replays I saw showed huge running room for McMiilon, perfect playcall. I always find it interesting that when the play call works at that point if the game, he’s an offensive genius. If Mayfield botches the handoff it’s a terrible call at that point in the game.
It was a great playcall catching the defense off guard, Mayfield screwed it up.
January 19th, 2025 at 12:24 am
You can always tell those that have never seen a jet sweep run right 🤔
January 19th, 2025 at 12:32 am
Detroit scored a 67-yard touchdown on a not exactly identical but similar play. You just can’t botch handoffs.
January 19th, 2025 at 12:37 am
This team’s hallmark was not playing scared… Mayfield especially. They didn’t take a knee, they gave Mikey the 1000 yards.
If they played scared in that play call for the jet sweep, they’d have already played scared in a bunch of other areas and never would have won the division anyway.
January 19th, 2025 at 12:48 am
Completely disagree. There was nothing wrong with that play call. They just did not execute it. The vast majority of the time they run it, they gain a good chunk of yards.
January 19th, 2025 at 1:32 am
You said it Jeffery
January 19th, 2025 at 1:47 am
I really am confused. I thought this was a football blog with supposed knowledgeable guys posting. I have a question for anyone, how far should the runner run behind the quaterback on the jet sweep? It’s really a simple answer, 1 yard, the quaterback turns and easily hands off, there is no reaching for the runner. When the runner is almost 2 yards behind the quaterback as McMillan was you end up getting the ball in the side not the gut because the difference is about 1 foot. It is that precise. 1 yard vs. 2 yards when someone is running by you at 4.4 speed and he is 1 yard further from you than you practiced you cannot make up the difference in a blink of an eye. The are a million videos of nfl teams college teams and high school teams and 99.9% are 1 yard not 2. Try and have a little common sense if you have no experience or knowledge about it.
January 19th, 2025 at 5:51 am
Latest passer ratings and completion percentages 1-18-25:
#1 Lamar Jackson-119.9 & 67.07%
#2 Joe Burrow-108.5 & 70.55%
#3 Jared Goff-108.2 & 71.38%
#4 Baker Mayfield-108.1 & 71.82%
#16 Patrick Mahomes-93.4 & 67.5%
That’s awful close for a 3 way tie for second. Especially when your starting receivers missed a good chunk of the season.
No telling what next year holds 🤔
To give some an idea of how good Baker did this year with his 108.1 Mahomes only had 1 year that was a better passer rating.1 year out of 8. The best completion percentage he has had was this year at 67.5% I’d say Baker just might be on his way to becoming elite. If he can fix the obvious things he struggles with, interceptions & fumbles he would be at the top of the shining new heap instead of the NFL’s garbage heap that all the experts had him on 3 years ago. But you know Baker might would rather be that gunslinger squeezing that 65 mph fast ball into those tight windows. You just never know about the mentality of an athlete at this level. Whichever he does either is good enough to take Tampa Bay to the promised land and bring a win home🏆 and with everyone’s help they will do it together.
January 19th, 2025 at 7:17 am
We had a double fault on that drive. We failed to get a first down on 2nd and 3 inches. Not sure if that was the called play or Baker changed the call at the line.
If we had completed a TD pass in the endzone, there would not be this endless debate. On second and three inches going for a TD could have put the game
away.
January 19th, 2025 at 8:25 am
“Blasts” ? C’mon J0e. The hyperbolic headlines are beneath you both.
??Barber used the word “stupid.” Kirwan had tremendous frustration in his voice. Get real. Don’t shoot the messenger–Joe
January 19th, 2025 at 9:15 am
When Lions ran the similar play it was the Jet Pass which is the absolute correct call as the risk is minimized by the fact that it is simply a pass , if it falls to the ground, it is just an incomplete pass.
I illuminated this after the game in 5 things and I am absolutely correct that it was the WRONG CALL by Coen.
What I also find really amazing is that no one mentions that during the regular season Bucky and Tucker handled almost all of the kick off return duties. Bucky was pretty effective at this as was Tucker. So why has no one in the media asked Todd why Rachaad White was returning kickoffs in a playoff game when he had not returned even ONE during the regular season??
January 19th, 2025 at 10:04 am
In a big game, with a rookie center and a rookie wide receiver, good ole Muncher blames the quarterback.
January 19th, 2025 at 10:31 am
It was clearly not Cohen’s best game calling plays but I’m sure he’ll learn from it. The Commanders were stacking the line the stop our run but Cohen kept trying to run it instead of running play action passes. Baker and Mike were both on fire but Cohen took the ball out of their hands, especially in the 2nd half. On the play where Barton snapped it early he tried to run a hard count to draw them offsides. Why? You only needed a foot for the first down. Run a QB sneak or run Rashad White up the gut. That play and the botched end around cost us the game. We should be playing Philly today.
January 19th, 2025 at 10:37 am
Canales and Coen are over rated. Baker is underrated. When Alex Van Pelt comes down to be the OC for the Bucs i expect him to run te no huddle more often. Baker excels at that just like Daniels does. Klingenhiffer runs it just like he did with Johnnie M. Baker is a sober Herr Foosball.
January 19th, 2025 at 11:43 am
Oh is it worth mentioning our quarterback broke another franchise record in the playoff game with an 83.3% completion rate?
January 19th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Another fun fact: our quarterback has the highest passer rating in the playoffs this year with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson bring up the rear with more than 10 points behind. Baker was 4th last year with a 106.1. Seems our boy has a penchant for playing really well in high pressure playoff games which is handy to have on a team. We just need to fix the slop and we would be totally deadly. The last 2 times we had the ball we marched down the field in I believe 6 and 7 plays and we we were within striking distance of a touchdown. That doesn’t happen very often. Cohen is worth his money and more. I mean they were a thing of beauty to watch the way we made it look so effortless. Next year is going to be good.
January 19th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
What it is,
You have correctly identified what went wrong with the jet sweep. No sense trying to teach the rubes who post here anything new. Like I have said if Brady had the color commentary last Sunday, he would have said what you said. He also would have said that once Baker knew McMillan wasn’t where he was supposed to be, Baker should have just eaten the ball.
January 19th, 2025 at 4:05 pm
Hard to criticize a play that has been working all season. The least amount of yards that went for this season was 2 yards. If they actually executed it and it was a first down instead of a fumble we wouldnt be talking about it . The players just didnt execute. That play and the other one in the redzone that went for a field goal instead of a touchdown. It sucks but you gotta be flawless in the playoffs. The error is on Mayfield and the botched snap in the RZ is on Barton. Get better.
January 20th, 2025 at 1:44 pm
I agree with the play call. It would have bin a positive play if executed properly. Go back and look at the replay and you would have saw the same thing no one was going to be there to set the end and Jalen would have gone for a huge gain but that’s all hear say at this point. If the play goes big time then they are calling coen a geuinus.