Liam Coen Cites Bucs’ “Brutal” Losses And Coaching Shift
February 2nd, 2025
Bucky talk.
Yeah, Bucs fans are sick of hearing from Liam “El Serpiente” Coen, the 2024 Tampa Bay offensive coordinator who slithered into the Jacksonville head coaching job and left Bucs officials outraged.
However, Coen has a ton of unshared Bucs insight, so Joe will continue monitoring all things Coen. Joe even just caught up on an intriguing Dave Canales interview about clock management.
Jaguars reporter John Shipley of SI.com penned an interesting piece today on Coen talking about coaching emphasis in Tampa and how playing in a lot of tight games tests a team and its players.
Coen talked about how winning close games can be luck, skills, coaching, playmaking or just a team that collectively knows how to rise up.
It seems the Bucs’ painful two games against the Falcons left scars and prompted change.
“Like we had some really brutal losses in in Tampa this past year. We lose on Thursday night to Atlanta in a four-minute drill where our rookie running back, who was a stud for us this year, fumbles the ball,” Coen said, referring to Bucky Irving at running back. “In a moment that, man, like that’s such a learning moment. And then we kept — we had a couple more hard ones that we we didn’t get right.
As Coen would note, that is when things began to shift for Tampa Bay — and it took a concentrated effort to understand how and why the close losses were happening for the Buccaneers to flip the narrative.“But then we go on the bye. We make like a real effort to truly practice and teach so much situational football throughout the week that, hey, at least we know we could win, we could lose, but our preparation was right, and the teaching of to Bucky in that moment,” Coen said.
The emphasis there from Coen about how Todd Bowles and his staff used the bye to go over-the-top on situational football is interesting. Did the Bucs think they were deficient prior to that?
Hopefully, Bowles and the remaining 2024 Bucs staff learned a few lessons this season that can help in the fall of 2025.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:16 am
Really should be teaching situational football from camp on..
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:27 am
Thinking Coen and Shad may have a short honeymoon of they start with losses and Bucs start with wins. I don’t think Jags fans are in much of a patient mood the way things have gone for several seasons.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:30 am
Their fundamentals need a lot of help so I would say its highly likely they were deficient in situational football as well.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:37 am
Gotta stop the bipolar performances … Up one week down the next 🤔
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:38 am
Falcons, 49ers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Saints… definitely lots of tight meaningful games. Obviously they didn’t learn that much cause tight playoff game and they blew it again.
Going into year 4 of being on the wrong side of one score games. I wonder what the common denominator is… meanwhile KOC and Reid are roughly 30-6 in one score games last couple years.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:38 am
I guess it’s a Bucs coaching thing to always blame players specially rookies. The way I remember it Bucky fumbled, LVD got an interception COEN called 2 runs and a screen for -14 yards and a punt then the Falcons kicked the game winning field goal. So technically your offensive play calling lost us that game even though Bowles defense got eaten alive.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:41 am
If he’s worried about tight games I don’t think it’ll get any easier for him in Jacksonville right now. I guess he’ll just bolt then, too!
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:45 am
That whole quote doesn’t mean much to me. I also think he looks and acts far more like a weasel than a snake.
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:02 pm
We don’t wanna hear anything he has to say. He is unwelcome here
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:03 pm
This guy really is tone deaf. El Serpiente we aren’t interested
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:11 pm
Dudes gone, let it go….we move on ya’ll know this
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:18 pm
I’d rather get a WNBA article then another Liam Ceon article at this point
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:26 pm
He thinks he had some brutal losses with the Bucs? Wait till he sees what he has with Jacksonville. This happy time between him and the owner is short-lived
Let’s get a defensive coordinator, and fix our defense. The best revenge is that which is served cold on a platter. Onto the Super Bowl friends!! And we’ll see just how important the guy really was
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:26 pm
With Coen speaking you don’t know what is truly true. He lives in the moment and doesn’t appear authentic. I’ll predict that he will fail because the players will know the difference between real and not real.
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:37 pm
Seriously, if you’re gonna be too bitter to listen to some insights on the team, you might be a crybaby. Also, he wasn’t blaming Bucky for anything. He was using that fumble as an example of the kinda things that were going on where they shot themselves in the foot.
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:37 pm
So basically we have to hope for an early bye week when the schedule comes out, because Bowles chooses to basically wing it on game planning and practice habits until their backs are sufficiently against the wall that they can’t afford to lose any more games.
This is a theme over the last several years by the way, and it started with Arians and was inherited by the Todd.
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:47 pm
Some of you “men” are so freakin fragile. With your delicate sensibilities. No wonder you marry ugly chicks.
Sounds like Bowles even after all these years as HC was unprepared again. Gee, I’m in shock to hear that! With Bowles at the helm you never know what team is going to show up from one week to the next. Medicore is his name showing up half the time is his game. Bowles really does suck.
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:02 pm
Thank you, Durango. You saved me and others from my rant. Say no more.
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:03 pm
OK the Bucs did have some brutal losses and none of them had to do with a fumble. You can blame a poor read and interception by the quarterback and poor play by the defense letting an offense march down the field or weird play calling like with Coen in the Atlanta game when he didn’t attempt a forward pass.
I remember yearly Mike Evans would drop wide open deep bombs right in his hands no one even blames him for a loss. Guys are human so they make mistakes, coaches are on the sideline like generals so they should take them blame
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:10 pm
Everybody hates Todd.
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:19 pm
I don’t see your point here, Joe.
I think any coaches would have done the same. Joe wasn’t making a point. –Joe
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:21 pm
When you lose, practicing the the basics rebuilds confidence. The message most coaches teach is to do the basics right and the rest will follow.
The haters here want to blame Bowles? Well, he did the right thing, because it worked.
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:27 pm
I don’t hate Todd Bowles. It is beyond clear that his players love playing for him. There are going to be a huge changes in defensive personnel this coming season. More speed, better tacklers, and harder hitting will accompany new players. Defense in 2025 will be about 12th rated. That is a significant improvement and will get Bucs into discussion about NFC Championship. That all happens with Todd Bowles in charge.
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:35 pm
Another falsehood. Fans don’t “Hate Bowles” but they recognize that is coaching is an absolute s(p)it show.
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:49 pm
@ Gipper
A safety, corner, a linebacker maybe two depending on lavonte and how they feel about Dennis. Hopefully it’s an edge rusher with the first pick and we get some edge rush free agents but 12th rank Bowles has never had that just sayin. Where is this full on defensive overhaul you see coming. Bucs aren’t giving up on yaya and just got Braswell in the second round and a second rounder is not a throw away pick unless your a kicker. Give up 50-75 yards less a game and Bucs team overall would be dangerous you don’t really need a drastic shift to be a good defense
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Durango 95
I’d encourage you to go do some research on Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter before you go calling Todd Bowles a “horrible coach”
February 2nd, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Bowles record reflects his ability. He is neither great nor terrible. He has done nothing to deserve firing but there are issues with this team that he needs to acknowledge are due to his inadequacies and if he is a coach that is capable of taking this team beyond where he has so far he will acknowledge those inadequacies make adjustments and take this team even farther.
February 2nd, 2025 at 2:28 pm
“Some of you “men” are so freakin fragile. With your delicate sensibilities. No wonder you marry ugly chicks.”
I know you are but what am I? Some of you “men” are real “intellectuals” eh?
February 2nd, 2025 at 2:37 pm
Becky
Thanks for bringing some rational discussion!!!
“Bowles record reflects his ability.”
I appreciate your sentiment and understand it. I think I like many others think Todd should name a DC to give him more time to address ALL the issues of an HC. But I’m not sure his “record” reflects his ability.
I’d have to ask which record. All the losses in New York, or the ONLY coach in over a decade to win TEN with the horrid Jets.
His struggle to keep the Bucs afloat last season and the years prior, or his Defensive Coordinator win of the SB. I mean I think it’s his D that people are upset with, I may be mistaken. Some dislike him for inane reasons like his personality and stoic demeanor, they want more fire and there’s always……
But I hear you and am not trying to be disagreeable since I largely agree with you. I’m in the Todd needs to learn to DELEGATE as in naming a DC. The lack of delegation shows weak leadership IMHO.
Great leaders find other great leaders who in turn find even more great leaders it’s the only “force multiplier” open to a leader. Create more of themselves.
I do not know why Todd insists on keeping the DC title. Perhaps jjoe can ask that question at the next opportunity. LMAO Easy for me to say!
February 2nd, 2025 at 2:47 pm
So you’re a tough “man”?
🤣
February 2nd, 2025 at 2:56 pm
Tbbucs3
What do schiano and Raheem have in common? First time head coaches with first time gm who sucked. Lovie smith hired Licht so he basically worked for him which is how we ended up with guys like Alterraun Verner and Michael “I wanna go home” Johnson. What they all don’t have in come is being handed a Super Bowl winning roster. People keep saying the players suck but nobody is talking about firing the gm, Licht gets love every offseason after the draft. Bowles scheme needs an overhaul not the roster
February 2nd, 2025 at 2:57 pm
I agree that Todd needs to delegate responsibility because lack of discipline resulting in their too many penalties and time management problems which are the little but important details where Bowles coaching really lacks and has hurt the team at times so he really needs to address more attention to detail.
February 2nd, 2025 at 3:18 pm
The problem is, everyone who matters actually loves Todd for all the reasons mentioned and well known.
What is also clear based on performance – when attempting to do two huge jobs at the same time (HC and DC) he is good at neither. As BA’s DC, Todd was quite successful.
As an overdeployed “both” coach, he has proven to be among the league’s worst at clock management, poor game management, pitiful situational football preparedness, cowardly decisions at crucial moments, a soft sieve of a pass defense, and an infatuation with dropping pass rushers into coverage instead of coaching them up to successfully rush the passer. Meanwhile tolerating DBs who play off 10 yards when it’s 3rd and 4.
Thus, the decision by Jason and the Glazernauts should be straightforward. Hire a full time DC so Todd can become a true HC.
But that looks highly unlikely at this stage, so let’s hope Grizz can boost points per game up to 33 or so, then the Bucs might be able to scrape out a winning season again.
February 2nd, 2025 at 3:53 pm
We all know the losses were do to DEI.
February 2nd, 2025 at 3:57 pm
C’mon, Joe. That’s what goes on during a season. You practice up what you aren’t doing correctly and install against the particular team you’re playing. Please tell me this isn’t news to you. Every team is (should be) doing this every week and it’s not unusual. Isn’t a sign of deficiency.
February 2nd, 2025 at 4:24 pm
Makes sense if true.
I’ve harped all season (maybe the past 2 seasons) about the lack of poise in critical situational football moments. It goes hand in hand with the timeout / clock management.
Think how many times in the final minutes of halves we: wasted ~20 seconds before calling a timeout for no reason, or called a timeout when it wasn’t needed, giving the ball back to the other team, defenders being out of position not guarding the sidelines, defenders hurrying to off the ball after a tackles helping the teams’ offense, etc…
February 2nd, 2025 at 5:05 pm
coen theme song : the clash – “should i stay or should i go”
lyrics:
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should I cool it or should I blow?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go
February 2nd, 2025 at 5:11 pm
Joe you are completely wrong, and anyone else parroting as well to criticize Coen
Like, completely out of line. The Man took care of #1. plain ans simple
February 2nd, 2025 at 5:16 pm
Aqualung Says:
February 2nd, 2025 at 3:18 pm
The problem is, everyone who matters actually loves Todd for all the reasons mentioned and well known.
What is also clear based on performance – when attempting to do two huge jobs at the same time (HC and DC) he is good at neither. As BA’s DC, Todd was quite successful.
—–
Which is why I have maintained from the beginning that Bowles has got to go. Of course simple thinkers just chalk it up to some reason like Durango hates Bowles or some other such nonsense. No, because hiring a DC in place of Bowles while keeping him as HC was never going to happen. Which brings us to what is the alternative. We now all see what that alternative is. He is both or neither. Both is untenable. He has to go. Which is obviously not going to happen. So, what’s left? Just what you said some ridiculous amount of points being generated every single week for them to win. Which is not going to happen either.
February 2nd, 2025 at 5:23 pm
Heard Nick Saban suggest that after teams started going on 4th down more, he changed the way he practiced situational football.
He specifically said that he would teach players to think about that you have to on defense mentally to stop a team on both downs.
February 2nd, 2025 at 6:12 pm
The biggest error with Bowles is he leaves the door open for opposing teams to score before the half… T hg sts what kept alot of teams in the game for the second half. The team has to learn how to burn the clock and score in the last 2 minutes of a half… If I remember correctly that’s what retired Tom Brady against the Rams…
Stop giving up the booty at the end of halves
February 2nd, 2025 at 6:31 pm
Did the coaches learn anything about situational football? Such as time management and going for 2 and the win instead of 1 and the tie when on the road?
February 2nd, 2025 at 6:55 pm
@AdamfromNY
Well played musical reference!!! I LOVE musical examples and you come up with a classic from the Clash! I had to go to youtube and am listening to it as I type.
GREAT TUNE!!!
February 2nd, 2025 at 6:59 pm
Aqualung
Awesome dude! A well thought out post and well written. We’ve had our disagreements so it’s a pleasure to see such an excellent effort on your part.
Yeah it’s only me so the compliment is not that great on this blog. LMAO
But at least it’s honest and well intended.
February 2nd, 2025 at 7:12 pm
This should give a little insight into the type of environment that Bowles and Licht have created. That’s good. Licht has spoken to that point. Culture is big. Big credit to those two.
The bad is the single digit losses and why those happened. If we had an aggressive, offensive mindset at HC we most likely win 12 game this last season. Whether or not it would have made a difference against the commanders is another question.
February 2nd, 2025 at 7:18 pm
Any special teams coaching change yet? Ours are the worst. Kicker is the exception
February 2nd, 2025 at 7:54 pm
I honestly don’t get what people are so pissed at Coen about. There was no signed contract, and he took another job. So apparently he BS’d the Bucs for 24 hours, or whatever. If they passed on some great OC candidate because they thought they were covered, and he got snapped up by some other team in that 24 hours, then there would’ve been real damage done. But I haven’t heard anything like that. The Bucs made an offer and Coen made a verbal commitment, then took another job for millions more $. Anyone over 12 years old should stop pretending to be even slightly surprised.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:58 pm
Sorry, he is the “El Serpiente”. Liar.
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:00 pm
I dont give a hoot about Liam. Im mean really?? This team is very good because of the players Jason is getting not Liam Coen
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:55 pm
He’s the past. Griz is the future. Let’s talk about the future. The coach that just got fired in Jax was a Super Bowl winner in Philly. Coen is in over his head, but hey he’ll make some money. Those players will not play hard for him like the Bucs do for Boles. He had a perfect situation in which to succeed. He’s no hucklberry.
February 2nd, 2025 at 10:21 pm
Keep it close Bowles kept it too close too many times.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:01 pm
The Bucs lost in Atlanta because of the refs. Period.
Bucky is pulled down to the ground with a blatant facemask with a minute left. If the refs call that, the game is over, Bucs win. Not only did the jagoff refs not call it – they call a bogus holding call on the Bucs which knocks them out of FG range. Talk about a perfectly timed Venmo payment to the refs – the Falcons pulled it off just in time.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:08 pm
How are people still whining about Coen? It was the Bucs who rushed to immediately went to the press to announce an extension even though Coen hadn’t even signed anything. Also running to the media like that is almost certainly the reason the Jags acted so quickly to fire their GM and up their offer to Coen. If the Bucs kept their mouth shut, got Coen to sign something before the announcement – maybe there’s a slight chance he stays – although, again, the contract meant absolutely nothing as you can’t block a promotion to head coach.
BTW, I don’t blame anyone. The Bucs did what they did because they knew they were going to lose him. So they rushed the announcement to try to put public pressure on Coen by claiming they had him locked up – when they didn’t. It was a dirty trick to be sure, but it was also smart in that they get to play the victim – so instead of fans being mad at the Bucs, they’re mad at Coen. The only shocking part is how stupid and easily manipulated people are to buy it.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:16 pm
Bowles is a top five coach in the NFL.
We did have some brutal losses that kept us from a great season. But they had a very good one.
Go bucs.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:22 pm
Two key instances of a lack of understanding of situations in the first Atlanta game.
Lavonte catching an interception on a 4th down, when he should have just knocked it down.
If Dean lays on London for literally one more second after the tackle, the clock runs out.
If you have to fight the refs too, you need to use every situation to your advantage.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Sounds like a DuVaaalloping story joe
February 3rd, 2025 at 12:03 am
OK shut this article down someone said Bowles is a top 5 coach in the nfl. lol who’s 5-10? You can’t even put him above Dan Quinn
February 3rd, 2025 at 6:42 am
Joe needs therapy to get over the one that got away. We have a new OC, it will either work or not. Joe’s favorite HC of all time is still running the show, don’t quite understand all of pearl clutching. You have your guy still in place Joe, let Coen go and get ready for 2025, free agency and the draft. LFG
February 3rd, 2025 at 6:57 am
Can’t believe how pitiful people are. The man took a job to better his own life that he earned whether you agree or not. Not a single person here would have done any different with the money they gave him and the power over things he is getting. Maybe concern yourselves with this team and move on.