Liam Coen Diplomatically Shrugs Off Question On Not Going For Two Against Chiefs
November 7th, 2024
Said he was ready.
Joe doesn’t know of too many offensive coordinators who wouldn’t want to go for two with the game on the line, especially on the road against the Super Bowl champs.
Well, Monday night, that very scenario played out for the Bucs and offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Instead of going for the win, the Bucs pulled the rug out from under their feet, decided to kick to tie the game and willingly allowed the assassin known as Pat Mahomes to potentially have a full overtime quarter to work with to beat the Bucs.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Now, with eight games to play, the Bucs have little room for error if they hope to be playing meaningful games in January.
Speaking for the first time since the overtime loss in Kansas City, Coen was asked today if he wanted to go for two after the Bucs came within 24-23 with 27 seconds left.
Coen was very diplomatic with a healthy dose of word salad mixed in. It was clear he wanted to turn the page.
“Honestl,y we were prepared for every situation,” Coen said. “You have calls ready. At the end of the day, it’s not what we did. We have to play the cards that we’re dealt. Just go play and move on.
“I really haven’t spent a ton of time thinking about it since.
“You go through it. All different types of situations can occur. We’re ready for a call. The situation played out as it did. We didn’t go for it. And I really haven’t lost a ton of sleep about it.”
Then, Coen took a page from General U.S. Grant, telling his right-hand man William Tecumseh Sherman after a rough day of warfare at Shiloh, “Lick em’ tomorrow, though.”
“We have to move on,” Coen said. “That’s just the way it works. Unfortunately, it didn’t work in our favor. Hey, never know next time.
“You learn from it and move on and see what happens.”
This is the corner that poorly-thought-out decision painted the Bucs into. They have to face the 49ers — probably with Christian McCaffrey — coming off a bye — led by a coach who averages over 30 points a game facing a Todd Bowles defense.
The Bucs can afford two losses the rest of the way if they hope to make the playoffs. That is, unless the Dixie Chicks collapse.
Good luck with that.
Ira Kaufman Talks Fan Disenchantment, The 2-Point Saga, Expectations, Liam Coen, And More
November 7th, 2024 at 4:45 pm
I don’t care as much about the weak 2 point conversion decision as I do about Bowels playing zone more than any other team in the NFL. It’s the soft a$$ pass defense and no pass rush at all unless he blitzes that is the problem. If your corners can’t play man to man and bump the receivers off the line then that is on Bowels as well as Licht. I think they can, but Bowels is too afraid the ball goes over their head.
Fire Bowels and hire Liam on a short term contract. Liam will be a head coach next year somewhere. We cannot lose the best offensive coordinator we’ve ever had when you consider the time, players and injuries. Losing Liam will set this organization back worse than losing Doug Williams!
November 7th, 2024 at 4:59 pm
When he’s being interviewed for a head coaching job, he’ll tell what he really thinks.
November 7th, 2024 at 5:29 pm
Bucs Offense Rank (points)
2 – NFC
4 – NFL
Bucs Defense Rank (points allowed)
31 – NFC (2nd worst)
29 – NFL (4th worst)
November 7th, 2024 at 5:39 pm
2 point conversions have been converting at a 31% clip this so far this season. Everybody wants to be an armchair quarterback after the fact. If they would have gone for 2 points and flubbed it, they would have been catching hell for that. Let it go.
November 7th, 2024 at 5:43 pm
I think Bowles, Liam, and Baker stay together in Tampa for at least two years and maybe 3 or 4 years. They like each other and have some pretty lofty goals.
November 7th, 2024 at 5:54 pm
Refs were going to make sure KC won that game. They would have called a penalty on someone even if they made it to make them retry. KC hhad several not called in OT. In regulation the facemask that wasn’t there cost us points. They are the new NFL Super Team. There is a reason they will have help to stay that way
November 7th, 2024 at 6:09 pm
Studies havbe shown that the current NFL Overtime rule definitely favors the team that wins the coin toss. It’d be the easiest thing in the world to fix …
Whoever wins the coin toss gets the ball at their 30-yard line and goes for a score (TD or FG). If they score, the opponent gets an equal opportunity to score, with the ball being placed at their 30-yard line, with an opportunity to tie or win the game.
But if their opponent holds them for 4 downs without them scoring, the ball goes over to their opponent at their own 30-yard line and they get the same opportunity to score. If they score, they win. If they don’t score, process starts all over again. It’s not rocket science. Don’t let the outcome of the game depend on who wins a coin toss. That’s grossly unfair.
November 7th, 2024 at 6:19 pm
After 9 weeks on the resume, I emphatically trust Coen offense…
Fully confident Bowels defense cant stop jack squat!
November 7th, 2024 at 7:36 pm
Just put all your cards in regulation then the coin toss is a moot point but whatever what happened happened on to the 49ers go bucs.
November 7th, 2024 at 8:58 pm
Go for 2 or not !!! I think more importantly was calling the TO and leaving Mahomes way to much time ,,,,, if they went for 2 and missed they lose and if they made it ,,, KC would have still got into FG range to kick game winner ,,, Even Aikman and Buck were wondering why they took the TO w that much time left
November 7th, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Anyone know if Belichick and Liam know each other at all? They might very well be getting to know each other intimately, hopefully in 4 days.
November 7th, 2024 at 9:20 pm
At the bye they need to fire Bowles and make Coen the interim HC and see how he does. It’s time.
November 7th, 2024 at 9:29 pm
They need to do something… The Todd Bowles experiment simply hasnt worked out. His coaching ability has got us more games that it has won.
November 7th, 2024 at 10:56 pm
Say hello to our next head coach.. be refreshing to have a head coach who can answer the press questions with fresh answers not canned
November 7th, 2024 at 11:32 pm
@Sly – there’s only 16 teams in the NFC… but I get your point- our defense is trash.