Numbers Crowd Crowns Liam Coen
January 8th, 2025
Stat nerds approve.
Two stat guys Joe periodically enjoys listening to are Shaw Syed and Tej Seth. They work for former Dixie Chicks shot-caller Thomas Dimitroff’s stats outfit Sumer Sports.
Syed and Seth seem to be big fans of Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen. So much so that, despite their self-admitted fanboy crush on Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, both decided to choose Coen as their NFL offensive coordinator of the year.
Basically, they love how Coen developed a strong run game from dead-last in the NFL, had Baker Mayfield playing like a top-tier quarterback, oversaw an offensive line that was dominant at times, and kept Mike Evans as an elite producer. And throw in working around the terrible loss of Chris Godwin, which would have had most teams circling the drain.
“Baker Mayfield has played well but is not in that elite tier of other quarterbacks that we have talked about,” Seth began. “You lose Chris Godwin but you do a really good job of scheming up Jalen McMillan.
“You bring in Bucky Irving because Rachaad White was a pretty inefficient rusher last year and you change your run-fit concepts to better fit both of them and you use two-back sets a lot” complementing their styles.”
Add finding a way to get Mike Evans to 1,000 yards receiving despite missing a lot of time, Seth said, and “all of that together was super impressive.”
Syed couldn’t argue.
“I 100 percent agree,” Syed replied. “It has to be him.
“It felt like at times, the Bucs season was over, there was no way you’re going to win the division. … When you think of teams you really want to study in the offseason, this [Bucs] run game is a really big thing and see how they do it. I can’t believe how good their offensive line looked at times.”
Joe agrees that Coen did a tremendous job. He’s why the Bucs are where they are right now.
If the Bucs’ offense was, say, middle of the pack, the Bucs would either be snowboarding, playing video games or hanging at Dominican beach bars nursing tropical drinks with island women rather than studying film of the Commandos.
With the Bucs’ secondary ravaged by injuries, Joe thinks Coen will have to cook up a strong run attack to keep the ball out of Jayden Daniels’ mitts.
January 8th, 2025 at 4:45 am
MAJOR differences since the last time we played Washington: it was week 1, so 2023 stats were telling the story.
30th ranked in opening drive scores. Now? we often score on opening drives.
Bottom 5 in rushing. Now?
4th in Rushing yards
3rd in rushing YPC
top 10 in 20 yard runs and 40 yard runs
Even without Godwin this is a dangerous offense
On the other side:
Daniels with 1 year under his belt
Lattimore is Evans Kryptonite. will he play?
IN all likelihood, a Bucs win would give Tampa Bay a game in the divisional round AT Philadelphia. Imagine that. its ALWAYS Philadelphia. McKay, Dungy, Gruden, Modern, even the Rays and Lightning always run into Philadelphia.
IF Green Bay can upset the Eagles, we would host winner of the Vikings/Rams game
January 8th, 2025 at 5:55 am
Bring it on , Bring it On …. Cant wait!
January 8th, 2025 at 6:04 am
Washington is going to play keep away like the Saints did, dink and dunk, with ocassional deep passes. and Jayden with his runs. I hope somehow the Bucs can get the ball and be more efficient this week. Last Sunday was a nightmare first half. All the talk about the Bucs offense means nothing if they do not have the ball.
Imperative for the Defense to get off the field this week.
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 8th, 2025 at 7:37 am
“I can’t believe how good their offensive line looked at times.” Should be even better next year. Whatever rookie hiccups Graham Barton had this year should be cured by veteran Graham Barton. While Breedson improved and was a nice free agent addition as the year went, I don’t think it would be hard to find an upgrade.
January 8th, 2025 at 7:44 am
Plz don’t let him leave
January 8th, 2025 at 8:00 am
And some say Canales and Coen had nothing to do with Bakers meteoric rise up the charts this year. You know the type they think Baker wins everything all by himself only blaming others for his problems on the field. If Baker had all he needed already then why couldn’t he make it in Cleveland Carolina and LA? He has all the physical tools but it was the mental he was missing. Cornales and Coen taught him that part.
January 8th, 2025 at 8:26 am
Would be insane if the Bucs let Liam Coen go. Would be a major setback for the organization. The guy is an offensive genius.
January 8th, 2025 at 8:33 am
I can’t disagree. I thought when the Bucs hired Coen he would be an upgrade to Canalas,who , I admit did better in Car than I thought. However , while giving a ton of props to Coen , yes outstanding and derserving of any award out there. However, keep in mind the Bucs offensive line is a lot better than last year. A new line coach can’t be overlooked, players like Mauch, Godecke have improved considerably. Adding Bucky Irvin was huge. We all have seen know he has boosted the run game and allowed White to be used more as a receiver, which he is one of the best. Yes hopefully we don’t lose Coen as he has proved to be a heck of a play caller and give him credit for taking full advantage of the upgraded talent.
January 8th, 2025 at 8:45 am
Way too much love for Coen. He blew the 49ers game with poor play calls on the goal line. Mayfield bailed him out against the Saints with gutsy runs. A good guy who needs more seasoning. If the Jags want him they can have him.
January 8th, 2025 at 8:45 am
Todd knows how to hire, that is for sure. Coen has done a good job as OC. Canales was just learning and I am not sure the grade he has as HC now.
Hoping Coen stays because the players will be even better next season, especially our rookies. Missing another OC and one that has built a solid relationship with the QB and team could always be a setback. Worrisome.
However, I would be happy for Liam if he was to find his own perfect fit with a team as HC. It’s what he wants. I just don’t believe that the Jags are right for him. If he could stay here a couple of years, and Todd retires, the Bucs could move him up. And there wouldn’t be that much of a change.
January 8th, 2025 at 8:48 am
Bucs have to make Coen an offer he cannot refuse, hoping Bowles retires
January 8th, 2025 at 9:14 am
I remember seeing a news piece on a sports channel about Jaden Daniels at the very beginning of the season and they were talking about how poor Washington’s offensive line was and that they had him getting out the ball super early. I have not sure if that is still the case but I could definitely see him playing in a style against a similar to the way bo Nix and Spencer Rattler did which is quick passes that completely neutralize our pass rush and given how poor are cornerbacks and linebackers are in coverage getting five to seven yards passes with completions and then yards after the catch because of our poor tackling anytime we do have assemblance of a pass rush I’m going to see Jaden Daniels manage to use his legs escape it and make a big game for a first down.
I think the key here is we’re going to have to play closer to the line of scrimmage on defense number one. Number two I think we’re going to need to have a spy on Daniels and since I don’t think Brit is up to the task it’s going to have to be Smith.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:21 am
Coen is outta this mother….Some team is going to scoop him up. The lure will be too great for him. And that lure ladies and gentlemen is called..MONEY.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:32 am
DavidBigBucsFan99… You give way too much credit to the Cleveland & Carolina organizations in this post. Both are train wrecks. Maybe Canales can turn the Panthers around a bit but not wild about ownership there. And the Rams already had their franchise QB, he was just hurt at the time. This was a desperation move. They were not going to sign Baker for the following season and he did pretty well with the Rams considering the situation.
It’s really a mix of both. I think Baker had the potential to be a really good quarterback in him and was already more mature as a player and a person. Going through all this probably helped him grow. I think he would have done pretty well with any offensive coordinator that was worth their salt. Some of the throws he made in the last game to McMillan show the physical skills are there, he can throw a dart into a tight spot when needed, you can’t coach that. He just needed a chance. But I think Canales proved the be the right encourager and mentor to get him there. Cohen just built on that… has a really good scheme and knew he had a good quarterback to work with. What he changed in the running game and the way he schemes receivers open is where he really helped this offense. Didn’t hurt we were in the process of building a pretty solid o line. It’s always a mix of stuff. Impossible to tell what percentage is Baker and what percentage was the OC. I’m just really happy with the results!
January 8th, 2025 at 9:33 am
I don’t see how Coen stays, the money is going to be too much. Canales is half the coach Coen is and he got a head coaching job. Unfortunately , I fear that Coen is gone.
I’d love to see Gruden as OC if Coen leaves.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:33 am
The wins this year were ‘in spite’ of our wonderful head coach & D/C
January 8th, 2025 at 9:49 am
Evans needed 17 games to get to 1,000 yards 3 of last 4 years. Rice only had 16 games (1 year he had 12). Evans gets an asterisk.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:19 am
@AI
The only season Mike Evans played 17 games in a season was last year when he it comfortably with 1,255 yards. No asterisk needed here buddy. Get out of here with that BS
January 8th, 2025 at 10:19 am
Going be a travesty watching Coen walk out the door and make a team like the Saints a perennial offensive powerhouse, while we’re stuck with the soft-zone dinosaur. Please do the right thing Glazers.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:20 am
Evans only played 14 games no asterisk.
Joe doesn’t get that argument. Love Evans, but it’s an asterisk because he had the benefit of a 17th game and Rice didn’t.–Joe
January 8th, 2025 at 10:21 am
How could the wins be “in spite” of our head coach. Very illogical thinking. Wasn’t it the head coach who pushed to sign Baker. Wasn’t it the head coach who wanted Coen to be his offensive coordinator. Isn’t the head coach responsible for a culture in which players fight to the end. Isn’t it the head coach who has used duct tape to cover up massive holes in the secondary, at linebacker and along the edge. Just don’t understand some of the people who post on this site. Weren’t the Bucs predicted to win 6 or 7 games. They won 10. Critics citing easy schedule despite the fact they had a first place schedule. Critics diminishing winning the division because it is a “weak” division. I guess the Patriots didn’t deserve to win Super Bowls because they were in a weak division during many of their championship years. Crazy.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:26 am
@KABucs
Great post. My son spent a lot of time living in Cleveland including when Baker was there.
His take on Baker mirrors yours and he told me Baker was not only the victim of trying to play through an injury too soon but also horrid coaching and even worse ownership.
And your right Bakers stop in LA was for a cup of coffee and Carolina and Cleveland? You said it!
So in 2 of Baker’s first 3 stops he played for two of the most godawful owners in the league. IMHO he appreciates the Glazers/Licht and yes even Dangerfield which is why he accepted his cap friendly deal.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:27 am
Murph
THANK YOU!!!!!
January 8th, 2025 at 10:45 am
KA exactly. He already had it in him. The physical tools were there it was the mental and maturity levels that weren’t. The reason I brought those two up is because if Baker was so great as his stuber fans claim he is and he’s done everything by himself he should’ve done better before. They completely deny the input and coaching that Canales and Coen have given him yet blame everyone in Cleveland for his failure there. As an OC Canales wasn’t all that great yet Baker had a career year. However those great stats he had last year to me were shadow stats because they didn’t tell the whole story of how poorly to mediocre he played half that season.
This year he had another career year behind Coen however these stats are for real because thru the slide and adversity this team endured he got better as the season went on. I couldn’t trust him last year but now as long as he’s on this team I will.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:57 am
No matter what cannot let Liam go. Make him assistant head coach, big raise and promise him Bowles job when he retires. If necessary let Bowles go as his defense is not good enough anyway. Would rather have Robert Salah or someone like him then lose Cohen.
January 8th, 2025 at 11:06 am
KABucs, there’s a lot of hot air on here claiming to be Buc fans. BS. That’s a shame about Cleveland: Fish rotting from the head down. I can believe it after enduring Culverhouse. I always liked the Browns. Panthers? They lost a very good owner, and that hurt them big-time. I am so proud of the Bucs now. A winning team with a great front office piloted by the Licht Man. stpete, that Dangerfield name for TB is inspired. 🙂 I really think Bucs have a decent shot at winning this one. And if Coen is dumb enough to split, so be it. Please do NOT bring back Chucky Gruden!!!!!!! Go Bucs!!
January 8th, 2025 at 11:44 am
The candy walrus brigade loves to point at this 3 division titles in a row thing. Embarrassing! First was with a losing record and Tom Brady!!! That’s hard to do.
Last year Canales pulled his head out to ignite the passing game to get the title – with a 9-8 record!
And the only reason Todd Bowles has a job this morning is due to this guy, Liam Coen. The only time the Bucs win 10 or more games with Todd in the building is when the offense averages 30ppg or more. So much for the defensive genius.
He’s a great dude, he gets high marks for his interpersonal skills. No doubt. I couldn’t care less about his statuesque demeanor on the sideline.
His defense sucks. Period. And he’s the defensive guy. Reporting to himself.
This could all work out if Todd is forced to hire a real defensive coordinator and focus on being a real head coach. We will see.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
Jethro.
Most wins since 2020, including playoffs (NFC teams): Buccaneers (57)
And it’s 4 division titles in a row, not 3
And the only reason Liam Coen isn’t still coaching sec leftovers in friggin Kentucky is because of Todd. You got shlt backwards again.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:13 pm
” point at this 3 division titles in a row thing. Embarrassing! ”
Winning is embarrassing? And as the cliche goes they don’t ask HOW…they ask HOW MANY.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
overthinking it the bucs got into the playoffs last four years and complaining about it father dungy colts 4th quarter against chucky the next 13 years should be gratefull
January 8th, 2025 at 12:43 pm
Nonsense to think that Canales and/or Coen “made” Mayfield. Again, for the umpteenth time neither of these guys was around in 2018, when Baker set the NFL rookie QB TD passes in 13 games for the Browns.
Neither was around in 2020 when Baker had a great year and took the Browns to a playoff win against the Steelers and a near win versus Chiefs in second playoff game. The Chiefs game was decided by a horrible, non call, helmet spearing pass play which cost the Browns a touchdown. Neither of these guys were around when SI named Baker the college QB of this century. More often than the other than not, Baker makes these coaches look good. The last couple of drives last Sunday are cases in point. When confronted with 2nd and long almost continually, Baker found a way to scramble and improvise to keep the ball moving. If Coen leaves, Baker will do what he always does—adjust and excel. The only time he hasn’t is when he tried to paly the entire 2021 season with a serious shoulder injury.
January 9th, 2025 at 9:14 am
Yeah I bet Baker had nothing to do with his 1-43 record when losing by 10 pts huh? Everybody else’s fault right? He excelled at the Panthers didn’t he?
January 9th, 2025 at 1:17 pm
DavidBigBucsFan99 Says:
January 9th, 2025 at 9:14 am
Yeah I bet Baker had nothing to do with his 1-43 record when losing by 10 pts huh? Everybody else’s fault right? He excelled at the Panthers didn’t he?
===============================
Not even any fun bothering with you. You and Munch are no longer Dumb and Dumber. You are just Dumbest.