Yahoo!: Liam Coen Might Want To Pass On This Coaching Cycle
January 10th, 2025
Tough decisions ahead.
The Bucs may very well have hit the lottery when they signed Liam Coen as offensive coordinator.
Joe doesn’t think there is any Bucs fan that thought Coen — or anyone short of Don Coryell — would turn around the Bucs offense like this, never mind the run game.
It’s why some folks think Coen was the best offensive coach in the NFL this past year. Hard to argue otherwise.
As with other successful coordinators, NFL teams come calling. It’s just a matter of time before Coen is a head coach somewhere. “This Joe” predicted next season and will stick to his prediction, if for no other reason than stubbornness.
Selfishly, of course, Joe wants Coen to stick around.
So with NFL teams already in the middle of coaching searches, Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports thinks Coen (and a few other coordinators) may be smart to sit this coaching cycle out. Why? There are major pitfalls with each opening, Schwab types.
To summarize, here is why Schwab thinks coaching candidates ought to say, “Thanks, but no thanks” to teams with vacancies.
Bears: Trainwreck of an organization. Sure they’ve got a quarterback and maybe some decent weapons but that roster is otherwise bereft of talent. And with the hierarchy, run by a 101-year old woman, can that organization be trusted to bring in talent to build a winner? Given the history of the franchise the past half-century (sans a blip in 2006), that’s a bad gamble.
Patriots: (See: Bears) New England has a good young quarterback but a fully empty roster save a player or three. Joe believes this is better than the Bears gig because the Krafts have built a solid organization, unlike the McCaskey clan in Chicago.
Slimy Saints: Aging roster and really no quarterback to build around.
Raiders: No quarterback or general manager, unless Tom Brady is running the show (quite possible). Even that is a leap of faith. But yeah, you are working in Vegas, so that’s a major plus, for the two or three years you’ll live there.
Jags: You may or may not have a quarterback. You have a clown for a general manager who nobody likes. And an owner who is fully inept and is the modern-day version of Bill Bidwill.
Jets: They’re the Jets. Ask Todd Bowles.
Joe still is worried about the Patriots. Coen is from there, again, the Patriots have a very good organization and Creepy Bob Kraft is a strong owner.
Throw in the fact that Coen is from Rhode Island, that’s going to pull at Coen’s heartstrings if Kraft comes calling.
So let’s cross our fingers. Let’s hope Schwab is correct and that no openingts are attractive enough for Coen to back up the U-Haul.
January 10th, 2025 at 12:19 am
The Glazers didn’t let Koetter go anywhere after 2016 where JaMiss actually played like a promising, developing QB.
I’m not worried, they’ll do what’s right to keep Liam. Quietly making him heir apparent and then using that to leverage Todd to hire a real defensive coordinator.
Go Bucs.
January 10th, 2025 at 12:19 am
*2015 typo
January 10th, 2025 at 12:22 am
Sunshine Coen lots of sunshine Coen. Beaches Coen. No state income tax Coen. Winning Corn. Lots of winning Coen. Franchise quarterback Coen. You want to stay in Tampa Coen. You love it here. You are too smart to leave now Coen this roster will only get better Coen. Coen. Coen Bowles will retire soon Coen. Mayfield will be here for a decade Coen…. Hope he stays. GO BUCS
January 10th, 2025 at 12:22 am
Only threat i see is the raiders if spytek becomes GM for the raiders. Definetly a possibility
January 10th, 2025 at 1:25 am
Write the check please Glazer’s.
January 10th, 2025 at 1:31 am
Generally speaking whenever the gm and head coach is fired or even just the head coach it means the team sucks or is underachieving. Besides Bowles and Mike Tomlin I can’t think of franchises giving had coaches playoffs teams. Jon Gruden gave up Raiders, jimmy johnson with the cowboys but basically if he doesn’t take over for Bowles at some point he’ll have to build up a winning program something Bowles didn’t have to do.
January 10th, 2025 at 2:39 am
We got great draft picks before and after Coen.
1 more solid draft and accounting genius by Greenberg before he leaves and Tampa is where you wanna be.
Makes way too much sense to leave ala Ben Johnson.
He wants to win ine as an Offensive Coordinator and HC.
January 10th, 2025 at 2:39 am
We got great draft picks before and after Coen.
1 more solid draft and accounting genius by Greenberg before he leaves and Tampa is where you wanna be.
Makes way too much sense to leave ala Ben Johnson.
He wants to win ine as an Offensive Coordinator and HC.
January 10th, 2025 at 4:22 am
Stay and let the O-Line & Baker continue in your system for Year 2
Running Game will still be great
Mike is Mike
Chris will hopefully stay with us
McMillan in Year 2
Convince LVD to play 1 more year
Draft Defense & LFG
January 10th, 2025 at 4:49 am
Fully agree, Joe. Not being selfish either, but these teams as head coach could be a big risk with a job lasting only a year. They seem to want miracles more quickly these days. You are right about the Patriots being worrisome. They have the edge since Coen has ties to the area and they have a young rookie QB.
January 10th, 2025 at 4:55 am
Funny thing about teams looking for a head coach Joe. They are almost never stacked like the Bucs were when Todd got them. Just saying.
Go Bucs!
January 10th, 2025 at 5:48 am
I mean really, how often is the situation perfect when the team needs a new coach? The key is having a good GM and scouting department. The rest can be fixed pretty quickly.
January 10th, 2025 at 5:53 am
Assistant Head Coach ,, to take over the Bucs 2026
January 10th, 2025 at 6:50 am
We are building a dynasty.
Offer him the same salary as Bowles.
Extend him for 5 more years.
Build the greatest offense in NFL history.
Oh yea.
I’m talking multiple rings.
January 10th, 2025 at 7:44 am
Being a UCF fan some years ago Scott Frost thought it was a good idea to go home to Nebraska. He was building something good in Orlando. He had an undefeated season beating Auburn a SEC team in a bowl game. The future for him, and UCF never seemed brighter. The go back home heart strings won out, and it turned out a big failure. He’s back trying to rebuild now, lesson learned. Someone should have Scott Frost call Coen about going home.
January 10th, 2025 at 8:10 am
There’s no salary cap for coaches, just sayin
January 10th, 2025 at 8:14 am
Ideally, he stays for one more year and then becomes the head coach and Todd steps away. Let’s be honest we need a better defense here. We can always stop the run with Todd, but boy our pass defenses incredibly frustrating and very beatable. We can’t afford to lose Cohen. He can ride it out with Baker the next 10 years and we’ll have a formidable team with a great offense which will keep us competitive every year.
January 10th, 2025 at 8:33 am
Yeah, the Patriots would probably be the biggest temptation. Foxboro is west of Boston and kind of to the south. Extremely close to Rhode Island. I think you can go from foxboro to the Rhode Island state line in like 15 minutes. So all of Rhode Island is less than an hour from Foxboro. I’m guessing he has family in Rhode Island still, and then probably old friends. His day to go see family and friends would be like us driving to Disney for the day, super easy and probably even less driving in this Foxboro to RI scenario.
Next in line LV… dependent on variables like GM.
Third, probably the Jacksonville situation.
All others are not worth the headache and are probably all set up to fail scenarios.
January 10th, 2025 at 8:45 am
Everybody in the NFL dreams about winning the SB. By far, Coen’s best chance to win a SB is here in Tampa. The Glazers need to pay him, maybe $1 less than Bowles, and increase both their salaries to match offers to Coen. Let’s see if the Glazers really want to win or if they’re going to be idiots like Jerry Jones.
January 10th, 2025 at 8:56 am
Hopefully, Coen stays. Selfishly, I hope for at least 1 more year. Because by then, Carolina, Atlanta, and the Saints will all have stable coaching situations. We do NOT want to play Coen’s team twice every year….
January 10th, 2025 at 8:59 am
Truth
“our pass defenses incredibly frustrating and very beatable.”
Yes but what happens if TL hits the draft on D this year as well as he did O this past season?
What happens if the Bucs make the Conference Championship/SB next season with solid replacements and returning health of the current depleted D.
With the bodies on the field the past few games No coach was going to create a great pass D.
Given Dangerfield some chicken instead of spit and see if he can create the chicken salad.
January 10th, 2025 at 9:05 am
I believe the Patriot’s job is Vrabels to accept or turn down
January 10th, 2025 at 9:08 am
Yeah it seems the Pats are just blowing through some Rooney Rule interviews and are gonna hire Vrabel soon.
January 10th, 2025 at 9:48 am
There is a team in KC with a QB in his prime and two other teams from the same division in the playoffs. LV years away from being competitive. JAX has underperformed. New England wants Bravely who has a far better resume than Coen.
January 10th, 2025 at 10:09 am
Joe, Mike Vrabel will be the HC of the Patriots. Plus they just hired/fired someone young so they don’t want to go that direction again right now.
January 10th, 2025 at 10:41 am
Where us Defense Rules? Anybody have any intel?
January 10th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Strike while the Iron is Hot. If there is any reason for Coen not take a HC job it’s because he his far down the list of potential candidates.
Belichick saw the current coaches like Vrabel, the OC and DC from Detroit, the Kingsbury’s with HC experience and talent then decided to go to College for a Job. If Coen can get something he should go for it. NFCS is only going to get better and 10-7 is good enough in the South but in the North you are sitting in last place.
Who would be a higher consideration. Belichick or Coen? That choice would be as easy as a Jamar Chase or Jalen McMillan decision. Not even close.
When 7 of your 17 games are against teams that are bad against the pass and even worse against the run it’s no surprise that your offense looks great.
Coen like Mayfield in free agency will have a lot of the phone not ringing due to little interest and ending up getting the best deal where he is at. Tampa.
If Coen is smart he will get a deal done with Tampa before getting humbled in the Divisional Round should they get by the Commanders.
January 10th, 2025 at 1:20 pm
Any team needing a coach is likely a bad team.
That said, I don’t think Coen wants to leave. He probably hasnsaid so because he can get a raise.
January 10th, 2025 at 2:13 pm
Why would anyone turn down $30-million in guaranteed money? It’s not like if you got fired you can’t just go back to being an OC. People pinning their hopes on Coen turning down huge long term money are nuts. Hopefully somehow the Bucs come out of this unscathed, but if their hand is forced, they should choose to give Coen the Bucs HC job if it comes to that.
January 10th, 2025 at 3:07 pm
I thought he might turn out to be as good as Canales, and I really hoped he would. I didn’t dare to dream he would turn out to be so much better.