Made For Each Other
January 17th, 2025
“Liam, think about it: If Urban Meyer couldn’t work with Trevor Lawrence, what shot do you have?“
If Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians was the quarterback whisperer, then Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen is the Baker Mayfield whisperer.
Late in the 2022 season, Mayfield’s career bottomed out in Carolina. The Browns had washed their hands of him and whored themselves out for a skunk like Deshaun Watson. #Fail
Then Mayfield (and Sam Darnold) wound up on Matt Rhule’s roster in Carolina. That organization was a complete and total mess and the Stinking Panthers released Mayfield.
Sitting on the NFL scrap heap, the Rams came calling in desperation. Mayfield had only hours to prepare for the Raiders on a Thursday night.
Mayfield played pretty well. And linking up with then-Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen seemed to turn around Mayfield, or at least get his head above water.
He came to the Bucs and had a Pro Bowl solid season. Then this past year, Coen is reunited with Mayfield and Mayfield exploded with his best year in the NFL.
Diante Lee of The Ringer was so impressed, he thinks Mayfield has grown into a top-10 quarterback. Not bad for a guy who was left along the NFL road like an abandoned kitten.
Even if you had told me that offensive coordinator Liam Coen would keep [the Bucs’] offense steady in 2024, there’s no way I would have imagined his scheme would make quarterback Baker Mayfield look even better than he did last season. Coen gave Mayfield plenty of easy answers with screens and quick passes off play-action, but as injuries piled up at receiver and defenses tried to take those short passes away, we saw Mayfield aggressively attack downfield. He played like one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the league this season…
Joe is firmly convinced Mayfield and Coen have only scratched the surface. Think about it: With the exception of Mayfield, this offense was fully new to the Bucs.
For example, last year when Dave Canales came in, Mike Evans told Joe in mid-December, after the Bucs beat the Packers in Green Bay, that he and his teammates were still learning Canales’ offense.
So Joe thinks it’s safe to say the Bucs probably haven’t digested Coen’s complete arsenal yet. Think about how much more efficient if not more dangerous this offense could be next season, especially if Chris Godwin returns.
Bucky Irving will be better. Graham Barton will be better — provided Coen doesn’t flee for a head coaching gig.
January 17th, 2025 at 7:07 am
Todd Monken is ALSO interviewing with JAC, I’d expect they’d go with him over Liam
January 17th, 2025 at 7:09 am
Re-sign Godwin. Find better DBs and a new LB to go with David. And some outside pass rushers.
January 17th, 2025 at 7:46 am
The Bucs offense will be a top 5 offense again in 2025, but even better with or without Godwin (I hope it’s with). Can you imagine if we also had a top 10 defense? DEEEEP into the playoffs! C’mon Licht, do your magic. And please Todd, turn the DC reins over to someone else. We’ve absolutely got to fix our passing defense.
January 17th, 2025 at 7:58 am
I like it Beeej!! I hope you’re right.
January 17th, 2025 at 7:58 am
With Cohen at the Helm having another year to devise a better plan of attack using ALL the teams tools-running & passing. Baker leading the way with Godwin and Evans receiving and Bucky And White rushing. Tampa Bay will have a deadly quick strike offense. Able to score from any place on the field. 2025 is going to be fun to watch.
January 17th, 2025 at 8:00 am
I pushed back several times on comments made asking if Baker can recreate his stats from 2023. I simply thought he was better than that. 2024 proved me correct. You won’t hear me saying that I think he can improve on 2024 but I’m hoping that he can stick to that mean. That makes him a top 10 quarterback in this league and I don’t see him breaking into the top 5. But that’s not a bad thing. Baker is on a trajectory of being the best ever QB for the Bucs for career numbers. Finally: a true franchise quarterback for the Bucs. Hoorah! And continue to laugh at the Browns for being idiots and not seeing what they had.
January 17th, 2025 at 8:23 am
MadHairKen, 100% agree. We have holes on defense at LB, CB, and Edge.. not gunna be easy to just add and hope it works out but I have faith in our front office that we can get DBs and LB in either draft or FA, it’s the edge that scares me. Licht has been king Midas with his draft picks outside of pass rushers, I hope he learns from past mistakes and trades for one or goes heavy for a big splash one in FA if one exists. As far as Godwin, I would love to have him back but we need those holes on defense fixed more than we need him back, and it pains me to say that as he’s a fucking STUD. But if this injury is anything like the last in recovery for him it could take him a full season or more to get back to previous form and that’s a lot of money to allocate on a role we might already have filled with rookie McMillan
January 17th, 2025 at 8:32 am
Good article. So happy to see Baker’s power ranking in the top 10 above many others.
Beeej you could be right about the Jags and Todd M. I think he was at the Browns as OC the same time Baker was there too.
January 17th, 2025 at 8:34 am
It was a miracle that Coen performed, 48 hours with Rams and he turned Mayfield in an NFL QB….. Give me a break.
January 17th, 2025 at 9:41 am
Yeah we’ll be fine if he goes. We can just bring back Leftwich or MAYBE ANTONIO CAN BE THE NEXT OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR.👍 He has a hard enough time with himself. You’d think they wouldn’t even let Coen walk out of the building for interviews. Why take that chance losing him?
January 17th, 2025 at 10:49 am
Well that’s nice of Diante, I feel like that was obvious by mid season. The Ringer and Diante have some of the worst rankings I see every year. Constantly down on the Bucs and Baker. The big market bias is very real over there.
January 17th, 2025 at 11:57 am
Confession: I’m amazed so many Bucs fans on this site have yet to learn Liam Coen’s name is not Cohen.
WTS, if Coen returns & the Bucs chose to re-up Godwin (which I am not so certain of due to cost vs injury history/age)…Bucs still need another young 1st contract WR added to the mix. Evans is no spring chicken and Godwin may not be himself until mid-late season coming back from the ankle dis-location.
It’s hard for me to see Bucs throwing $20-25M/yr for Godwin under current circumstances. The FO sure could use that coin to help replenish a few open slots in the DEF cupboard in FA…While expecting the FO will resign a few guys I’d let walk, at Bowles urging.
IMO, the Bucs FO also need to plan for ME to be a shell of himself, again in 2025, as father time was showing gains in 2024 that can’t be held off much longer….
I’m holding out hope for 2025 Draft Day 1 = UGA LB Jalon Walker & for TCU WR Savion Williams to fall into Licht’s lap on Day 2 of the draft. That dude is going to be a beast in the league. (Think bigger version of Deebo Samuel…6’5″ 4.45 & 40in vert – huge catch radius & high point hands)
January 17th, 2025 at 11:59 am
BakerFan Says:
January 17th, 2025 at 8:34 am
It was a miracle that Coen performed, 48 hours with Rams and he turned Mayfield in an NFL QB….. Give me a break.
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BakerFan,
Thanks for pointing that nonsense out. Also, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, and others owe more to Mayfield than the other way around. Todd Bowles can also thank Mayfield for keeping him safe. Baker has had an endless parade of OC’s and performs at a high level. Would like to know which QB’s have performed better than Mayfield. Keep reading he is in the “Top 10.” More like the Top 5.
January 17th, 2025 at 12:51 pm
After a major injury I don’t think Godwin is going to be paid by anyone other than the Bucs. With Baker pulling for him they will definitely re-sign him. The question is for how much. If Godwin takes 10-15m a year I could see him back. He would be smart to take a 1 year prove it deal. We need 1 other receiver though and the rest goes to defense. Also, Palmer needs to learn how to stretch the field and catch balls to make this offense lethal. Man I’m excited for next year. This year kind of sucked and we weren’t as good as our record showed. I know y’all hate on Devin White but at least he made plays occasionally. We cannot keep banking on father time staying away from LVD. With a good defense we could cover up any mistakes on offense. The defense was so bad this year that any mistakes by the offense were amplified.
January 17th, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Palmer won’t be back next year. He is a mediocre punt returner and is regressing as a receiver.
January 17th, 2025 at 2:52 pm
More efficient +is+ more dangerous.
January 17th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
I want sacks! The Bucs delivered sacks this season in spades finishing 5th in the league. Is it really a problem that so many came from the interior with Kancey and Vea. IE I do not care where the sacks come from if they get the QB on the ground!
As far as WR’s…I look at targets with talent who can catch the ball. They don’t have to play wide or in the slot they can also be TE’s which in turn can also be split out.
Bottom llne is with NO additions to the offense Baker will have for targets…HOFer ME13, an incredibly improved talented rookie in Jalen Mac and some mediocrity after that unless they resign CG14. Don’t know that the cap can handle that.
So those are just WR’s. Now for more targets how about Otton and Culp?
How about Bucky and Rachaad and Sean.
In a TV Documentary on the late Aaron Hernandez whomever was Belichiks OC or offensive whisperer decided to grab Gronk AND Hernandez despite his baggage.
They planned a two TE offense and it worked!! For one season anyway until Hernandez got busted for murder. AH actually outplayed Gronk that season, no slight to Gronk at all…Hernandez really was all that!! Sadly as a player and a bad character to have on the team.
January 17th, 2025 at 2:56 pm
Catcard202: You’re right! For months I thought it was just a spelling difference, and was happily claiming him as a member of the (Jewish) tribe. Apparently “Coen” is Gaelic, though. Oh, well, such is life.
January 17th, 2025 at 2:59 pm
BTW Culp should now be given more opportunities to shine.
He’s a large man 6-4 a biscuit under 240lbs and runs a 4.47 40!!!
January 17th, 2025 at 3:08 pm
Less turnovers and Baker would reach a new level.
I worry about Godwin’s return… How many guys (receivers specifically) have come back from that particular injury? Will he be the guy he was? I really hope so – Chris was easily our offensive MVP before he got hurt!
Liam’s done a good job. That’s all. Not perfect. Not irreplaceable.
January 17th, 2025 at 4:47 pm
The ONLY things keeping Baker from breaking into the top 5 are his interceptions and fumbles. If he were to get them down he would be fighting for the top 3 spots statisticaly. People don’t know this but Baker was a heisman finalist his sophomore, junior and won it his senior year. I’m not sure anyone else has done that. If they have, it is very few. Baker is a stud quaterback and will show it over the next 5 years. There will be no regression next year. He will be better.
January 17th, 2025 at 5:51 pm
Poppycock. Baker makes Coen look good. Let him walk. Bring on Alex Van Pelt