Did Trevor Lawrence Spook Liam Coen?
January 23rd, 2025
“Baker, you really think I wanted to work with a Dabo Swinney quarterback whose head has been infected with Urban Meyer?”
So this is weird: A couple of guys on Mike Greenberg’s podcast were talking NFL, including Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen, but Greenberg wasn’t on his own podcast. Strange.
Anyway,Coen’s decision yesterday to throw in the towel on the Jags and instead stay with the Bucs seemed to trigger someone named Qiant Myers.
And Myers already has a culprit for the breakdown in the Jags’ pursuit of Coen. That would be Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But Myers can’t believe Coen chose Baker Mayfield over Lawrence.
“I’m old enough to remember a time, because I was more than five years old, in which Trevor Lawrence was supposed to be the next John Elway. He was supposed to be the best prospect since Andrew Luck.
“What the bleep happened? I cannot imagine a scenario, I could not imagine a scenario, in which Trevor Lawrence, who was anointed, who was the chosen one, who was going to be the messiah of Jacksonville, [that a coach] would have had a job opportunity available to coach him this early in his career.
“And a coordinator given the opportunity to do that pulling his name out of the running to coordinate an offense quarterbacked by Baker Mayfield instead.”
That’s kind of harsh.
Mayfield is one of the better quarterbacks in the league. He’s certainly better than Lawrence. And sadly, Joe fears that inept outfit in Jacksonville screwed up Lawrence for good when they stuck him as a rookie with an option quarterback guy who actually thought Dwayne Haskins was a better quarterback than Joe Burrow.
Yes, that would be Urban Meyer.
Lawrence was never the same.
Coen bet on himself yesterday (with Team Glazer loot, of course). Coen figures more jobs will open up where the organization in question will have an idea or a clue to what they are doing unlike the modern-day Bill Bidwill, Jags owner Shad Con Khan.
By betting on himself, if Coen plays his cards right, he could be coaching Arch Manning somewhere in a year or two. Y
ou really think the Manning Clan will let Arch Manning go to some Mickey Mouse outfit like the Jags (that plays home games in London each year) That’s why they wouldn’t let Eli Manning sign with the Chargers 20 years ago — the Manning Clan thought the Spanos Gang was over its head.
January 23rd, 2025 at 12:22 am
Just glad Liam is back for 2025. Start grooming his replacement just in case Bowles stays head coach in 2026.
Joe, How about a story on Thad. Has excelled at QB coach with Baker the last two years. Also no complaints about him coaching the receivers 2021 & 2022.
January 23rd, 2025 at 12:33 am
Jags oughtta just make Leftwich their HC
January 23rd, 2025 at 12:37 am
LOL!
January 23rd, 2025 at 12:38 am
This dude is mentally challenged, baker is better than Trevor, better offense and run game, better offensive line. If I could coach baker and the offense with a chance to eventually become the head coach if the defense don’t improve, I would gladly take it over the mess in jacksonville
January 23rd, 2025 at 1:16 am
Coaches sometimes only get two years, or even only one.
Baker is a man’s man. Meanwhile I have a friend who often can’t remember names, he refers to the Jags QB as “that dude who looks like a chick.”
January 23rd, 2025 at 1:43 am
Holy bleep I have just one word of advice: EDIT!!
Relax, the editor was not awake when this posted.–Joe
January 23rd, 2025 at 2:41 am
Coen decided to take the money and wait a year for the job. We’ve seen this scenario before and we’re almost surely watching the sequel to the movie. We’ve watched three seasons of a broken record playing the same tune on repeat. Todd Bowles is a top notch human but a lousy head coach.
He had Brady, in a handicapped manner. Tom was equally emotionally absent & coordinator deficient. Still, Saint Dungy needed Peyton to complete his puzzle, and he only got it done once. They’re so similar, except Dungy is the better in most every way by a small margin.
So, Todd is going to plow his way to 10 wins, struggling through unexplainable mid-season debacles. The team will play even with their early playoff opponents, losing in astounding fashion before reaching the Conference final. Todd will be replaced by Coen early next January.
I wish I could see the lottery numbers as clearly as this seems to be unfolding. The only way something different happens is if a leopard can actually learn to change its spots. I’ll be sad for Todd, mad at everyone who spoke about him deserving another opportunity in 2025, and hopeful the repeated flameouts somehow make Baker’s extension more affordable.
Here’s the real risk. Godwin leaves now. Evans leaves next winter and all Coen has left in 26 is McMillan, Shepard and Palmer.
January 23rd, 2025 at 3:11 am
I don’t know if I’d put Lawrence in the wasted pile just yet, the times I’ve seen him and he’s had healthy players around him he’s still looked pretty good – at least in terms of potential. Baker has clearly looked better, but that Coen offense is fantastic and Lawrence would look dramatically better if he got the same play-calling the Bucs got this year.
I think their GM being fired almost immediately after Coen said he was returning the Bucs is your big tip-off. That and all the rumors during saying Coen and Johnson both turned down the job because of the GM.
January 23rd, 2025 at 4:24 am
Rod … Excellent points, and I agree that Lawrence would look dramatically better with Coen as his OC. QBs are only as good as their OLine & their weapons allow them to be. Lawrence had a very good sophomore year (2022) under Doug Pederson (he went 9-8, and Jags won the wildcard game but then lost to the Chiefs in next round). But then things slipped in 2023 and really turned south in 2024. Jags should’ve kept Pederson BTW and just fired Baalke. Having Khan as the owner doesn’t help either (64-148 since he bought them in 2012).
January 23rd, 2025 at 4:25 am
Rod … Excellent points, and I agree that Lawrence would look dramatically better with Coen as his OC. Eagles pummeled him (shoulder injury) in Week 9 last year, then the Texans beat him up again (concussion & reinjured shoulder that required season-ending surgery). He’s still rehabbing apparently.
January 23rd, 2025 at 4:27 am
Rod … QBs are only as good as their OLine & their weapons allow them to be IMO. Lawrence had a very good sophomore year (2022) under Doug Pederson but then things slipped in 2023 and really turned south in 2024. Jags should’ve kept Pederson BTW and just fired Baalke. Jags are 64-148 since Khan bought them in 2012.
January 23rd, 2025 at 4:38 am
Now how do the Glazers manage to keep him after we win the division and … next year. I hate these bogus “coaching contracts”!!!!
Go Bucs!
January 23rd, 2025 at 5:52 am
Garro, my opinion is, and opinion are like as. ho…. everybody has one and you and others may see it differently. The next year is very important for the Bucs to have someone on staff learn Coen’s offense or at least enough of it to keep the team rolling a head on offense rather than completely starting over
January 23rd, 2025 at 6:39 am
Not having Mayfield, Evans & Irving spooked him.
January 23rd, 2025 at 7:57 am
Keep insulting Baker. He thrives on that. Its not just about the QB. He would be coach of all three phases and the draft. The Hags are broken and it starts at the top with the Con Khan man.
January 23rd, 2025 at 8:55 am
Dude obviously never saw the Buc Mayfield play…
January 23rd, 2025 at 9:41 am
I kinda had the feeling Come might balk at having his initial head coaching reputation forged in Jacksonville. Yeah, head coaching jobs aren’t falling from the sky like raindrops, but a few will open up most every year. Lawrence is already on his second contract and what a contract it is. If you’re gonna pay the guy like a top tier quarterback you need to be sure he will make you a contender almost on his own cuz there’s not much left for anybody else. The owner is kinda out of touch too.
January 23rd, 2025 at 10:11 am
Khan and Jerry Jones care more about the value of their franchise than winning football games. Even if Khan picks up a good GM, coaches and players should avoid him.
January 23rd, 2025 at 12:39 pm
I figured the Jags’ problems began with that ownership change. Thats’ why I will always believe that the fans should own these teams. Green Bay proves it. Khan sounds like another ‘winner’ with too much money.
January 23rd, 2025 at 1:24 pm
In light of the Johnso and Coen’s rejection and the Baalke firing, Lefty appears smarter than he looks.
January 23rd, 2025 at 2:06 pm
I don’t think “Joe” listened to the rest of the discussion. He went on to say that it “was a red flag on Trevor Lawrence and his prospects” if a coach decided it was better not to go to Jax. He also said Baker Mayfield is the exact opposite of a coach killer, that he’s made the lives of his coaches easier.
January 23rd, 2025 at 5:37 pm
Precisely why I will never understand why there’s nfl, the media and fans have made eli manning a god like figure. He villified the entire nfl by refusing to play where he was drafted and his Daddy supported his actions. Peyton showed so much class…went to a 1-15 team in a small market and brought the ream along nicely. Spoiled baby eli spit in the face of the entire league!! Ask yourselves, what if many of the high end draft picks did this? What would happen to the league structure which has evolved the nfl into the most popular sport. They should have never allowed that baby to dictate his team…look out this year too…Deion is threatening to do the same with his kids…recipe for disaster!!! Pray to God that eli is not elected to the HOF…he is a complete disgrace to the nfl