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Liam Coen Rubbing Off on Jaguars in the Best Way
Oct 6, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

It’s hard to shake the image and the sound of Liam Coen’s introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, in his first five weeks at the helm, he’s turned the harrowing call of his “DuvaaAAALLLL” from a haunted omen for a cursed franchise into a war cry for this team and its beloved new Commander in Chief.

Obviously, a bad miss on the Jaguars’ trademark chant isn’t the end-all be-all of anything. That didn’t stop pundits and detractors from writing Coen off on that lone soundbite, though.

The criticisms ranged from ‘he doesn’t know anything about the team’ to ‘he’s too dorky to lead a room full of massive athletes.’ Within five weeks, Coen has them singing a different tune.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

How Liam Coen’s personality is infecting the Jaguars

Confidence is a huge part of football. Building enough momentum can overcome even the most daunting odds. On the other side, having the conviction to shake off a bad play or a run from the opposition is what makes the difference between good teams and players and great ones.

A lot of the skepticism surrounding Liam Coen was how he would handle the mental aspect of coaching. His time as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 proved that he was a schematic mastermind, but could he be a leader of men?

His 4-1 record says yes, as do his players and his post-game speeches. Jacksonville media recently asked Coen if he feels that his personality has started to infect the team:

“It was weird, because when I got here and had a lot of conversations with the guys individually, there was a little bit of a chip on the shoulder and a little bit of a frustrated but eager mentality, and so I think that was pretty innate with some of the guys where that's kind of been my approach in general and the way I coach. So that just naturally I think connected maybe with some of the guys or I connected to them, because I felt that from them as well.”

“And so, I was probably my most calm the other night in ways and it was cool to see then Trevor [Lawrence] take over some of that, and you saw some of the swagger that he had after he made the throw to [Brian Thomas Jr.] and [Dyami Brown] and just you just saw some confidence and grit and toughness that you want your teams to display, not because it's about my personality or me, it's more because I think that that helps have an edge. And ultimately, I do like our team to have an edge.”


This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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