The Jacksonville Jaguars have high hopes for new head coach Liam Coen.
After a brilliant season in 2024 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, Coen's ability to develop an offense is arguably the biggest reason he is the Jaguars' coach today -- and this ability goes far further than many might realize.
During an appearance on 'Jaguars Today' on 1010XL, Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli explained one trait that has already stood out about his team's new head coach.
"And what people don't probably realize, our fans, is Liam could coach every position on the offense," Boselli said.
"Like the details he understands of offensive line, playing technique and how to go about it. It's remarkable. And you realize really quickly this is a guy who grew up on the sidelines with a dad who is a coach, and he's a coach's kid, and I've been thoroughly impressed with everything, how he's done everything to date, and really going about and leading our team. And then the fun part for me, if he's a guy is fun to work with, He's a good dude. He's a guy I look forward to."
Coen's upbringing and calling card is of course at the quarterback position, and that is where the Jaguars will hope to see the biggest jump this year as he sinks his hooks into Trevor Lawrence.
But quarterback is far from the only position the Jaguars need to see improve on offense, and that is where Coen's knowledge of every position will come in handy.
Coen has trusted assistants at every position group on offense, but he is also able to float from position to position in practice instead of simply focusing on Lawrence's development. And that is exactly what the Jaguars' rookie head coach did at rookie minicamp last week, dividing his time throughout the entire roster instead of just working with the quarterbacks.
Coen is a brilliant offensive mind, and the Jaguars will look to his brilliance to help them improve by leaps and bounds all around the offense this year.
If Coen can do that, then he will give the Jaguars their best chance to be a tough out every single week.
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It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that through two days of training camp, the Vikings' defense appears to be pretty far ahead of the offense. Brian Flores is now in his third season as Minnesota's defensive coordinator, and many of his key players have been in the scheme since he arrived. Others are now in their second year, and even some of the newcomers seem to have picked things up quickly over the course of this offseason. Meanwhile, the Vikings are breaking in an offense with a new starting quarterback (and a new backup), as well as some new pieces on the offensive line and elsewhere. Expected or not, my main takeaway from Thursday's practice was how impressive this defense already looks. On a beautiful 80-degree day at TCO Performance Center, Flores' group appeared to be in mid-camp form, if not ready for the regular season to begin already. That was also the case on Wednesday, when they snagged a pair of pick-sixes on the first day of camp. The lone interception on Thursday went to 14th-year safety Harrison Smith, the league's active leader in picks by a healthy margin. In a 7-on-7 period, he snagged a J.J. McCarthy pass that deflected off of Lucky Jackson's hands, then — in humorous Smith fashion — proceeded to lateral it to teammate Jay Ward shortly thereafter. So many different members of the first-team defense stood out at least once. Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Harrison Phillips blew up run plays and got into the backfield. Jonathan Greenard roasted tackles with speed off the edge. Blake Cashman burst unblocked through a gap on a blitz for a would-be sack. Ivan Pace Jr. did the same off a stunt. Isaiah Rodgers made a great play to break up a McCarthy back-shoulder ball intended for Rondale Moore (who, at 5'7", probably won't be the recipient of many back-shoulder targets in game action). The Vikings were second in defensive DVOA last season, and I don't think there's any question that they got better — at least on paper — over the course of the offseason. That doesn't guarantee more dominance this season. But it's hard not to get excited about a defense that has a chance to be incredible up front with Allen, Hargrave, Phillips, Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Cashman, and Pace. If the secondary reaches its potential, Flores could be cooking with all kinds of gas this season. That context is also why no one should panic if McCarthy and the offense aren't particularly sharp over the course of training camp. This defense might just be better than any they'll see over the entire regular season. Here are some other notes from Thursday's practice. Jeff Okudah is a player to watch. He's the No. 3 corner with the first-team defense right now, alongside Byron Murphy Jr. and Rodgers. The former No. 3 overall pick is on his fourth team in as many seasons, but he's only 26 years old, and if anyone is going to help him revive his career, it feels like Flores and Daronte Jones could be the coaches to do it. Okudah is physical and not afraid to come up in run support, which he did for a would-be TFL in this practice. Mekhi Blackmon has been working with the second-team defense so far. I think I'm obligated by law to comment on McCarthy's performance, even if just for a few sentences, every day throughout camp. I thought he was fine on Thursday, but maybe a bit more shaky than on Day 1. There was the INT to Smith. He also sailed a ball over Justin Jefferson's head when trying to layer an intermediate throw early in practice, which led to a discussion with Kevin O'Connell and others while watching the replay. But McCarthy also completed plenty of passes, most of them of the short variety. He's shown quite the rapport with Jordan Addison, who was his top target in this practice after Jefferson departed (more on that in a second). McCarthy's fastball is impressive, and he used it to connect with players like Addison, Jalen Nailor, and even rookie Tai Felton late in practice. His best throw of the day was an intermediate out route to Addison, who was covered tightly by Theo Jackson. Jefferson sat out most of the team drills out of precaution after experiencing some minor tightness in his legs following a leaping catch. You can read more on that here, but the key thing to emphasize is that it's nothing significant or concerning. Josh Metellus, whose full participation in Wednesday's practice was a story due to his contract situation, watched practice from the sideline on Thursday due to what the Vikings described as a minor ankle issue. It'll be interesting to see if Nos. 18 and/or 44 are out there on Friday. Some of the depth guys on the defensive line will be fun to track over the course of camp. Levi Drake Rodriguez goes 110 percent all the time and ended up in the backfield on a couple plays, including one where he wound up on the ground near Sam Howell's legs (which coaches don't like). Jalen Redmond burst through the line for a TFL at one point. On another rep, Gabriel Murphy and rookie Elijah Williams put pressure on Max Brosmer, who got a few snaps in this practice after not seeing any on Wednesday. Brosmer, by the way, attempted the longest throw of the day, but it was just out of the reach of a well-covered Dontae Fleming. More Vikings coverage
In the spring of 2006, Chris Pronger was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. He then did something no one thought possible: he made the Edmonton Oilers a Stanley Cup contender again. That playoff run was legendary. Pronger logged enormous minutes, quarterbacked the power play, killed penalties, and led the team in scoring. In every zone and every moment, he was the difference-maker. He was the kind of player who gave an entire franchise a sense of direction—and belief. And then, just weeks after that Game 7 heartbreak in Carolina, he was gone. The Impact of the Oilers Losing a True No. 1 Blueliner Pronger’s trade request stunned the city and changed everything. Instead of building around a generational defenseman in his prime, the Oilers entered a prolonged decline. The team wouldn’t return to the playoffs for another decade. But what if he had stayed? It’s not just about Pronger’s elite play. It’s about the ripple effect of having that kind of presence anchoring a lineup. With Pronger in the fold, free agents might have been more willing to come. The team wouldn’t have scrambled to fill the void on the blue line with a carousel of short-term fixes. Young players could have developed under a true leader instead of inheriting pressure without support. The Oilers Championship Window Closed Too Soon The Oilers were close in 2006. It was not a fluke, but it was a team suddenly galvanized by elite goaltending from Dwayne Roloson, role players like Mike Peca, top-six grit like Ryan Smyth and Fernando Pisani, and above all, Pronger’s towering presence. Run it back even one more year, and who knows? A healthy Roloson, a stabilized core, and the confidence of a team that knew how close they came. Perhaps 2007 would be the season that ended differently for the Oilers. Instead, the Oilers lost their best player and wandered through the wilderness for ten years. How bad did the Oilers become? The 2006–07 season was a major disappointment in Edmonton, capped by the emotional deadline trade of fan favorite Smyth to the New York Islanders. That collapse marked the beginning of a long drought, as the team went on to miss the playoffs for 10 straight seasons until finally returning in 2016–17. Hockey Is Filled with What Ifs, the Oilers Are No Exception Hockey is full of what-ifs. But this one lingers. Because Pronger did come to Edmonton, and he did show what was possible. And for one electric spring, it looked like the Oilers had found the player who could lead them back to greatness. We just never got to find out how far that road might have gone. Fortunately, the team’s return to the playoffs in 2016–17 was spearheaded by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. And that’s where the team is today. It’s a new era of success, but it took ten years to get there.
Damion Baugh spent his rookie season in the NBA playing for the Charlotte Hornets. The 24-year-old had averages of 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 32.3% from the field in 15 games. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Hornets will now waive Baugh. Via Scotto: "The Charlotte Hornets are waiving two-way player Damion Baugh, league sources told @hoopshype . Charlotte is waiving Baugh to clear a spot for the addition of Antonio Reeves on a two-way contract." ESPN's Shams Charania had first reported that the Hornets were signing Reeves. Via Charania: "The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. The 2024 Pelicans second-round pick averaged 6.9 points and 40% 3-point shooting in 44 games as a rookie last season."
The Golden State Warriors are still awaiting a decision by restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga as the NBA offseason is nearing August. Of course, Kuminga has a major decision to make regarding the next step of his career and it appears likely that it will not be in Golden State but rather with another franchise. This comes after the young forward fell out of Steve Kerr’s rotation last season after the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat at the trade deadline. While it appears Kuminga’s time in Golden State is nearing an end, the Warriors still have a major say in his next team as they will likely have to agree to a sign-and-trade deal. Despite this, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel recently reported that one Eastern Conference team could escalate the situation between Kuminga and the Warriors by making a major decision this offseason. “Other teams with rumored interest in Kuminga are the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, and Brooklyn Nets. Then again, the Nets, who have plenty of cap space, have yet to express serious interest in Kuminga,” Siegel wrote. “If they wanted to, Brooklyn could sign Kuminga to an offer sheet right now and escalate this situation.” This is a massive report by Siegel as the Nets do have enough cap space to sign Kuminga to an offer sheet which would tie the Warriors’ hands. Of course, this is unlikely to happen as the Nets are also dealing with their own restricted free agent problems with Cam Thomas as they are not wanting to offer the young guard the contract that he wants. While that may be the case, if the Nets end up moving on from Thomas in a sign-and-trade deal with another team they could shift their focus on Kuminga, who they have been linked to over the past two seasons. This would be the worst-case scenario for Golden State and one that would extremely hurt them heading into next season, especially with their lack of moves thus far this offseason.