What Liam Coen Is Striving For in Head Coaching Debut

But the Jaguars didn't just make changes to their on-field personnel; they've also revamped the system completely. Gone are Doug Pederson, Press Taylor, and Ryan Nielsen. Replacing them are Head Coach Liam Coen, Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski, and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile.

There are high hopes for what Coen can do for this team after his stellar season leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense from the sidelines as their OC in 2024. Many are expecting him to breathe life back into quarterback Trevor Lawrence's career trajectory the same way he did for Baker Mayfield. With all of the optimism surrounding Coen and the Jaguars, it's easy to forget that he's never been a head coach before in the NFL.

Liam Coen on first game

Liam Coen has built an impressive résumé throughout his short tenure in the NFL so far. His showing as offensive coordinator for the 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers has many expecting that he can lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a successful season in 2025. That's a lot of pressure for a first-time head coach taking over a team that finished 4-13 the year before.

Speaking to Jacksonville media following practice, Coen expressed that he hopes that all of the team's preparations in training camp and preseason will show up in their debut game against the Carolina Panthers:

"We’ve talked so much about the process that drives results, that’s got us to this point. We can’t lose sight of that process, and we used to kind of talk about process over results — well, those results matter. So, the process in which we get to the games and the way that we gameplan, the way that we operate throughout the week, the way that we communicate on gameday, that’s the part that you’re kind of anxious to see how we handle a true game."

He went on to say that he and his team are aiming for perfection in their season opener, while recognizing that it's not possible:

"You’re definitely anxious as a head coach to kind of get the ball kicked off and get into it. So, you’re really just more so anxious and excited to see how the guys go out and play. You want to see perfect football, but we all know, it’s football, it’s not perfect. It’s an imperfect game, and you’re striving for perfection, which is probably the chase, obviously. We’re all excited. I’m excited to kind of get in that stadium and see how much we can pack it."

He likely won't pitch a perfect game in his first outing as an NFL head coach, but the Jaguars and their fans won't have many complaints about his debut if he can start this team off with a win Week 1.