Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen Reveals What Buccaneers Offense Will Look Like
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were dealt quite the blow when they lost offensive coordinator Dave Canales and others to begin this offseason.
A lot of the positive momentum the Buccaneers built in 2023 started to feel it was being undone.
But that feeling of dread turned to elation when it was announced Tampa Bay was bringing in coach Liam Coen to be the new offensive coordinator, and his ties to quarterback Baker Mayfield were the first thing most pointed to as reason for optimism.
Of course, friendship doesn't win football games, and it'll be Coen's approach under duress that ultimately spells success or failure. Which is where his mantra of 'players over plays' comes into the equation.
"I was taught in times of crisis, you think players, not plays," Coen said of the mantra. "It’s not about what maybe I like, or the play that I might like the most, but what is going to get the ball into our best players' hands. What can our guys execute at a high level, be able to go do and have confidence in? Also, in the back of my call sheet, I have a player box for multiple players. Ultimately, we want to get the ball in their hands, right now, no questions asked, the coverage is not going to change, it’s not [going to] matter what happens – the ball is going to their hands right now. Because this game is a personnel game, right? And at the end of the day, it’s about those guys.”
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield (17) talks with offensive coordinator Liam Coen against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
It sounds simple, but it's an all-too-often ignored part of the game and coaches will lean toward their own opinions versus taking into consideration the facts of the situation and the playmakers who are best suited to get the team through a tough stretch.
For the Bucs, that mentality will sit well with stars like Mike Evans as the receiver and his representatives prepare to resume contract talks with the organization.
Players under contract like running back Rachaad White and receiver Chris Godwin will likely benefit from that mentality as well.
If the team can bring back Mayfield who played for Coen during his end of season stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, then the learning curve will be shortened a bit this preseason.
But the similarities between Coen and his predecessor should also accelerate things, the coach says.
“I think it will be actually very similar in terms of some of the terminology. The run game I think will be really similar in some ways," Coen said when asked about the process of teaching his offense compared to Canales'. "Formations – some ‘daffy’ might be ‘dixie’ or ‘double’ might be ‘deuce’ – some of those things may be a little different, but at the end of the day, those guys [know], ‘OK, well that was just this.’ They can put those things together. The protections I’ve got to believe will be very similar in some ways. Dave [Canales] was with Shane Waldron in Seattle, so there are a lot of similarities there. I don’t expect an overly difficult learning curve, but obviously, we’ll want to be able to put our stamp on things and be able to do things our way, as well.”
Making any transition as uncomplicated as possible is always valuable, and leaning on the talented players on the Buccaneers roster just sounds like smart football.
The kind that can help Tampa Bay earn a fourth-straight NFC South Division title in 2024.
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