How Liam Coen Can Be the Jaguars' Edge

The Jacksonville Jaguars were missing plenty of things last season.

Perhaps chief amongst the evasive qualities of a winning team, though, could be an edge.

The Jaguars built their team with an envision of a physical team on both sides of the ball. They made plenty of investments in the trenches through both free agency and the draft, but they still failed to move the ball consistently on the ground and failed to consistently stop the run on defense.

And as the 4-13 Jaguars continued the spiral that began in the second-half of the 2023 season, the edge that is required to battle adveristy seemed to be sapped as well.

Liam Coen's edge

That is where new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen may have to do the most work in his first season as a head coach.

Can Coen tap into that unknown quality that just makes a team play that much different? Only time will tell, but Coen has so far shown a direct honesty as head coach that makes it perfectly clear what is up to standard and what isn't.

On a day like Friday, when the Jaguars' offense seemed to sputter and make too many "almost" plays in red-zone drills, Coen made it clear where the Jaguars needed to improve. No guessing games, no middle ground, just the matter of the facts.

“I don't necessarily think it was a bad day. It's just we didn't make any plays. We got a ton of opportunities to make plays when the ball's in the air. We have to make those plays. Whether it's ball placement, whether it's, making a play when the ball's in the air, it's got to be ours," he said.

"I thought we ran it pretty well at times today in terms of just getting on the right targets and hitting the runs the right way. So it was a balance, but more so, I think they understand that we have to go make those plays.”

An offensive play-caller in the past, Coen will always balance the desire to see perfection in terms of offensive execution. But when his own defense is the one making plays, Coen is aware it is a good thing.

“Who knows, man? I don't know. It has to be that way, though," Coen said.

"At the end of the day, I am calling the plays on offense. I am responsible for all sides, but specifically, that's something that I'm a little bit more invested in that way. That’s definitely a little bit more personal. I script the plays, so I get a little bit more pissed when they don't work.”

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