Liam Coen Knows Firsthand the Excellence of this Jaguars' Star

When Liam Coen took the head coaching job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he knew that he'd be tasked with the development of several young players, some of whom had underperformed up to that point in their careers. None of his projects would be more important than quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who hadn't lived up to the immense potential he had shown in his time with the Clemson Tigers.

Coen had done wonders for another former first-overall pick in Baker Mayfield as his offensive coordinator last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, he's done the same for Lawrence, who has quickly climbed the MVP ladder with his impressive play over the last month or so.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Indianapolis Colts, Trevor Lawrence — Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross (20) wraps up Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Trevor Lawrence's toughness is underrated

Trevor Lawrence didn't have his best game last week against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished with 263 yards passing, another 26 rushing, and two touchdowns on the ground for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, he ended his streak without a turnover after four games, throwing a pick in the end zone trying to test Germaine Pratt on a fade route to Parker Washington.

Even though he didn't meet the new standard he's set for himself, he still led his team to victory, 23-17, and made some incredible plays in the process. One of his best came against a blitz, when he hung in the pocket and took a walloping to get the ball to Washington by the right sideline. Head Coach Liam Coen knows firsthand how impressive it is to see a quarterback make a play when he knows he's going to get hit after the throw:

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— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) December 29, 2025

"It's coming. You kind of know, like, there's a large percent chance you're about to lose your air... Oxygen's not going to be easy to come by. And those are the type of throws that ultimately, I think, define quarterbacks in a lot of ways... Money downs, red zone, third down, two-minute, got-to-have-it moments type deal, and you're staring down the barrel, you're going to take a shot, and you deliver a strike. That's the selflessness of this position. That's what you get. That's what you get playing this position at this level."

"You get the glory, you get all the good things that come with it, but you’ve got to stand in there and make those kind of throws... [something] I think goes extremely undervalued is how tough he is and how willing he is to stand in the pocket and take shots. And then ultimately be able to also use his legs and be able to run and take shots that way... when a 6’5”, arguably almost 6’6”, 230-lb quarterback's feet are above his head, that's a pretty physical shot that he took. And I think a lot of people looked at that clip in this building and said this guy's a dog.”

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