Unique Way Liam Coen Is Approaching Jaguars' Debut

There's a lot of pressure on the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 2025 NFL season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

This will mark the first game of their new era since cleaning house and bringing in General Manager James Gladstone, Head Coach Liam Coen, Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski, and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile.

Between their systematic overhaul and the new on-field personnel they've brought in, there are high hopes for what the Jaguars can do this year. Several NFL analysts have picked this team to be sneaky playoff contenders this season. Some have even picked them to win the AFC South over the Houston Texans.

Several people in Jacksonville come into Week 1 with a lot to prove. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be looking to justify his new five-year, $275 million contract. Travis Etienne Jr. is hoping to reaffirm his status as the Jaguars' clear lead running back and a premier young ball-carrier in the NFL. Travis Hunter Jr. will aim to establish himself as the league's first prominent full-time two-way player. Perhaps no one has more riding on the season opener than Liam Coen, though.

Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL, preseason, Head Coach Liam Coen, Head Coach Mike Tomlin — Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin, left and Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen talks before the first preseason game where the Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday Aug. 9, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Liam Coen addresses his NFL head coaching debut

After a stellar season as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the hype around Liam Coen's hiring as the Jacksonville Jaguars' new head coach has reached incredible heights. He deserves it, having engineered the NFL's fourth-best scoring offense and third-best unit in yards in 2024.

Defensive coaches and coordinators around the league just voted him one of the league's most effective play-callers. That's some high praise, and it's also a lot of pressure. Coen recognizes this heading into his head coaching debut:

"I was talking to a friend of mine in California last night on the ride home at like 11:30, and he was just saying, ‘You’ve got to take a moment to take that in.’ I definitely didn’t do that for the first three preseason games. I do have to take it in, and I think it’s a cool moment for me personally and professionally, but also to do it with the guys that I’m able to do it with here in the building, [Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli], [General Manager James Gladstone], the coaching staff, the people here have been nothing but extremely supportive and appreciative of that."

"To try to give the community and the fanbase a product that they’re proud of, I think that’s kind of what weighs on you a little bit, is you’re excited to see your players go out and play, you’re curious to see the responses to adversity and the challenges within the game but you’re eager to try to put a product on the field that people are proud of."

Jaguars HC Liam Coen with a golf take on staying positive in games: "As coaches, we're caddies on game day in a lot of ways. Next shot, next shot, next club, next play. Move on. We got to move on. Regardless of what just happened, good, bad or indifferent, we got to move on."
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) September 3, 2025

Coen knows that things won't be perfect in his first game with the Jaguars, but that won't stop him from trying to draw perfection out of his team. If Jacksonville can start its season with a victory, it'll be perfect enough for the fans.

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