Liam Coen was introduced as the new coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, and addressed his unusual exit from his previous job publicly.
Coen was asked about the dramatic decision to take the Jaguars job after having previously withdrawn from consideration to sign a new contract as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator. Coen said that the opportunity in Jacksonville was simply too good to pass up the more he thought about it.
“”The opportunity to coach in Tampa was a phenomenal one, to get my feet wet as the offensive coordinator, and I thank them so much for that opportunity,” Coen said. “As you continue to do more research and more information as you go, it started to become more clear with every hour that this was an opportunity that you just can’t pass up for so many different reasons. You ultimately want to do truly what’s best for you and your family, and that’s what this came down to. I will always love and remember those guys in Tampa. My players, love them to death. This is an opportunity to also go and do it with some new guys, and to reach and touch people, because that’s what coaching and teaching is.”
Coen also denied that his decision had anything to do with the Jaguars’ abrupt decision to fire GM Trent Baalke after Coen had initially withdrawn from consideration for the job.
“This was completely about an opportunity to work for an owner and a group of people with a group of players that needed some help,” Coen said. “That’s what coaching is all about, is trying to help people and be around people. No, that was not the factor.”
Whether you believe Coen or not, the timing of his about-face after Baalke’s dismissal was pretty suspicious, and it has been reported that the change was a factor in getting Coen to reconsider. It does not help that owner Shad Khan strongly implied that the Baalke move was made to entice Coen back to the table.
Coen’s handling of the situation looked pretty sketchy from the outside to the point that his wife had to fire back at some of the rumors. He obviously is not going to give too much away, but the Jaguars are happy with their decision, and Coen himself is ready to move on and get to work.
