Silver And Black Pride
This Week 9 matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars features two teams that have new head coaches—Pete Carroll for the Raiders and Liam Coen for the Jaguars—and are coming off byes after blowout losses two weeks ago. To preview the contest, Silver and Black Pride reached out to our friends at Big Cat Country, and Gus Logue was kind enough to answer a few questions about the Jags for Raider Nation.
Q: Liam Coen was hired in the offseason and, like any new head coach, has the challenge of changing the Jaguars’ culture. About a half a season into the job, how would you say he’s done in that regard? Generally speaking, what are the noticeable differences between this year’s team and last year’s?
A: Coen has implemented a culture of physicality and resiliency that has shown up on the field more often than not. Multiple times during the offseason, he used the acronym F.A.S.T. (Fundamentally sound, Attacking, Situational masters, and Toughness) to describe what he looks for from his team.
You can probably check the boxes for “Attacking” and “Toughness” — especially for the defensive side of the ball — but the Jaguars haven’t been “Fundamentally sound” or “Situational masters” on a consistent basis. The offense has had multiple redzone turnovers, the defense has allowed multiple game-winning/clinching drives, and pre-snap penalties have been a recurring issue.
The Jaguars also had similar issues last season. I’d say the biggest difference in the team’s culture compared to last year is accountability, especially from the head coach. While Doug Pederson didn’t throw players under the bus, he didn’t always stand up for them, either. Coen seems to already have much better relationships with his players and staff.
Q: Building on that, how has Trevor Lawrence fit into Coen’s offense? And can you compare Lawrence from this season to last season?
A: It hasn’t been a clean fit so far, which is to be expected for any new scheme. And this is Lawrence’s third in five years. But he’s done a commendable job of commanding the offense by making checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage. He has far more pre-snap autonomy than previously, and it’s paying off. His 46-yard pass to Brian Thomas Jr. to seal a win in Week 3 is a good example.
One area that Lawrence can grow in, as it relates to him fitting in Coen’s offense, is play-action dropbacks from under center. That’s how Coen wants to generate explosive passes. Lawrence is much more comfortable operating from shotgun, though, where he can diagnose defenses without having to turn his back.
He’s generally been the same player as always this season. His incredible highlights are far too often drowned out by backbreaking lowlights. That said, I think the performances of quarterbacks like Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones this season show how much work Jacksonville still has to do to elevate the environment around Lawrence. Coen is cool and all, but the offensive line and...
