Big Cat Country
Coen says Thomas’s skill set is something “an offense can run through.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars introduced Liam Coen as its new head coach on Monday.
The opportunity for a long-term partnership with quarterback Trevor Lawrence certainly appealed to Coen during the hiring process. “I was telling Trevor this the other day,” Coen said, “I’ve watched him play live as a freshman in high school.”
“It was Buford High School against—Carrollwood? Cartersville. Excuse me. Sorry, I was in Georgia, that’s all I knew. I was seeing this freshman in high school play the position at a high level, standing tall, making throws, delivering. I walked out of there, ‘Man, this is different. I had no idea who he was.’ Then you fast-forward to now. How do we make Trevor Lawrence and this offense as dynamic and explosive as we can be? We’ve got to build it around him as well. We’ve got to make every part of this about improvement, and he will be a part of that process. He’s earned that right. I cannot respect his toughness and mentality and work ethic more than I do already from afar. This will all be about Trevor right now.”
Everybody in the Jaguars’ building believes in Lawrence, and everybody in the world knows the franchise’s future success hinges on his development. But the X-factor of this new era may be the 22-year-old star wide receiver who shattered team rookie records on his way to the Pro Bowl.
Coen expressed his excitement over Brian Thomas Jr. to a small group of reporters following the introductory presser. “I was so pleasantly surprised watching his tape this year,” Coen said via Jaguars on SI. “We didn’t really evaluate — I watched him because we were watching wide receivers, but we weren’t taking a wideout in the first round. I saw a guy who obviously had the skill set to go vertical. I did not know he had the ability to do what he did in the slot. I didn’t probably evaluate him hard enough, but also they did a good job getting that right.”
“So to be able to put him in a slot and run lookie, run choice, run the option routes, run the middle of the field a little bit. And then also be able to throw screens to him and he’s going to go do something with it. An offense can run through that.”
Under Coen’s watch last season, Coen helped quarterback Baker Mayfield break the Buccaneers’ single-season franchise records for completion percentage and passer rating. Wide receiver Mike Evans tied Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Running back Bucky Irving recorded the third-highest average yards per carry by a rookie in NFL history (min. 200 carries).
Coen gets the most out of his players. Now that he’s working with Lawrence and Thomas Jr., the sky is the limit.
