Bucs fans are fed up with hearing about Liam “El Serpiente” Coen, the 2024 Tampa Bay offensive coordinator who slithered his way into the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coaching role, leaving Tampa Bay’s front office fuming.
Still, Coen holds valuable insights from his time with the Bucs, making it worth keeping tabs on him. In fact, Joe recently caught an interesting interview with Dave Canales about clock management, shedding light on some of Coen’s coaching philosophies.
John Shipley of SI.com published an intriguing article today, highlighting Coen’s thoughts on coaching priorities in Tampa Bay and how competing in numerous tight games challenges both teams and players. Coen emphasized that winning close contests can come down to luck, skill, coaching, playmaking, or simply a team’s ability to rise to the occasion collectively.
Reflecting on the Bucs’ painful two losses to the Falcons, Coen noted how those defeats left a lasting impact and sparked internal changes.
“We had some really brutal losses in Tampa last year,” Coen said, referencing a heartbreaking Thursday night loss to Atlanta. “We lost in a four-minute drill where our rookie running back, who was a stud for us, fumbled the ball.” Coen was referring to Bucky Irving. “That moment was such a critical learning experience. And then we had a couple more tough ones we didn’t handle well.”
According to Coen, those struggles marked a turning point for the Buccaneers. The team made a concerted effort to analyze why they kept falling short in close games, shifting their approach after the bye week.
“But then we hit the bye,” Coen explained. “We made a real effort to focus on situational football during practice—ensuring our preparation was spot-on. Whether we won or lost after that, at least we knew we were better prepared, and teaching moments like Bucky’s fumble were crucial for growth.”
Coen’s comments highlight how Todd Bowles and his staff used the bye week to double down on situational awareness. It raises the question: did the Bucs realize they were lacking in this area before?
Hopefully, Bowles and the remaining 2024 Buccaneers coaching staff have absorbed some key lessons that will benefit them heading into the 2025 season.
