Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars were thrilled to welcome Liam Coen as the new head coach of the team after the Doug Pederson debacle last season. Pederson had a good enough background, especially having taken the Philadelphia Eagles to a 2018 Super Bowl victory, and initially, he brought the Jaguars to the playoffs. But things only got worse and worse, ultimately collapsing in 2023 and never really recovering. Coen's hiring has been widely celebrated as giving Jacksonville a legitimate opportunity to regain their position atop the AFC South.
It wasn't all smooth sailing, though. While Coen's credentials are promising, his introductory press conference left fans reeling when he attempted the team's legendary "DUUUVAAAAL" chant.
0-17 pic.twitter.com/p2ouXvtfBC
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) January 27, 2025
It made for a... less than stellar introduction to the Jaguars fanbase. But now, Coen said that moment, that made him a laughingstock among fans, was completely intentional.
Liam Coen's master plan
In an interview with Kay Adams, Coen addressed that infamous moment, saying he specifically did it to distract from the other less-than-flattering storylines that were surrounding his hiring. At the time, the Jaguars and Coen alike were under a fair amount of criticism for stringing along the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all while they worked on a deal in secret.
"You look at the success of Nick Sirianni and and Dan Campbell, of biting kneecaps and those guys having success. You want to follow suit," he said.
Coach Liam Coen's viral "DUVALLL" from his press conference was all part of a master plan.
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) August 7, 2025
I knew it!!! @Jaguars @UpAndAdamsShow pic.twitter.com/7NLfon49HL
After the press conference, there was one person Coen said he wanted to call: his mentor, Sean McVay.
"Sean always helps, kind of eases the mind," he said. "He's always had such great insight for me as a coach. But really, going to the owners' meetings and talking to Nick Sirianni and those guys actually gave me a ton of great advice. Like, dude, just your team will actually rally around you because these guys get criticized and scrutinized and scrutinized in the media all the time. So when their coach does, they actually help rally and get around you a little bit more."
So, Adams asked, he did the infamous "DUUVAAL" chant wrong on purpose? And the answer from Coen was yes.