After failing to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the Jacksonville Jaguars underwent an overhaul early in 2025. One of the biggest changes they made was hiring Liam Coen head coach as the head coach after dismissing Doug Pederson.
The move made sense because Coen turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense into a juggernaut last year. On the other hand, there were questions about his ability to be a head coach because he had never held the position in the NFL. But despite his lack of experience, his arrival has earned rave reviews from his players. One of them recently talked about why he's brought in a much-needed breath of fresh air to the Jags.
Star pass rusher Hines-Allen made an apperance on FS1's Speak and Touch on several topics. The subject of Coen came up, and he said that he brings a fresh approach, aggressiveness, and plenty of coaching experience.
"I just think it's when you think about our culture, I think it's just competitive, having fun and being what you're supposed to do, like doing what you're supposed to do," Hines-Allen responded when asked what kind of coach Coen is (0:23 second mark). "I think coach Coen has been against a lot of successful offenses, and you know, you can tell he has that demeanor.
Hines-Allen continued, "He's been a coach his whole life, and his father, learned from his father. So I just think it's aggressive. He brought the right coaches in to help him out, and I'm excited to get after it."
Later in the exchange, Hines Allen said that Coen is flexible with his approach and open to adjusting to his players.
"He's a player's coach, but he knows how to tap into that coach-coach mentality. And that's what we kind of expect from, I expect that, expect, you know, not to be cool with everybody, but understand where everybody's at. Can speak our language, but also when it's time to shut it on, he can do that," Hines-Allen said.
All things considered, it's easy to see why Hines-Allen is so high on Coen. Baker Mayfield didn't want him to leave Tampa (but couldn't blame him) after helping him post career numbers last year. Similarly, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay gave him a massive shoutout, praising his impact when he was his offensive coordinator in 2021.
Liam Coen was everything the Jaguars bargained and then some
Although their head coach search took an unexpected turn because of Trent Baalke, the Jacksonville Jaguars managed to land their guy. And while Liam Coen will ultimately be measured by his ability to win football games, he's been everything the organization envisioned when it hired him.
Coen has been working one-on-one with Trevor Lawrence to hone his fundamentals. This is noteworthy because his predecessor, Doug Pederson, didn't take an active role in the quarterback's development. On top of that, he'll be ringing in a renewed emphasis on running the ball and a competing mindset that's spread throughout the roster.
It's also worth noting that Coen looked around the league to assemble his staff, so he's bringing all kinds of voices that will complement his vision but will also keep him out of his comfort zone.
When you add it all up, it's easy to see why Josh Hines-Allen and his teammates are hyped up about Liam Coen. The next step will be to win football games, and if he does, his popularity will only keep going up.