The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered two back-to-back losses in a season that started off promising. After initially appearing to be a legitimate playoff contender, the Jags are now facing an identity crisis, with the only good news being that they have a bye week coming up at just the right time. Hopefully, it will give the Jags the chance to fix the issues that are holding them back.
One area the coaching staff will need to focus on is penalites. They currently lead the league with 65. And based on Liam Coen's comments, it looks like he may not be taking the issue seriously.
Liam Coen explains why the Jaguars are dealing with penalties
Liam Coen met with the local media following the loss to the Rams. He thinks that the skyrocketing penalty rate under the new coaching staff is to be expected, arguing that rather than being an issue of discipline, it's simply one of newness.
"New. New. New fundamentals, new techniques, new what you're asking them to do, new style of play," Coen said via Andy Quach of Sports Ilustrated. "I don't know. That's what I'm kind of going off of is you're ultimately all new together and so maybe some of the fundamentals get blurred or that's why I'm saying, 'Guys, we have to simplify.'
Coen further said that his job would be to simplify things so his players make fewer mistakes. But that is massively understating the issue at hand.
The explanation for the Jaguars' penalties piling up doesn't make sense
Yes, it is true that a new coaching staff can make teams go through an adjustment period. But Coen has been with the Jaguars throughout the offseason, training camp, and preseason. At this point, there should be enough familiarity there to keep the team from being among the worst in the league.
The good news is that Coen, at least, seems to be accepting responsibility for his role in the penalty problem. But merely acknowledging that the blame lies with him isn't enough; he needs to make drastic changes if Jacksonville wants to regain its status as a playoff contender.
New coaches and new schemes can cause problems, but let's be honest: that's not the only thing that causes penalties to pile up. There are also issues with discipline, with the team not being educated enough on the new scheme, players not able to execute plays, and - we hate to say it - poor coaching.
So the question, then, becomes: what is causing the penalty problem for the Jaguars? Whether it's coaching, discipline, or education, it seems clear that there could be a culture issue behind the scenes at play. The only good news is that the Jaguars have a bye week to try to get things right.