Credit: The Coachspeak Index on X
By Sam Neumann on

Winning the introductory press conference hardly does anything good; in fact, it’s pretty meaningless.

Just take Dan Campbell and Nick Sirianni, for example.

But if Liam Coen wanted to prove early on that he’d be much better at handling media spots than his predecessor, he missed the mark. The Jacksonville Jaguars were so confident that the now-former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator was their guy that they fired their general manager to make Monday’s arrangement happen.

But while Coen, on paper, is a great hire, his press conference did little to inspire that same confidence. That’s not to say he didn’t say all the right things. He seemingly hit all the right notes, got all the buzzwords in, and painted a picture of why he’d be responsible for Trevor Lawrence’s resurgence.

Regarding a resurgence in the fanbase, he came across like a politician during a campaign stop. As he referred to his new city, he attempted to give the local rallying cry — “Duuuval!” — a try, taking it for a spin, if you will.

It appears he might need to spend more time in the mirror practicing.

The reaction on social was, oh, so not kind. But it’s not as if they weren’t well-deserved, either.

If you were looking for a head coach with an innate amount of aura points, Coen is so not your guy.

But, again, it has nothing to do with winning championships. He didn’t talk about biting kneecaps, he wasn’t nearly as awkward as Sirianni and his eyes didn’t flutter around the room like he was under the influence, a la Adam Gase.

At the same time, he didn’t exactly bring the kind of fire that would instantly reassure fans he’s the right man for the job.

The buzzwords were there, but the passion? Not so much.

In today’s NFL, coaches are expected to do more than just run plays — they need to be the face of the franchise to inspire both the locker room and the fanbase. Unfortunately, Coen’s moment in front of the cameras didn’t exactly scream “leader of men.”

Again, a bad press conference doesn’t spell the end of a career. Coen’s future will ultimately be decided by what happens on the field, not how he delivers a “Duuuval!” chant. But if this awkward start is any indication, he may need a bit more time in front of the mirror before his next big media moment.

The good news is that fans will quickly forgive a cringe-worthy press conference if Coen can get Lawrence and the Jaguars moving in the right direction. But until then, he might want to rethink his approach. It’s one thing to say the right things — it’s another to make fans believe you really mean them.

And right now, Coen’s work is cut out for him.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann