Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen Talks WR Mike Evans, LT Tristan Wirfs & Coaching Philosophy

Player development is essential to the long-term success of an NFL franchise. In building the blueprint for the Buccaneers’ offense in 2023, Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen discussed the mantra that will dictate the outcome on Sundays: Players over plays. As Coen begins to construct the scheme, identity, route concepts, tactics and techniques for the upcoming season, maximizing each individual player’s unique skillset will shape the result.

“I was taught in times of crisis, you think players, not plays,” said Coen. “It’s not about what maybe I like, or the play that I might like the most, but what is going to get the ball into our best players’ hands. What can our guys execute at a high level, be able to go do and have confidence in? Also, in the back of my call sheet, I have a player box for multiple players. Ultimately, we want to get the ball in their hands, right now, no questions asked, the coverage is not going to change, it’s not [going to] matter what happens – the ball is going to their hands right now. Because this game is a personnel game, right? And at the end of the day, it’s about those guys.”

Liam Coen will bring familiarity to the Bucs’ offensive system in 2024 as the new offensive coordinator. Coen worked alongside former Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Shane Waldron while on Sean McVay’s Rams’ staff, before Waldron was brought to Seattle as offensive coordinator. Dave Canales was part of the Waldron coaching tree, serving as the Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach before going to Tampa Bay in 2023 for a promotion to OC. Coen will now bring those similar concepts and verbiage to the Bucs, making for a smooth transition.

“I think it will be actually very similar in terms of some of the terminology,” stated Coen. “The run game I think will be really similar in some ways. Formations – some ‘daffy’ might be ‘dixie’ or ‘double’ might be ‘deuce’ – some of those things may be a little different, but at the end of the day, those guys [know], ‘OK, well that was just this.’ They can put those things together. The protections I’ve got to believe will be very similar in some ways. Dave [Canales] was with Shane Waldron in Seattle, so there are a lot of similarities there. I don’t expect an overly difficult learning curve, but obviously, we’ll want to be able to put our stamp on things and be able to do things our way, as well.”

Coen…