WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

01/10 05:00 CST Down 50 pounds, Liam Coen's personal transformation mirrors Jacksonville's dramatic turnaround Down 50 pounds, Liam Coen's personal transformation mirrors Jacksonville's dramatic turnaround By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) --- Liam Coen remembers sitting in his new Jaguars office last January, crushing energy drinks and stuffing his face with junk food while trying to put together a coaching staff. It was a stressful time for sure. Long days that stretched into late nights, and Coen admittedly started making unhealthy choices. "It wasn't pretty," Coen quipped. Jacksonville's top executive, Hall of Famer Tony Boselli, took notice and essentially asked Coen if he was planning on becoming one of those overweight, out of shape football coaches who can barely move on the sidelines. It was harsh and honest enough to grab Coen's attention. Nearly a year later, Coen's personal transformation mirrors his team's evolution. The NFL coach of the year candidate has lost roughly 50 pounds while leading a turnaround that ranks among the most impressive in league history. Edgy, energetic and extremely competitive, Coen undoubtedly sets the tone for the scrappy and surprising Jaguars (13-4). The 40-year-old play caller is widely praised for his communication skills, whether he's in the team meeting room or on the headset. He's the driving force behind a team that's averaging 32.8 points during its eight-game winning streak. And he's been instrumental in quarterback Trevor Lawrence's rise from middling starter to budding superstar. He's also considered a master motivator who finds ways to keep his guys feeling overlooked and underappreciated. It's not hard in Jacksonville, which landed only a long-snapper in the Pro Bowl after winning its most games since 1999 and opened as a home underdog against Buffalo (12-5) in their AFC wild-card matchup Sunday despite the Bills having not won a road playoff game since January 1993. "He's in it with us," cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. "He's in that foxhole with us. You can feel it every day. He wants to win as bad as any of us." It shows. Coen wears his emotions on his sleeve, unafraid to express himself. He vented at Lawrence following a less-than-ideal pass in Week 2, threatened to fight San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh later that month for suggesting his staff steals signs, took exception to Denver coach Sean Payton calling Jacksonville a small-market team (even though it's true) and has turned more egregious slights into bulletin board material. "He's a player's coach, but he knows when to be tough at the same time," veteran receiver Tim Patrick said.

Coen brings 'the juice' after wins His postgame speeches have become must-see events, with most of them starting with the coach walking into a winning locker room and waiting for everyone to quiet down before enthusiastically thrusting his fist through the air and setting off a raucous celebration. "I'm surprised he hasn't thrown out his shoulder," Lawrence said. "It's funny seeing the juice when he comes in there. Guys get fired up about that. It's become kind of his thing. It gets us going." It's been going for two months now. The Jaguars have won every game since the worst collapse in franchise history, a 36-29 stunner at Houston in early November. That agonizing loss, in which Jacksonville blew a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter, remains a painful reminder of the need to play four quarters. It's considered a catalyst for the team's turnaround. Jacksonville is the third team in NFL history to win 13 or more games a year after losing 13 or more.

?It's all about us' Coen, meanwhile, is one of seven NFL head coaches to win 13 or more games in his debut season. He inherited a talented team that was filled with dysfunction --- the coaching staff and the front office pointed fingers at every turn in 2024 --- and quickly convinced guys they had a chance to be special. "For one, it's all about us," left tackle Cole Van Lanen said. "Everything we do, we're not worried about the outside. At the end of the day, it's about what we're doing and who we are as a group. "I don't want to say the word culture, but it's really turning this group into a way where we play for each other, and we all have our minds on an ultimate goal as one. It's been a blast." Coen gets a lot of credit for his play-calling acumen --- he sticks to the ground game, schemes receivers open and hunts mismatches --- and for unlocking Lawrence, who has accounted for 24 touchdowns (19 passing and five rushing) during the winning streak and recorded the two highest passer ratings of his five-year career. Lawrence finally looks like the generational quarterback the Jags thought they were getting when they drafted him first overall in 2021. All of it has led to conversations about Coen being the franchise's best coach since Tom Coughlin --- after just 17 games.

Coen patterns his style after another playoff coach Coen grew up in Rhode Island, played quarterback at UMass and then turned to coaching after a brief stint as an arena league backup. He got his big break when Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay hired him in 2018. Coen took detailed notes during his time with the Rams and has been trending upward since, with two college stops at Kentucky before landing back in the NFL with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers had one of the league's most potent offenses under Coen. He has taken Jacksonville to similar heights. The keys: Being consistent, truthful and direct with players, which has helped Coen navigate trading starting cornerback Tyson Campbell early in the season, benching receiver Dyami Brown and left tackle Walker Little midway through the year and reducing the roles of several others, including defensive linemen Maason Smith and Emmanuel Ogbah. "As you're building, you just have to make sure you're doing right by the whole place and putting the best 11 out there," Coen said. "Individual success is extremely important to us. You want every player to get what they truly deserve and earn. "But it has to come back to the team first. Ultimately, everything we're trying to do is for that." Almost everything. Coen has completely changed his diet and rarely misses a workout. He's in his best shape in years --- just like the franchise. "For our leader to have that juice and energy, it gives us juice and energy as well," tight end Brenton Strange said. "It makes us want to fight for him and fight for the organization and fight for everybody in the building even more." ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl