Liam Coen, former offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not leave the Bucs on the friendliest of terms. Needless to say, some Bucs fans were even more unnerved after his successful first season in Jacksonville.
Apparently, before agreeing a deal with the Jags to be their next head coach, Coen went behind the Bucs’ back to do so. Even Adam Schefter was left speechless by Coen’s decision making on an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show last offseason. “Since the turn of the century, I don’t remember the last time I heard one team this hot and bothered about a coach taking another deal,” Schefter said.
A Messy Exit That Still Stings in Tampa
Those feelings about the Bucs have finally reared their ugly head as Liam Coen had a somewhat uncomfortable exchange on a Tampa based radio show. Apparently, Nick Wize,a host of 95.3 WDAE, was on Radio Row, when Coen walked by and they invited him to be on the show. However, when the former OC realized what kind of show it was, he simply walked past, rolling his eyes.
Even more awkward was when Wize invited him onto the show a second time, to which Coen replied, “What happened this year?”, evidencing their significant drop off after Coen’s departure.
15-minutes later, Coen walked back by. @iAmNickWize said “coach will you come on with us in Tampa”
Liam said “You’re just like everybody else…”
Nick said “I defended you on the air”
Coen looked and walked away then asked “what happened this year?”
Insinuating TB fell apart👀
Of course, there were no hard feelings about the exchange, but considering the messiness of Coen’s exit, Bucs fans will not be pleased about the awkward encounter. Despite the fact the station took it well, Coen’s remarks didn’t feel playful in the slightest.
Radio Row Snub Reignites Lingering Tension
After all, after the Bucs offered him the biggest offensive coordinator contract in history, Coen still denied them to leave for Jacksonville. As a result, the team crashed and burned, finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs entirely for the first time in the Todd Bowles era. Most importantly, the offense sputtered down the stretch without the guidance of Coen.
To top it all off, Liam Coen recently finished second in NFL Coach of the Year voting, while his replacement, Josh Grizzard, was fired after just one season with the team.
The consolation of the relationship between Coen and Baker Mayfield won’t sit well with Bucs fans either. After all, even with the offensive success that the team had under Coen, it was the reason Coen ended up having a shot at a coaching gig.
For now, the two teams will let things lie as they won’t face each other until 2027. However, Coen’s comments this week have further fueled a fire that lingers between the two franchises. For Coen, he may have won the battle, but the war remains unfinished. For Bucs fans, this will either continue to enrage them or motivate them to support their team even more.
Most importantly, for the team, it will be important they don’t listen to any noise that Coen creates. All they can do is focus on themselves and getting to the point where maybe, just maybe, they can shout Liam Coen up.
Christopher Sheppard Christopher Sheppard is a passionate and knowledgeable sports journalist based in Englewood, NJ pursuing a role in the sports media industry. He covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, focusing on the Dolphins, Chargers, and Buccanneers. More about Christopher Sheppard
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