Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen held a virtual news conference with the media on Oct. 5 to discuss the team's 22-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals the day before and look ahead to the team's doubleheader in London the next two weeks against Philadelphia and Houston.
The Jaguars (3-1) will play the Eagles (2-2) at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 11, on the NFL Network.
Liam Coen on two London games and team captains' roles
"It's a big week of mental toughness … a lot going on with the travel and the preparations. Leaning into those guys [the team captains] would be critical, everybody being on the same page and understanding what the schedule is going out there. We talked about that today and getting ahead of some of the things regarding Friday [the travel day] in terms of, hey, they're going to be fatigued
and tired when we get over there and trust that we'll take care of you guys and do what's right by you during the week.
"But we're going to need some mental toughness throughout this week to go out there and make sure that we're physically and mentally prepared to go play this physical game on Sunday against Philly.
Liam Coen on WR Brian Thomas Jr.'s performance
"Some really good stuff. I showed [Thomas' key block on Chris Rodriguez' touchdown] to the team just now. Was shown multiple times, actually. There was a critical third and four where we handed it off to [Rodriguez] in the shotgun where BT had a heck of a block. He was on the other side, but took the nickel and drove him about 10 yards down the field. Did a great job on C. Rod's touchdown and caught the touchdown. He did some really good things, so was really proud of the way he responded, continues to do so, each week."
Liam Coen on the depth on the secondary
"We just have to look at it tomorrow when we get out, into more of the game planning, and then as we get into Wednesday's practice, we'll have to look at what that rotation looks like and be able to give those guys a ton of reps throughout the week to see what that's going to look like for Sunday's game. I think [rookie safety Jalen] Husky, [practice squad safety] Kaevon Merriweather, who have been getting a lot of reps throughout the course of the weeks … potentially lean on those guys and see where [injured safeties] Eric [Murray] and Caleb [Ransaw] are at."
Liam Coen on the play of backup S Rayuan Lane
"Very proud. Ray stepped up, made a critical play at the end of the game [a tackle to keep the Bengals from getting a fourth-down conversion]. Obviously, was pleased to see that … pleased with Ray to be able to step in with limited reps throughout the week within the game plan and go and help us go win the game."
Liam Coen on TE Brenton Strange
"I was pleased. We definitely felt like with some of their injuries and the safety position, specifically, we felt like Brenton could take advantage of some of those matchups and made some really good plays and caught the ball strong, making some people miss."
Liam Coen on the team battling in close games
"These types of games … you see what you're made of in a lot of ways. You get a chance to evaluate what we're like down, on the road when maybe things aren't all clicking right on all cylinders and having to overcome. Whether it was the negative plays or penalties on offense, you know, making them earn it on defense, and then coming down to the last time we were in that stadium a year ago in a similar situation, we didn't get it done. And to walk out of that stadium yesterday with a similar situation and getting it done … I think that's growth. I think that's something you can absolutely lean on as we continue to come."
Liam Coen on the Jags' quick starts
(Note: The Jaguars are outscoring opponents 61-9 in the first half of games this season)
"I think [defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile] and the defensive staff, the hours that they put. But also knowing what our guys do best, starting fast was something we talked about. But also knew we're going to have to finish strong as well. And being able to play multiple different players at different positions and rotating guys in, I think, is critical as well. We haven't been afraid to play guys."
Liam Coen on the Jaguars pass rush vs. Joe Burrow
(Note: The Jaguars had 11 quarterback hits and two sacks)
"That was critical. We talked about that going in that we had to affect the quarterback, knowing the amount of ops that they would potentially provide. Really, in a lot of ways, the game played out so many ways the way we wanted it to. I think if we score one more touchdown, then we're probably a lot more at ease with things. If maybe one of those doesn't get called back, I think you feel even better about 'Okay, our plan going in, how we wanted to play the game, was in a lot of ways how it did play out.'
"And so the rush, the front being able to get after him … I was pleased with the guys up front. I thought Arik Armstead played one of his best games of the season so far, and really those guys did a nice job disrupting at times."
Liam Coen on whether he will send video of disputed plays for NFL review
"I'm sure there'll be a few."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars coach Liam Coen talks about beating the Bengals, London trip
