Jaguars coach Liam Coen praises Trevor Lawrence, defense vs. Patriots

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen held a virtual news conference with the media on Sept. 28 to discuss the team's 35-6 victory over the New England Patriots the day before, at EverBank Stadium.

The highlights of Coen's session: How quarterback Trevor Lawrence played, especially with his ability to find secondary receivers against the Patriots' zone defense and the status of wide receiver Brian Thomas, who had the same number of snaps as rookie Josh Cameron and was targeted only once, a week after he dropped two passes in a loss to Denver.

The Jaguars (2-1) play at Cincinnati (2-1) on Oct. 4 (1 p.m., CBS).

Liam Coen on Trevor Lawrence

"I thought he did a nice job. I thought he took some checkdowns, especially the one to [tight end Brenton] Strange down the sideline. And

then looking at progressing through his pocket, through his reads … is the touchdown to [wide receiver] Jakobi [Meyers] is a perfect example. The read started with [wide receiver] Parker [Washington] and Strange. And he got back to Jakobi, who ran a heck of a route on the safety. He went one, two, got back to three, and delivers a strike.

"We didn't get the ball down the field as much as we had been … they played hardly any man coverage at all … so we didn't really have a lot of the ops to push the ball down the field. [Lawrence] had very good command of the system this week, and the preparation was there. Honestly, the interception was a kind of a crappy play call/slash force. Just don't throw it kind of thing. But I didn't think he had as many turnover-worthy plays this week."

Liam Coen on Brian Thomas Jr.'s playing time and targets

"We were playing in a little bit more 12 [two tight ends] and also that some of the things that we had Josh on specifically were things that we feel good about him doing within a role that he has. We need all these guys. We need BT. There wasn't any real message. It was just 'hey like we all gotta do our part' and that's on us as coaches too.

"We are 100 percent going to need BT to make plays down the field and continue to ascend and make the best catches and do the things that he does really well, and that's on us as a staff to continue to put him in those positions. He's going to make a ton of plays for us this year. I have no doubt in my mind."

Liam Coen on sustaining success after a big victory

"That's the NFL, right? That's the challenge in the National Football League that exists … pretty clear message in terms of 'all right, guys, how we practice going into Denver and how we played versus how we practice going into New England and how we played.' It's right there. It's so clear and obvious. You heard a lot of the players speak to it after the game, and so yeah, that is that is the challenge of the National Football League. Like that is what we signed up for. That is the challenge, and we really need to continue to lean on our leadership and the coaches to keep driving the message and elevating the standard."

Liam Coen on the team's identity

"I think it's kind of been consistent throughout my time here … when we play violent and physical, and we play together, and we anticipate what's going on, good things are going to happen."

Liam Coen on beating the Patriots without deep passing

"That was nice to see. Honestly, I think our depth of target over the first two weeks was relatively high, and that's great. Like I love being able to push the ball down the field, but also there's a fine line … does the pocket allow? Does the coverage allow? Want to be able to take some ops, and Trevor is good at it, and our wideouts are good at it as well. But also knowing the game, right? Like what's what's the kind of game this is going to be? How do we have to move the football this week going into it? I think our coaching staff did a really nice job this week of being connected on the plan and having good answers.

"I thought we stayed on schedule in the run game, and so I think that if you can win different ways … that is key, right? You've got to be able to win different ways in this league. It would be amazing to say we're going to walk into every single Sunday with the same exact formula, and [it]doesn't matter. But we all know that that's not always the case in this league. You know, their guys are paid a lot of money to do it at a high level too, so it's on us. We have to be able to adjust."

Liam Coen on Josh Cameron's strengths

"DNA … who he is as a guy, the way that he prepares, the way that he practices. He's really smart … as a person but also football makes sense to him. To be able to handle the workload of not just the offensive game plan, but also as the the you know [special teams] … he wears a lot of different hats. He studies his tail off.

"I think [wide receivers coach] Edgar Bennett does a phenomenal job with those guys of working with them throughout the week. [Cameron] gets extra reps during the week on the side, extra walkthroughs. You know, I think we're diligent about the preparation, but also like he's definitely self-driven in a lot of ways. He wants to be really good. He practices the right way and continues to do it."

Liam Coen on the Jaguars defense

"[They're] playing team defense, especially in some of the hard moments. They're running the football. They're playing together. There's a standard on that side of the ball in terms of being violent, being physical, running to the football.

"You know, [defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile], Campy says it all the time that God rewards those who run to the ball, and it's true. Is it always perfect? Is there a ton to continue to coach off of and learn from? Yes, without a doubt. But the complementary football, getting the turnovers, but also really the hard moments, the hard times of locking in, setting a standard, and not allowing them in the end zone. It's it is pretty cool to watch."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars coach Liam Coen praises Trevor Lawrence, defense vs. Patriots