Amid answering a question about safety Antonio Johnson’s ability to blitz, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen pivoted and revealed he met with Johnson for 45 minutes on Sept. 22, two days after the 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos.
“Great, long convo,” Coen said. “Antonio is excited to get back to work this week and put our best foot forward.”
Reading between Coen’s words sure made it seem like the coaches weren’t happy with Johnson’s play against Denver.
How did the meeting go, Antonio?
“He was just saying how, when you look at certain things, you can’t allow it to dictate your mood,” Johnson told me after practice on Sept. 24. “You can’t be results-driven even though we live in a results-driven atmosphere. You want to be perfect but also know
when to let things go. Both sides are going to make plays and unfortunately, when (the opponent) makes a play, you need to have that next-play mentality.”
Johnson said he and Coen watched game clips together.
One guess on a play the coaches weren’t happy with Johnson about was the 49-yard catch by receiver Jaylen Waddle in the second quarter.
Cornerback Buster Brown had outside leverage, which suggests he was expecting middle-of-the-field help from Johnson. But Johnson hesitated out of his backpedal and then crashed forward to cover receiver Pat Bryant, who was draped by cornerback Travis Hunter. Johnson’s mistake left the deep middle of the field open for Waddle.
“I wanted some plays back and he said, as a coach, he wanted some plays back,” Johnson said.
I commented to Johnson that the rapport with Coen is better than the alternative.
“For sure,” Johnson said. “We have that relationship between coach and the players here that isn’t one-sided. When there is ownership on both sides, that’s when you grow.”
About the Jaguars
1. Vrabel talks Lawrence: Asked about Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel told reporters: “I think he is just much more decisive and comfortable. You could always count on some turnovers maybe three or four years ago. I don’t think that is necessarily the case now.”
Against the Vrabel-coached Tennessee Titans from 2021-23, Lawrence was 3-3. In the Jaguars’ wins, he had six touchdowns and no interceptions; in three losses, he had three touchdowns and seven interceptions.
2. Homecoming for Kur: Patriots-Jaguars on Sept. 27 will be a Jacksonville homecoming for New England defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr. Kuhr started his coaching career at Mandarin and Westside High Schools and then Edward Waters before graduating from Florida in 2013.
Kur’s journey included stops at Ohio State, Old Dominion, James Madison, Rutgers, Texas State and Texas before he was hired by Vrabel with the Titans in 2020. Kur joined the Giants in 2024 before reuniting with Vrabel last year in New England as inside linebackers coach. When defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2025, Kur took over the play calling role. He was promoted to coordinator in February.
3. Rare favorite over Patriots: The Jaguars and Patriots will be playing for the 11th time in the regular season and the 16th time overall.
The Jaguars (minus-2 1/2 points) are a favorite over New England for only the fifth time in series history; they are 2-1 straight-up as the regular-season favorite and 1-0 as a playoff favorite.
4. Success rate data: A barometer for down-to-down efficiency used by teams is gaining 50% of the yards on first and second downs and 100% on third and fourth downs.
Jaguars offense: Week 1 vs. Cleveland (29 of 53, 54.7%) — 17 of 27 on first down, 7 of 17 on second down and 5 of 9 on third down. Week 2 at Denver (26 of 55, 47.3%) — 12 of 26 on first down, 8 of 17 on second down and 6 of 12 on third down.
Jaguars defense: Week 1 vs. Cleveland (the Browns were 23 of 49, 46.9%) — 11 of 22 on first down, 10 of 17 on third down and 2 of 10 on third down. Week 2 at Denver (the Broncos were 26 of 56, 46.4%) — 11 of 27 on first down, 11 of 19 on second down and 4 of 10 on third down.
![Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Matt Dickerson (93) hits Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) as he releases a pass in the third quarter during an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, September 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/09/15/NFTU/91773349007-nfl-2026-cleveland-browns-jacksonville-jaguars-023.JPG)
5. Respect for Vrabel: Jaguars defensive tackle Matt Dickerson played his first three NFL seasons for Vrabel in Tennessee.
“I loved him as a coach and I’m very thankful for him and what he taught me,” Dickerson said. “Just the way he handled our (defensive line) drills and held up the (blocking) pad and expected you to hit him in the chest, you can tell he kind of missed playing. He’s just a coach who loves ball.”
6. Extra points: Doug Marrone is in his second year as the Patriots’ offensive line coach and this will be his first game visit to Jacksonville since he was fired as the Jaguars’ coach after the 2020 season (23-43 record). … Alex Kemp will serve as the Patriots-Jaguars referee; his crew was off in Week 2 after working the San Francisco-Los Angeles Rams Week 1 game in Melbourne, Australia. Kemp had one Jaguars game last year (win over Houston) and four Patriots games (all New England wins). … Practice squad quarterback Nick Mullens has one standard elevation remaining (players are allowed three). After that, a player must be signed to the active roster to be eligible to play. … Patriots receiver Pop Douglas (Jacksonville/Mandarin High) has six catches for 29 yards in two games. … Dickerson on the Sept. 23 practice: “Guys were pissed off from last week. I’m pissed off. We’re using that energy to carry ourselves for the week because (the Denver game) wasn’t good enough. We’re using all of that pissed off energy to keep climbing and get better.”
Weekend selections
New England (plus 2 1/2) at Jaguars: A gotta-have-it game for the Jaguars because they play six of their next seven away from Jacksonville. Jaguars 27-23.
Ole Miss (plus 3 1/2) at Florida: Several Rebels, including quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, are used to this big stage. That will be the difference. Ole Miss 37-34.
Texas (minus 5 1/2) at Tennessee: Arch Manning has to win one of these high-stakes road games at some point. That point arrives. Texas 30-27.
Iowa (plus 5 1/2) at Michigan: Get ready for a street fight. The Hawkeyes and Wolverines are allowing 4.3 and 13.0 points per game, respectively. Iowa 17-13.
Houston (minus 2 1/2) at Indianapolis: The Texans avoid a second consecutive 0-3 start and the Colts lose their, gulp, 10th consecutive game dating back to last year. Houston 28-21.
Records: Straight — 2-3 last week (13-7 season). Spread — 1-4 last week (4-16 season; a futile exercise that is continuing only for your amusement).
Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com or on X at @ryanohalloran. Listen to Ryan on 1010AM on Tuesdays (6:35 p.m. on “Into The Night"), Thursdays (1:15 on "XL Primetime") and Fridays ("First Coast Football Friday" 4-7 p.m.).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: What Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson gained from meeting with Liam Coen
