After speaking with new Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen in his inaugural press conference in Tampa, it was fairly obvious that he felt this was the right fit for him instantly. With an ability to call his own plays without worry of interference, Coen stated in one way or another that this was an easy decision to make.

Familiarity and continuity are huge plot points anywhere you look in the NFL. Although Coen has never worked with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles before, getting to run an offense that Bucs players have somewhat seen before, plus knowing some of the guys already, made this decision a quick one. And the possibility of reuniting with a player who knows how to galvanize a group was all the young offensive coordinator really needed to sign up for a move to Tampa.

“This was a no-brainer for me,” Coen said Tuesday. “Obviously, the opportunity to work with Baker (Mayfield). To get back with him, potentially. John Wolford’s in the room that I coached with the Rams for multiple years. The skillset on the perimeter, obviously. Youth in the running back room, tight end. And one of the best tackles in the National Football League.

“This was altogether was something we could not turn away from whatsoever. This is something that are really excited about as a family. My father lives an hour and a half from Tampa. I’ve spent a lot of time down here. And this was just a no-brainer for us.”

Liam Coen Already Meeting With Bucs Players

It’s no guarantee that Mayfield will be back in Tampa Bay this season, but there’s still enough talent around the Bucs’ offense for Liam Coen to be excited about. He’s already began the process of talking to his players and getting familiar with them in person. The in-person part should have some emphasis, because Coen has already done extensive work in watching their tape.

Bucs OC Liam Coen – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

This is just the beginning of the process. So the next step is building the rest of their staff and making his adjustment on how the offense will look.

“I can try to get to know some of the players. I’ve talked to a few of them already,” Coen said. “Just trying to get a little bit of a relationship builder with those guys. Get here with Todd, and with Jason and with the staff and the personnel department. To really evaluate the roster. And start to get through to that. Obviously, we need to build a staff. And get some of those hires done over the next couple of weeks, here.

“Really just dive into this thing. I’ve been watching a ton of film on the flights. I was watching tape on recruiting flights last week. And just trying to dive into this thing. But I’ll get on the same page and be as collaborative as we can be in terms of the roster and the coaching staff hires. Just get down to Tampa as soon as we can.

Differences From The College To NFL Level

Liam Coen has an advantage seeing the game at different levels. Over the last seven years, he’s either been with Kentucky or the Los Angeles Rams. His coaching background goes even further than that, all the way to 2010.

Bucs OC Liam Coen – Photo by: USA Today

If there’s anyone who can make an adjustment or know where to find the missing links, Liam Coen is the guy to do it.

“The NFL and college game are very different in a lot of ways,” Coen said. “The defensive structure in the college football game are a little messier than they are in the NFL game at times. Obviously, the blitz pickup packages in the SEC vs. the NFL may be a little bit different. But the defensive structures, they are a little messier in college. But at the end of the day, as we kind of talked about before, get the ball to your best players as many times as possible and see what happens.

“And try to be as efficient as you can on early downs. Win third down and the red zone. We had a kid two years ago, Wan’Dale Robinson that had 104 [catches] for 1,300 [yards]. Ultimately, just tried to get him the ball as many times as possible. And I could sleep better at night that way.