When it comes to NFL amusement, few things ring the bell like coaching kerfuffles. Mole hills typically become mountains in these kinds of spats, and that’s true of the one Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen has stirred up as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for their Monday night game in Jacksonville.
This one's about sign stealing. Yup, you read that right. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49er happened to mention Coen’s name as one of the best in the NFL at this arcane art, and the Jags coach took offense. A confrontation on the field followed, and Saleh ended up apologizing, sort of, for not really doing anything wrong.
This actually resulted in a shouting match on the field when the two clubs met on Sunday, and the Chiefs will doubtless be asked about this. Don’t expect coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes or any other Chiefs player to take the bait, though.
The simple fact is that every coach tries to steal signs. It’s part of the scouting process, and it plays into game plans as well. Some coaches make it a point of emphasis, and we now know rather emphatically that Coen is one of those guys.
Andy Reid isn’t, at least not in public. Offensively, he simply does what he does, which is run his variation on the West Coast offense. It’s based on speed, short throws and the excellence of Mahomes when the Chiefs decide to take downfield shots. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo does his get-after-the-quarterback thing, and it would be shocking if he commented, either.
Jacksonville has been surprisingly feisty under Coen’s leadership. They’re 3-1, but that record feels like a bit of an illusion given that they’ve only faced one team, the San Francisco 49ers, with a record over .500.
The Chiefs are currently sitting at 2-2, but that, too, is an illusion. They got off to a slow start, but now that receiver Xavier Worthy is back, Kansas City is starting to show more of the explosiveness that’s made them the most feared team in the league.
We’ll learn a lot more about who the Jags are on Monday night. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence isn’t playing particularly well, and it’s starting to look like the skills that made him a number one pick and a no-doubt elite quarterback were also a mirage.
As for the sign stealing, it should be an amusing footnote. Coen has shown that he does have a temper, and he’s not always good at controlling it on the field. Whether that represents an advantage for the Chiefs remains to be seen.
