Coen Still Beaming Monday Morning After Convincing Win over the Colts Sunday

Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Liam Coen had an extra bounce in his step when he addressed the local media Monday. He must have still been riding the highs of the emotional 36-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

While he believed he had the better team going into the game, he said he had no expectations, other than getting out of the rain-soaked stadium with a win. 

 “There were no real expectations, I don't think. You just try to take it week by week and keep coaching up things that need to get improved upon and working on things that we're doing well. So, look, you hit strides at different times in different seasons. It's just the way it goes," Coen said. "And try not to overthink it. Try not to dive into too many what-ifs and this-and-thats; you just kind of keep coaching."

Coen also said he was extremely pleased with quarterback Trevor Lawrence who managed a great game for the Jaguars given the inclement weather

"You keep the standards high and the expectations high. And I thought he rose to the occasion yesterday and played at a high level," Coen said. "He was really accurate, really had the two drops too, that you can understand a little bit in the elements, but I thought it was one of his more accurate games, big plays that we needed on critical third downs. So hopefully we can continue to ride the momentum.”

Coen also took time to praise the offensive line who gave Lawrence time to throw the ball and the running backs big holes to run through. But for the rain, Lawrence might have had a clean jersey when the game was over.

“Yeah, I thought we protected really well. We were aggressive in pass protection when we were able to kind of jump people, we were able to jump them. I thought we did a nice job on the edges as well for the most part," Coen said. "Still a lot of meat left on the bone in the run game that needs to continue to get improved on and some details, fundamentals and techniques that need to improve upon, guys staying off the ground and playing a little cleaner. But I was definitely happy with those guys yesterday for the most part.”

The Jaguars faced eight defenders in the box which took away some of the punch from the run game. However, with the box stacked, Lawrence was able to use his check downs and get good gains.

“We're definitely seeing some heavier boxes at times," Coen said. "But we did have a few targeting issues yesterday and a few fundamental issues that it definitely wasn't completely up to the standard by any means. So, it's a group effort; they know that, but it definitely starts up front.”

Coen spoke highly of Travis Etienne who ran hard for the Jaguars despite dodging potholes on the field. While Coen praised the former Clemson star, he thought he could have gotten more yards had they flipped the edges better.

“Yeah, I thought he saw it pretty well. There are a few that we can cram and get a few more yards in there when we're trying to get the ball in the perimeter, and it's not there. But he's got a good feel for some of the pin and pull schemes and stuff like that," Coen said. "He did a great job finding a crease on a trap that we ran, kind of in the third quarter, I think, had a really good feel getting back in there. He’s just playing pretty confidently and having a good understanding as to what we're trying to get accomplished on some of those schemes.

"But ultimately, backs get paid to make people miss at the second and third level and get more than what the play is expected to get. If the play is blocked to ultimately get four yards, their job is to get eight. And that's ultimately what we judge backs by.”

He also said Etienne also improved his pass protection, which the coaches have been spending extra time working with him on. He credits running backs coach Chad Morton for spending extra time with Etienne and getting him to perform better.

“Yeah, he has definitely improved there. Had a really nice pickup yesterday on a cut that he had, and he's mixed up some of the techniques that he wants to be able to use based on some of the rushers that he's seeing. He's more dialed into the protections, I think, than maybe he has been in some ways, and he's taking it seriously," Coen said. "Chad, like I've always said, does a great job with teaching those guys not just the schemes, but the fundamentals and techniques that we want to use in pass protection, and he's taken pride in it.”