Right now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to claw their way back into the playoff picture after blowng a golden opportunity to start running away with the NFC South last Sunday. A brutally embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys on national television delivered a blow to the Bucs' chances but it wasn't a fatal shot.
Tampa Bay can jump back into first place with a win over Carolina on Sunday coupled with a loss by the Falcons on Sunday night. That's what the main focus is now, but it's hard to ignore the gentle hum of anxiety growing in the background surrounding the potential departure of offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
On Thursday night the Chicago Bears once again lost in miserable fashion, with the No. 1 pick failing to do much as far as tapping into his potential. That's what the Bears are hoping the next head coach will be able to do, and Coen's name continues to be highlighted as a perfect fit.
Liam Coen is being linked to the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams
Peter Schrager, who already put Coen's name in the same conversation as Ben Johnson, is once again floating the Bucs' OC as a fit for the Bears. Specifically, Schrager openly pondered how much better Caleb Williams would be with him over someone like Mike Vrabel or Pete Carroll.
“But I would love to see someone who can draw up an offense and get the best out of . I know Pete Carroll is being mentioned and Mike Vrabel… but I do lean towards the Ben Johnson, Liam Coen, Kliff Kingsbury offensive coach," Schrager said.
Chicago is in a perfect position as it has the chance to pair its franchise quarterback -- one who with generational potential -- with the NFL's next offensive guru. They could also bring in someone like Vrabel or Carroll to totally change the miserable culture at Halas Hall while also getting rising star as offensive coordiantor.
Of course, it's the Bears so chances are they're going to screw everything up and make the wrong hire again. That bodes well for the Bucs, as Coen clearly seems to be a top candidate for this upcoming cycle, and his work speaks for itself. A smart organization would see what he's done not only with Baker but with improving the Buccaneers run game and evolving the offense the way he has and plug Williams into that.
All of the buzz around Coen is only going to intensify as the offseason nears, but this specific noise with the Bears is a reminder that there's more than one outcome to all of this. Bucs fans are assuming it's a foregone conclusion that Coen will get poached, but lest we forget that Johnson and Bobby Slowik both passed up opportunities to get hired last year and have only improved their stock.
Coen getting a nice raise from the Bucs and potentially set up as a successor to Bowles after he retires is very much on the table. As good a candidate as Coen is, we can't forget that the teams looking to hire him are in that position for a reason and it's no guarantee they'll suddenly wisen up.
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