Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen didn’t have anything to add to the substance of what was said during his confrontation with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh after the Jaguars’ 26-21 victory on Sept. 28 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., during his Monday teleconference with the media.
But Coen didn’t deny that Saleh’s comments last week, in which he said the Jaguars had found a way to “steal” sideline signals from opposing coaching staffs — adding that the Jaguars do it within NFL rules — provided a bit of an edge in beating the 49ers in San Francisco for the first time in franchise history and improving to 3-1 for the season.
“You’re always looking for an edge as a player, as a coach, you know?” Coen said on Sept. 29. “You go back and look at Michael Jordan making up things of what players… people say about him to get him juiced up for a game. And it’s just, it’s part of the competitiveness within our profession and where this thing goes. And, you know, I thought everybody kind of worked off that a little bit.”
Coen declined to discuss the issue in any detail after the game, saying simply, “It was not a big deal. Just keep that between us.”
Jaguar players praise Liam Coen’s fire
After the game, Coen initially passed Saleh without shaking hands. Saleh said something and according to Action News, which was filming the incident, Coen yelled at Saleh, “Keep my name out of your mouth.”
More words were exchanged before Jaguars center Robert Hainsey led Coen away and tackle Walker Little confronted Saleh and told him, “get outta here.”
Hainsey and linebacker Dennis Gardeck said during their teleconference on Sept. 29 that the team would have its coach’s back.
“He cares … he cares immensely,” Hainsey said. “He’s emotionally invested … it’s hard not to be. You have to care a lot to be willing to do what it takes to get to the level we want to get to, and yeah, I think we all love seeing that because it makes you want to go play for him. That’s an unbelievable trait for a coach to have.”
“I want a passionate leader,” Gardeck said. “It’s good to see that this stuff matters just as much to him as it does to all of us … proud of my head coach.”
Liam Coen said incident can unite team
Coen didn’t deny that incidents such as what happened on Sunday can unify a locker room.
“They want to see that side of you sometimes … that helps show the locker room,” Coen said. “I mean, I think we’re all competitive, right? We’re playing a competitive sport for our jobs, and we’re all in it together. I appreciate everybody playing the way that they played, the physicality, the chip on their shoulder right now that we’re playing with, and as much as our locker room can continue to buy into that edge and playing with an edge and competing with an edge and preparing with an edge, I only think it’s going to help us as we move forward as a team.”
Coen did admit that Saleh opening the door for the Jaguars to get more of an emotional lift before the game is rare in the NFL and couldn’t recall anything similar in the year’s been in the league with the Jaguars, Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.
“I’m trying to think of anything in particular … I think maybe it showed up a little in the SEC at times in college [Coen coached at Kentucky]. And I can’t think of anything specific, but look, it’s, it’s one of those things that, ultimately, you’re always looking for an edge.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars’ Liam Coen said team ‘worked off’ Robert Saleh sign stealing comments
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
