The possibility of the Bucs losing Liam Coen is growing stronger with each passing day. While the Patriots and Bears have hired head coaches, there remain five openings, one of which Coen is the favorite to land with.
While no one wants to lose Liam Coen, one analyst boldly suggests who could replace the Bucs play-caller in Tampa Bay. At first, I hated the idea, but I like it the more I think about it.
Trevor Sikkema of PFF went to social media on Tuesday following the College Football Playoff National Championship to suggest who would replace Liam Coen. He threw out the name Chip Kelly, which for some NFL fanbases results in them screaming in terror, but for college football fans, it provides a big smile.
Kelly rose to fame as the coach of Oregon, utilizing an offense that led to several Heisman Trophy candidates and one winner, Marcus Mariota. He parlayed a coaching record of 46-7 there into a chance in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, where success was less than that of the college game.
After coaching at UCLA for six seasons, he jumped across the country to Ohio State and became their offensive coordinator, where he revitalized a once stagnant group into one, taking advantage of its playmakers. Now, after one year with the Buckeyes and a National Championship, could he return to the NFL?
The idea isn’t awful, as plenty of college coaches have proven not to be quality coordinators rather than NFL coaches. Take Kliff Kingsbury as an example. The thought of Kelly leading the Bucs offense may lead you to have some reservations at first, but it is a discussion that would be worth having if the time came for it.
With Will Howard leading the offense, Kelly got the Buckeyes to average 428 yards of offense per game, which was good for 30th in the country, while putting up 35.8 points per game, good for 12th in the country. He was able to show he could utilize a loaded backfield in terms of talent with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Oh, and he was able to prioritize the team getting the ball into the hands of its playmaking wide receiver.
Giving Kelly Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Mike Evans would allow him to use an offense similar to Ohio State’s. The pieces would fit in seamlessly, and it would be an upgrade for the quarterback, further improving the offense’s efficiency.
While the idea seems crazy, it may not be the worst emergency plan for the Bucs if they lose Liam Coen to the Jacksonville Jaguars.