Liam Coen is still holding onto the “small market” dig Sean Payton made about the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.
“Just thankful that a small-market team like us can come into a place like Mile High and get it done,” Coen said after handing the Broncos their sole home-field loss last season as a direct answer to Payton’s trash talk.
That loss is still a thorn in the side for the Denver Broncos this season, something they’re hoping to settle the score when they meet this weekend, again at the Empower Stadium.
Coen admitted Payton already warned him that he’s “coming” for him, yet Coen brushed it off as “little love” from his rival.
Liam Coen Expects No Drama Ahead of Jaguars-Broncos Rematch
“I talked to Sean at the owners’ meetings, and he gave me a little love for it, but he said, ‘We’re coming. I’m coming for you this year.’ I mean, it’s great,” Coen said when asked about any lingering beef between the two from last year’s game.
Instead, Coen praised Payton for his knowledge of football, even remembering the times Payton invited him to his New Orleans building to talk shop and pick his brain.
“I mean, it’s all in competition, and I’ve learned so much football from Sean Payton. He’s allowed me in his building in New Orleans, and got to talk to him a ton, like when we’re at the owners’ meetings, and you just listen, like you just listen to the stories. A lot of it is insightful in ways you can learn something from every conversation with him because of the experience,” Coen added.
Although the two have never worked together, the two have a history that goes back quite far. Payton has all the respect for Coen, and that’s a reason the Jaguars head coach doesn’t expect the Broncos head coach to make any more headlines this week.
“And a lot of the ways that I’ve typically kind of modeled calling plays, a lot of it stemmed from what I learned from him and what I watched from him and how it affects and attacks the defense, not just with scheme, but with personnel change and be able to mix it in. I’ve always had a ton of respect, so I don’t, I can’t anticipate much this week,” Coen concluded.
Jaguars vs. Broncos About to Headline Week 2
As much as Coen is denying the beef right now, Sunday afternoon will be nothing less than a bloodbath for both sides.
The Broncos are desperate for some revenge for their last season’s loss, and getting another win over them at their home ground, that too this early in a season, will hardly come easy for the Jaguars.
However, Denver’s defense just got completely pushed around by Kansas City, missing an ugly 28 tackles and getting gashed. If their interior rush can’t protect the pocket, Bo Nix and that offense are going to stall out under pressure.
To make matters tougher for the Broncos, Jacksonville’s offense is coming off a dominant Week 1 opener, and Trevor Lawrence is playing in a league of his own.
Jaguars Liam Coen Sends Clear Message to Broncos’ HC Sean Payton Before Rematch