With the New York Jets officially eliminated from playoff contention and the regular season nearing its end, speculation surrounding the team’s offseason decisions is already underway.
While appearing on WFAN’s “BT and Sal” with hosts Sal Licata and Brandon Tierney, former radio host Mike Francesa threw in his two cents, sharing his plan to fix the Jets and bring them back to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
“I would make the offensive coordinator out of Tampa [Liam Coen] the head coach, and I would hire a defensive coordinator who is a veteran guy who is a proven defensive coordinator, who has control of the defense completely. I would hire Coen in Tampa because I can’t hire him as an offensive coordinator, it is a lateral move, he is an assistant coach, they [Tampa] will never give him up, they love him.
“I want that guy to run the offense,” Francesa continued. “And I would put him with [Aaron] Rodgers, and I would bring in a whole new coaching staff, and I would bring in a veteran guy to oversee it, but I would make him [Coen] the coach of the future.”
Coen, 39, is currently in his first season serving as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. Leading the Bucs to current ranks of fifth in points per game and third in total yards per game, Coen has quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s best young offensive minds. He could be the answer for the Jets at the head coaching position as the team seeks to establish long-overdue offensive stability.
If the “Sports Pope” is to be believed, Coen could be the Jets’ solution to ending their 14-season playoff drought, the longest active streak among teams in North America’s four major professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL).
