Las Vegas reportedly wanted to hire former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator as head coach
This week, The Athletic had an interesting nugget, stating the Las Vegas Raiders wanted to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen before they turned to Pete Carroll as the hire in January.
Coen was hired as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars a day before Carroll replaced the fired Antonio Pierce.
Coen and Carroll are two completely different types of coaches. Coen is an offensive-minded coach and Carroll is a defensive specialist. Coen is a first-time head coach and is 39 years old. Carroll is entering his 28th season as a head coach at either the NFL or college level. He will turn 74 in September and be the oldest coach in league history.
Still, Las Vegas’ interest in Coen is easy to believe. They wanted and interviewed Ben Johnson before the star Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator became the head coach of the Chicago Bears. Like Johnson, Coen was a highly-regarded offensive mind.
Coen has a chance to be a coaching star and he can lead an offense and he may have a long future as a head coach. We all know Carroll is a proven winner and is a great leader, but he may be a short-term answer. With all that in mind, do you think the Raiders are better off with Carroll or would you have liked to see Coen (who never reportedly interviewed with the Raiders) take the job?
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