The Jacksonville Jaguars have had an incredibly successful season. They’re 12-4, riding a seven-game winning streak with an opportunity to clinch their division this weekend. And according to head coach Liam Coen, much of that success should be credited to team owner Shahid “Shad” Khan.
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Khan has gotten a lot of things right this season. He nailed several free-agent signings, followed it up with an outstanding draft, and capped it off by hiring an excellent coaching staff. At the center of it all, bringing that vision to life, is first-year head coach Coen.
Coen recently made it clear just how much Khan’s support has meant to him. He credited the owner for believing in him and giving him an opportunity he had not previously received.
“I can’t say enough good things about this guy. Shad Khan has given me the opportunity that nobody had ever provided me and my family,” shared the head coach on The Pat McAfee Show.
“He is extremely present. He comes in the night before, he’s at our team meetings. Nights before the games… We meet every Monday and go through it. Go through the game, go through what’s next,” Coen further shared.
It was somewhat of a stunning revelation. Not every NFL owner is that involved in the day-to-day workings of a team during the season. Most leave those responsibilities to the coaches and players.
But Khan wants to know all the details of the Jaguars’ week-to-week operations. That likely explains why they’ve been so successful this year, even in Coen’s first season as head coach. Everyone appears to be on the same page.
Coen went on to reference a moment earlier in the season when Khan helped him and the team navigate a tough loss.
“I think back to London when we lost a really challenging game against the Rams. You’re sitting in your office, and he’s in there, and all he was was supportive… All it was was, ‘Hey, how do we get this thing back on track?’ It was all solution-oriented, and that’s all he thinks about.”
From the sounds of things, Khan cares a lot about his Jags and only wants solutions on how to win. He doesn’t have time to think about how everything could go wrong. Khan is focused on bringing the city their first ever Super Bowl.
All in all, it was an interesting peek behind the curtain as to what’s going on in Jacksonville. Coen and Khan remain in constant communication, meeting every Monday to discuss the team. It’s proven to be a great strategy that could lead them to great heights.
