The Jacksonville Jaguars, 12-4, are riding a seven-game winning streak, with a great opportunity to clinch their division this weekend. And, according to head coach Liam Coen, much of that success should be credited to Shahid ‘Shad’ Khan, the team owner.
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Khan has gotten a lot of things right this season. To start with, he nailed several free-agent signings, and followed it up with an outstanding draft. He 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, who recently made it clear just how much Khan’s support has meant to him. He praised the owner for believing in him and thanked him for 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 has 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 added.
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’ operations. That likely explains why they’ve been so successful this year, even though it is Coen’s first season as head coach.
Everyone in the building appears to be on the same page, supporting each other. Coen described 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,” recalled Coen.
From the sounds of things, Khan cares a lot about his Jags and wants solutions that would ensure success. Khan is singularly focused on bringing the city their first ever Super Bowl.
Coen provided an interesting peek behind the curtain as to what’s going on in Jacksonville. The key, we could gather, is communication and a concerted effort toward success.
