Things couldn't be going better for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The franchise is no stranger to hard times, having only two postseason appearances since the 2008 season. But under first-year head coach Liam Coen, it seems the Jaguars may have things turned around and headed in the right direction. The Jaguars moved into the outright lead for the AFC South divisional title on Sunday with a 36-19 win over the Colts, and are now 9-4 overall with just four games left to play in the season.
One of the centerpieces of the victory for Jacksonville was running back Travis Etienne, who finished the game against Indianapolis with 74 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. After the win, Etienne discussed Coen's role in the franchise's turnaround this season, particularly in how he prepares players to be ready on Sundays and keeps them operating with the right mindset.
"Give a shout out to Coach Coen. He does a great job having us ready for Sunday. When we go out there and feel like ourselves before the game, we can kind of go out and play with the edge. Everyone is feeling healthy, feeling like their best self, that's why we're able to put things on film on Sunday," Etienne said.
"Just through things throughout the facility. Just, like, I remember this week going through the facility just seeing pictures on the TVs, just what where we are in the division. How everyone talks about everyone else besides us. Subconsciously, you might not think about it, but it plays in the back of your mind, especially going into the game. Just his speeches Saturday night before the game. Coach says smoke is smoke. I love he has that mentality, and it trickles down to us as a team."
Just how far the Jaguars can go this season is left to be determined, but it's certain that we're not watching the same struggle franchise we've gotten used to over the past decade. Coen seems to have the Jaguars playing a bit differently than before, and it seems that his ability to instill an extra edge in his team might carry Jacksonville into a divisional title and playoff appearance in his first season.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Travis Etienne says, Liam Coen preps Jaguars to 'play with the edge'
Reporting by Joe Smith, Touchdown Wire / Touchdown Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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