Gene Frenette: Jaguars defense doesn't need to be Sacksonville 2.0, just special in own way
Five years ago, third-round draft pick Dawaune Smoot was primarily a rookie afterthought, getting 252 snaps and zero sacks on the most ruthless defense in Jaguars history.
Out of nowhere, the unit that came to be known as “Sacksonville” terrorized the NFL in a manner not all that different from the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and 1985 Chicago Bears.
They accumulated 55 sacks, seven defensive touchdowns — all on the road, including five fumble returns — and a franchise-record 32 takeaways, which the Jaguars turned into 15 TDs and seven field goals.
The sacks have only been surpassed by three teams, and defensive scores by one team, during the past decade.
Gene's previous columns:
Norvell needed this: FSU's wild 24-23 win over LSU could be liftoff to better days
Richardson for real: Gators' 29-26 win over No. 7 Utah confirmed Anthony Richardson hype is real
9-8 or better? Maybe: Making case for Jaguars, Pederson to have a winning season
Smoot, now the longest-tenured Jaguar on defense, is still not a starter, but has become a bigger factor in the team’s pass-rush (17.5 sacks since 2019). He looks at the current defense and believes it’s not far-fetched to think the Jaguars can recreate the imposing numbers and swagger from 2017.
“I definitely feel like we can bring back Sacksonville,” said Smoot. “We’re looking really good, we have brought in some really good pieces. We’re going to get a lot of sacks.
“In 2017, we had elite guys on every single level. I’m seeing a lot of similarities now. We have good people on the back [end of the defense], really good linebackers that get downhill, too.”
Not that it would take much for a defense under first-year coordinator Mike Caldwell to raise the bar from the past two seasons, where the Jaguars’ combined output was just 50 sacks and 26 takeaways. The standard for scoring defensive TDs is even lower, accumulating just five total in the past four seasons.
A big reason for Smoot’s optimism for making life miserable on opposing quarterbacks is the talent and depth along the defensive front.
With No. 1 overall draft pick Travon Walker joining forces with pass-rusher Josh Allen — plus free-agent acquisitions Arden Key, Foley Fatukasi and linebacker Foye Oluokun aboard — this is easily the best Jaguars personnel since 2017 and ‘18 before Telvin Smith, Jalen Ramsey and Malik Jackson all departed.
“[The 2017 defense] found their identity, a mentality as a group and they made it happen,” said Allen, who was a sophomore at Kentucky at the time. “That doesn’t come easy.”
An immediate chemistry
Smoot is correct when he talks about common denominators between this defense and 2017. The Jaguars have a new head coach now in Doug Pederson, just as they did five years ago with Doug Marrone.
More importantly, the blending together of 2017 incoming free agents like defensive end Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J. Bouye and safety Barry Church, with young promising players Yannick Ngakoue, Myles Jack, Dante Fowler and Ramsey already there, made for a defense that clicked immediately.
“Sacksonville” was born in the road season opener against the Houston Texans, where an overmatched offensive line got bludgeoned and allowed 10 sacks, including four by Campbell and a pair of strip-sacks by Ngakoue. His second led to a fumble scooped up by Fowler for a 53-yard TD return.
The defensive tsunami sacked starter Tom Savage six times in the first half of a dominant 29-7 victory. For good measure, the Jaguars welcomed rookie replacement Deshaun Watson to the NFL by putting him on the ground four times in the second half.
That night, the Jaguars’ twitter account had some fun with their handle and changed it to “Sacksonville,” and the name became part of 2017 lore.
By the time the Seattle Seahawks came to TIAA Bank Field in December, rookie cornerback Shaquille Griffin, now a Jaguar, was just settling in with Seattle’s "Legion of Boom" defense that had seen better days. The week leading up to the Jaguars’ 30-24 win was the first time he had heard of Sacksonville.
Griffin thinks the 2022 Jaguars defense can be just as highly impactful, but he wants no part of any connection to that 2017 nickname.
“You got to come up with your own name,” said Griffin. “Not Sacksonville II. You got to create your own identity.”
Blazing a new trail
Whatever identity forms with the ‘22 Jaguars defense, it starts with Sunday’s season opener on the road against the Washington Commanders. Ron Rivera’s team allowed 43 sacks last year, 10th-worst in the NFL, and their best offensive lineman, five-time Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff, was signed by the Jaguars.
Could the Jaguars go to FedEx Field and wreak anything close to the havoc they did on Sept. 10, 2017, against the Texans? Probably not, but nobody saw that 10-sack day or historic defense coming to fruition with such force, including one of the leaders of that Jaguars’ defense.
Middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, who retired after that ‘17 season, admits he didn’t envision in preseason the defense putting up those astounding stats.
“No, that wasn’t in my mindset that our defense would be able to perform like that,” said Posluszny. “We had guys that could rush, and more importantly, we had guys that could cover. But to get to the level of those numbers, no, I didn’t see that in [training] camp.
“From a numerical perspective, it was an outstanding effort by a special group of guys. [Defensive coordinator] Todd Wash did an amazing job just figuring it out, [thinking], ‘I got an unbelievable player in Calais Campbell and how do I pair him with Yannick [Ngakoue] on third down, knowing I got Jalen Ramsey covering?’
“To have results like that, a lot of things have to go right and you have to stay healthy. We had the right leadership and a group of guys that connected and came together. We optimized it in a way for everybody to have success.”
By most accounts, including Pederson, this Jaguars defense is not only ahead of the offense, but might have the versatility and weaponry to make a significant jump like the 2017 unit.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has enjoyed the chess match between his offensive line and the Jaguars’ pass rush, and he’s happy to move on.
“In practice, they give us fits some days, just all the different speed they have everywhere, the guys on the edges, they’re moving Arden [Key] around everywhere, so it’s been tough,” Lawrence said. “We’ve seen pretty much every different look you can see and really challenge our guys up front, who have done a good job, too. I’m just excited to play against another team now.”
Allen likes pass-rush partners
Caldwell’s new 3-4 scheme appears to be a good fit for the personnel, which will feature six or seven new starters, depending on how he chooses to deploy three of his inside linebackers.
Nobody is more stoked than Allen, who believes the arrival of Walker and Key will bolster his sack numbers back into double digits like in his rookie season (2019) when Campbell was still around to serve as his mentor.
Allen is now doing the same for Walker, and anybody else on the D-line, to help them get to the quarterback. The critical component will be whether the Jaguars can get consistent pressure without having to blitz.
“That’s what our standard is this year,” Allen said. “I feel like four down [linemen], we can apply the pressure. I feel like we can change this [defense] for good. My biggest asset is learning how to rush with the people you’re with.
“Talk with Arden [Key], he is the ace. He brings a different type of swag up front. I can’t wait to go full throttle with him. He can go speed or power [rush], inside or outside, just versatility for days.”
Key, who was a senior at LSU during that memorable 2017 Jaguars’ season, is bullish on the pass rush, saying: “We got a lot of smart, athletic guys on the D-line who want to work and are not selfish.”
Pederson likes to think the versatility of Smoot and Key will allow the Jaguars to throw a lot of combinations at the Commanders. When you add in Pederson’s knowledge of Washington quarterback Carson Wentz, who he coached with the Philadelphia Eagles — and also imploded in his last NFL start against the Jaguars with the Indianapolis Colts in a 26-11 defeat in January — it’ll be interesting to see Sunday if the Jaguars can confuse him again.
There’s no need for this Jaguars defense, if it puts up numbers anywhere near 2017, to come up with a nickname.
Sacksonville and its then designated mayor, Campbell, created something special. Maybe this defense forges a new path.
As Allen put it: “We’ll just all be mayors. How about that?”
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540
Gene Frenette Sports columnist at Florida Times-Union, follow him on Twitter @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars defense has chance to be special, nut "Sacksonville" good?
