What Jaguars' Legend Tony Brackens Sees in the New Era
Through all of the years of the Jacksonville Jaguars, there is still one defender being chased, generation after generation.
No matter which young players have emerged and which veteran signings have hit the scene in recent years, no Jaguars player has been able to come close to former defensive end Tony Brackens and his franchise sack record.
Brackens' 55 sacks in 107 career games are a number no Jaguars defender has ever even sniffed. This is despite the Jaguars making multiple investments into the position, whether through the draft or free agency. But no matter which first-rounder or big-money free agent has come through Jacksonville, none have done what Brackens did in his eight-year Jaguars career.
"It's kind of weird, just listening to guys trying to reach that mark," Brackens told Jaguar Report on Sunday as over 100 former Jaguars alum were invited back for Legends Weekend.
"But it is a little bit, I think I would say a little different, because the times have changed so much, and the eras have changed, and the way the game is played has changed. So I think that it's a little tougher to look at the old school and try to compare it to the new school."
More than 100 former Jaguars were in the building on Sunday for the weekend of festivities, which will feature Tony Boselli being honored with a halftime ceremony as the franchise's first Hall of Fame enshrinee. But for all of the Jaguars greats -- both past and present -- in TIAA Bank Field, Brackens still stood alone as arguably the most dominant defensive presence.
Brackens, who was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro during his 12-sack season in 1999, set a tone for the Jaguars from 1996-2003. A second-round pick out of Texas, Brackens stands today as the best pass-rusher the franchise has ever seen.
"It's a blessing to be welcomed back into the stadium. Seeing a lot of the guys that you worked with and built relationships with for a time and just be able to see and catch up, see how everything's going with everyone," Brackens said.
The only other Jaguars player within 20 sacks of Brackens is former Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who ended his Jaguars career with 37.5. Otherwise, no Jaguars player has even come within the same zip code of Brackens' record.
The two players the Jaguars hope to change that? Josh Allen (No. 7 pick in 2019) and Travon Walker (No. 1 pick in 2022).
Allen is currently eighth with 23.5 career sacks, while Walker is of course just four games into his NFL career and has one sack. But the pair of edge rushers are two of the Jaguars' most talented and impressive players at the position not just today, but in years. If anyone can get near Brackens, it is them.
Brackens got to get a close look at the two rushers the Jaguars hope can one day break his record, sharing a few tips and picking the brains of each ahead of Jacksonville's Week 5 home game vs. the Texans. For him, it was a chance to bring the new school together with the old school.
"Oh, it was good, just to see where the games evolved into and the things that they are facing, and the things that still translate over from the old generation to the new generation," Brackens said. "So it was a good experience for me to see exactly what they are seeing and facing and the new stuff that they do compared to the stuff we used to do."
"I think that they're good guys. I think Josh being a little older, is in a little different place than the rookie who just got here. So just to be able to hear some of the things that he's experienced, and find some similarities of the same thing that he's going through and the same things I went through. And some of the same questions he had, just to be able to relate to him on that level of trying to help him through this process."
But as the Jaguars' present tries to catch up to Brackens' record, it is worth remembering the exact era Brackens played in. For him to own the franchise record by a healthy margin speaks volumes considering he played in a less pass-happy NFL; an NFL that still focused on the running game.
"I had Jerome Bettis, Eddie George, Emmitt Smith, you name it, Thurman Thomas, they're gonna get the ball. But they don't face running back who are gonna get the ball 20 and 30 times a game. And they don't have you the Kyle Brady and they don't have big time tight ends that are gonna stay in and block," Brackens said.
"The same obstacles that we faced back in the day, they don't face. And the same obstacles that they face in this time, we didn't face. So it's a little harder to try to compare the two. It's kind of like comparing apples to oranges, even though it's the same position. But the position has changed so much."
