Charlie Strong's First NFL Mission: Help Jack and Schobert Become 'Staples' of Jaguars' Defense
New Jaguars inside linebackers coach and assistant head coach Charlie Strong will have a lot on his plate in his first season in the NFL. He will be Urban Meyer's right-hand man as the two tackle their first treks into the NFL, tasked with helping lead one of the NFL's youngest rosters and least successful franchises.
But his most important task? Helping Myles Jack and Joe Schobert transform from a solid duo into one of the foundational pieces of the defense's future.
"You’re looking at two ‘backers that are kind of in the prime of their career because the length of time that they have been in the NFL, but guys that can make plays and guys that will become the staple of our defense," Strong said at his introductory press conference on Thursday.
"If you’re not good at linebacker, then you really don’t have much of a chance to play really good defense."
The Jaguars had a strong linebacker core with Jack and Schobert last season, but they were far from an effective defense due to injuries and youth in the secondary. It will now be Strong's job to help change that -- and help Jack and Schobert unlock their ultimate potential in the process.
The Jaguars will be shifting to a new defensive system in 2021 under defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, who is coming to the Jaguars from Baltimore. Anyone who has watched Baltimore's defense in recent years knows how important the linebacker position has been to that franchise, which gives an idea of what Jack and Schobert will mean to Jacksonville's defense moving forward.
It isn't as if Strong is taking over a position group that is full of rookies -- Jack and Schobert have a combined 135 starts and 10 years of NFL experience between them. Each has four years as an every-down starter under their belt. For all intents and purposes, they are two of the Jaguars' most experienced and respected defenders entering the offseason.
But neither has been a part of a consistently successful program at the NFL level. Jack was one of the stars of the Jaguars' defense in 2017 but the Jaguars are 12-36 since then. Meanwhile, Schobert has never been on an NFL team with a .500 record. Both have been talented stalwarts of their respected defenses, but neither has been a part of sustainable success.
It will be Strong's duty to help change that. That means developing strong bonds with both and creating and fostering roles for each that will allow them to be impact members of the defense.
“I’ve seen plenty of tape on both of them. I look at Myles Jack, he’s a guy that’s very fluid. A guy that can get downhill, very athletic and a guy who’s really good at open space," Strong said. "Yesterday Joe [Schobert] came by to see me for the first time. We sat down and talked a long time and [it’s] the same thing with Joe."
Jack is coming off the best season of his career (118 tackles, six tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries), but his terrific season went unnoticed by many outside of Jacksonville due to the team's record.
Schobert, meanwhile, is a former Pro Bowler who struggled with the transition to Jacksonville's scheme at first. But once he got his feet under him and became comfortable, a noticeable switch was flipped. He finished the year as the defense's most productive player while playing 99% of the team's snaps.
But there is still room for improvement and a ceiling to reach. Baltimore's defenses thrived in part because they always have linebackers who fly to the football and create turnovers. The Jaguars quickly need Jack and Schobert to elevate their game past their already high levels and become those players for Jacksonville's new-look defense -- and it will be Strong's first NFL mission to ensure that happens.
"[I’m] really, really looking forward to coaching both of them because they want to learn. You can tell they’re learners, they want to learn, and they want to get better," Strong said.
"It’s all about creating value and those guys want to create value for themselves and they want to become the best.”
