Marrone On Jaguars' Pass Rush Issues: "We’ve Got to Coach the Heck Out of Them."

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone knows there is an issue in the defensive pass rush. But how is it fixed? For starters, he says "we've got to coach the heck out of them."

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone doesn’t think this issue mirrors those of the past. There is an obvious problem with the Jags pass rush and defense…but Marrone isn’t ready to abandon it as lost cause as past units may have deserved.

"It’s not a lot of errors per say, like in the past where you’re like, ‘Holy cow, something’s bad,’” Marrone told local reporters about the defense on Monday.

“But it just seems like when it’s time for us to make plays—and there have been times where they’ve made plays—but to make it consistent, that’s what we’re striving for.”

“It’s too much talent out here that’s not getting their name called on Sundays for doing what they do best,” added defensive lineman Abry Jones.

“I really don’t have a secret formula for you. That’s just the good old football, blue-collar grit. Go back to the drawing board, grind it out, and make the results come on Sunday. I feel like if we do that, come back, we get a good couple weeks back to back. This was will just look like an old problem and we can roll forward and really become a better defense.”

Ryan Tannehill runs away from Cassius Marsh. © George Walker IV / Tennessean.com

Is it too late for it to simply become “an old problem” though, a quarter of the way through the season? Because not only have the Jags struggled with what was once a staple of their defense, they did so again on Sunday against what had been the worst offensive lineman in the NFL.

Before Sunday, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had been sacked a league leading 14 times through three games. That’s an average of 3.5 sacks per game. The Jaguars sacked him once, on the Bengals last offensive drive of the day. That sack was by Josh Allen, his second of the season. He’s the anchor and the spark of the Jaguars pass rush…at least in theory.

Allen has the talent and ability to be the Jaguars premier pass rusher. But he’s also they only one they currently have and opponents exploit that fact, double and even triple teaming Allen more often than not. Marrone acknowledges that there is attention given to Allen, but reiterates that’s not an excuse.

“I think we’ve seen it. I think he wants to—and I’m sure Josh, like all of us, they want to play better. There [are] times where, you know, close—but sometimes in the pass rush, it’s a combination of a lot of things. Again, they might be sliding two or maybe three-over-two on that side. Most of the time, it all depends on what hash you’re on, where they’re taking the center, things of that nature.

“So, obviously there is some attention, but again, I’m sure that we want to do better when we are matched up one-on-one. And be able to get to the quarterback in times where he’s got to hold the ball or get off the—not throw the first read, because if everything’s in timing, it’s difficult to get there, if you’re not throwing it vertically down the field, passed the chains on third down. So, you’ve got to think with all our guys, that’s what we’re looking at. Hey listen, on these one-on-ones now, we’ve got to win, we’ve got to find some guys to win. You know you’re not going to win all the time, but we’re going to try to win more often.”

While the Jags rush to bring along rookie K’Lavon Chaisson, the second-year veteran Allen has little to no help. Cassius Marsh has proven capable on the edges but he isn’t a ‘live in the backfield’ type guy. Dawuane Smoot has broken through a time or two to force a pressure. But ultimately, there’s been little to no consistency.

“We have guys that have the ability to do it,” says Marrone.

Doug Marrone coaches Josh Allen. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

“We’ve got to coach the heck out of them, we really do, and give them some opportunities. I thought they got us in some one-on-ones and I’ll probably go back and look and I’m sure some of our guys will look at it and say, ‘Gosh, we need to win more in that situation.’ And for us as coaches, we’ve just got to help them out. You know, put them in better situations, really get better plans on how we want to pass rush these guys, and go out there and execute it, because that’s what we have to do a better job of for sure.”

How is it fixed? Not overnight, but one day, one rep at a time.

Says Jones, “we have to do what we always do. We have to practice. We have to make pressure an emphasis. Me, being a vet on this team and being pretty much the old head in the room and stuff like that, I have to find a way to motivate these guys.”