Jacksonville Jaguars' Ryan Nielsen fooled us, has not elevated defense

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Jacksonville Jaguars' Ryan Nielsen fooled us, has not elevated defense | Gene Frenette

Gene Frenette, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union · The Florida Times-Union

Fri, Nov 22, 2024 ·

8 min read

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What do many members of the Jacksonville Jaguars ' media, including myself, head coach Doug Pederson, general manager Trent Baalkeand a lot of players in that locker room have in common?

For one thing, many of us got duped into thinking the Jaguars' hiring of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen would elevate that unit into making this franchise a playoff contender.

Nielsen's defense has done just the opposite . It is gaining the wrong kind of attention.

The Jaguars have allowed 278.3 yards passing per game, worst in franchise history by 10 yards over the 2015 unit. The defense allowing 413.7 total yards per game is dead last in the NFL. The team's only worse numbers in that category were yielding 417.7 yards in 2020, the final season with coordinator Todd Washunder head coach Doug Marrone.

Many Jacksonville Jaguars' observers and insiders thought hiring Ryan Nielsen as the defensive coordinator would elevate that unit, but Jacksonville has reached some historic lows this season on defense. — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen was hired to improve a mediocre unit, but sources say his abrasive demeanor with players caused a lot of friction as the Jaguars' defense plummeted to No. 31 in the NFL.

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Nobody saw this kind of futility coming. Here's what I mistakenly opined in July about Nielsen's potential impact after his defense stole the show early in training camp: "So far, the hiring of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen looks prescient because his unit is playing fast, instinctive and generating turnovers immediately in camp."

That was a classic premature judgment call. The Nielsen defense going against the Jaguars' offense in camp was clearly not the same as facing opponents who are game planning during the regular season.

The Jaguars' defense was plenty adequate in the first two weeks against the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns , but almost everything since then has been an eyesore, particularly the pass coverage.

No payoff for heavy investment

Nielsen was given the resources to build a defense in his vision. He brought aboard three assistants — Kris Richard(defensive backs), Cory Robinson(cornerbacks) and Jeremy Garrett(D-line) — with whom he had a previous working relationship.

Owner Shad Khan opened his checkbook to bring in free agents Arik Armstead , Ronald Darby and Darnell Savage to better fit his scheme.

For myriad reasons, the Jaguars' defensive makeover has been an unmitigated disaster in a 2-9 season.

Remember, the Jaguars fired Mike Caldwell after his defense collapsed in the last six games of 2023 . It was punctuated by then- Tennessee Titans back Derrick Henry rushing for 153 yards, ruining Jacksonville's bid for a second straight AFC South title in a 28-20 defeat.

Pederson and Baalke couldn't stomach that failure, so they pushed Caldwell out in favor of Nielsen. The belief was Nielsen taking over and playing more of an attacking, man-to-man style would make things better. Not even close.

Jacksonville's third-down defense has allowed opponents to convert nearly 45 percent, compared to 36.5 percent last season. The Jaguars are allowing 28.7 points per game after giving up 21.8 in 2023.

Josh Hines-Allen said in training camp that the Jaguars aspired to be the NFL's best defense . Instead, it is now among the worst in every significant metric.

When the fallout from this dreadful 2024 season results in expected bad consequences for some or all Jaguars' coaches, the performance of a Nielsen defense will have been as costly as anything else.

JU, UNF historic wins give ASUN credibility

After Jacksonville University basketball lost all eight ASUN conference regular-season road games last season, coach Jordan Mincywas concerned how his current Dolphins might handle a hostile environment.

Jacksonville University basketball coach Jordan Mincy was encouraged by his Dolphins' breakthrough win on the road against Virginia Tech, which snapped JU's 27-game losing streak against ACC opponents, dating back to 1990.

Mincy got the answer he wanted Wednesday night when JU rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Virginia Tech 74-64, their first win over an ACC opponent after 27 consecutive losses by an average margin of 21.0 points.

The Dolphins' last ACC victory came at the Jacksonville Coliseum on Dec. 8, 1990, a 71-70 win over Maryland on a Tim Burroughs layup in the closing seconds.

Mincy believes it's a good sign that his team went on a 15-3 to open the second half to take a 44-42 lead on a Robert McCray jumper, then stayed in front for the last 13:38.

"I'm pretty encouraged by how the kids handled everything," said Mincy. "They never lost focus down the stretch. When they came to the huddle, they were saying things to each other that a coach usually says."

JU's victory in Blacksburg was the third breakthrough win for a local ASUN team this season. Earlier this month, the University of North Florida opened its season with a 74-71 win at South Carolina, then knocked off Georgia Tech 105-93 six days later.

Under head coach Matthew Driscoll, the Ospreys were 0-48 against SEC and ACC opponents during his 16-season tenure before UNF's recent doubleheader sweep.

Tom Coughlin HOF announcement delayed

The Pro Football Hall of Fame threw a changeup pitch at the Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee on Tuesday by altering the schedule for releasing the one coaching nominee among nine semifinalists, which includes former Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin.

While the voting is done, the HOF has decided to wait until Dec. 3 to announce the nominee instead of releasing it right away. Coughlin, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants , was one of six nominees to again reach the semifinals.

Other members of that group are Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimerand Clark Shaughnessy. Both Holmgren and Shanahan also coached Super-Bowl winning teams.

Coughlin has a tough road to navigate because even if he's named the nominee, he must battle three senior players and one contributor nominee on the final ballot. The 49 voters can only select a maximum number of three from that list.

Hard to make sense of CFP rankings

The only meaningful College Football Playoff ranking is the final one on Selection Day, Dec. 8. But the CFP committee sent some weird signals with its most recent reveal, including No. 3 Texas (9-1) being ranked seven spots ahead of Georgia (8-2), which beat the Longhorns handily last month in Austin.

Another peculiarity for Kirby Smart's Bulldogs was moving up only from No. 12 to No. 10 after defeating No. 11 Tennessee 31-17, while Alabama jumped from No. 10 to No. 7 for routing FCS cupcake Mercer.

University of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, seen here talking with quarterback Carson Beck (15), hasn't seen his program get much benefit in the College Football Playoff rankings despite playing a tough schedule that features five top-25 teams.

Both Penn State (9-1) at No. 4 and Miami (9-1) at No. 8 also seem a bit high. Neither have any impressive wins, the best being PSU beating Illinois, the CFP's 25th-ranked team. Notre Dame (9-1), which lost to an average MAC team (Northern Illinois) and played only one quality opponent in Texas A&M, being No. 6 is too generous as well.

Plus, when you consider Georgia is 3-2 against top 25 teams while Texas played just one, it calls into question how much the CFP committee truly values strength of schedule.

With the expanded 12-team CFP, there will always be debate about where certain schools get ranked. Let's hope when the final rankings come out, there won't be a judgment call as egregious as the current Georgia-Texas gap.

Why leave Henry on bench?

One of the dumbfounding moves of the NFL season came last week when the Baltimore Ravens kept future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henrychained to the bench in a low-scoring, physical tussle with their biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers .

Henry averaged 5.0 yards per carry, yet only touched the ball 13 times and not once in the fourth quarter. The Yulee High product also wasn't on the field for a two-point PAT to tie the game at the end.

Even if you don't give Henry the ball, his presence would have given Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson a better chance to convert that failed option run to the left side, resulting in the Steelers prevailing, 18-16.

Henry played just 30 snaps (out of 61), tying for his lowest number of the season. He averaged 39.6 snaps in the Ravens' first 10 games.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who has a reputation for maximizing the talent of his players, miscalculated badly by not letting Henry have more of an impact.

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, seen here during training camp, miscalculated in last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers by leaving running back and Yulee High product Derrick Henry on the bench for too many plays. — OWINGS MILLS, MD - AUGUST 12: Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken of the Baltimore Ravens looks on during training camp at Under Armour Performance Center Baltimore Ravens on August 12, 2024 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Isn't beating the Steelers one of the main reasons why you signed the NFL's leading rusher? Monken and head coach John Harbaughdropped the ball on that one.

Tyson celebrity status sells

According to Netflix, 60 million households worldwide either paid for a subscription or tuned in to watch 58-year-old boxing legend Mike Tysonlose a unanimous decision to YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 27, last week. That's about half the viewers for last year's Super Bowl.

So among these multiple choices, what does this kind of ratings bonanza for a sham fight say about the viewing audience: (a) their infatuation with Tyson and his celebrity was irresistible; (b) validated there's a sucker born every minute; (c) they forgot that no athletic legend except maybe Tom Brady is immune to the ravages of father time; or (d) these gullible numbskulls would pony up again to watch Tyson fight 62-year-old Evander Holyfield.

The right answer is (e) All of the above. No sport reels in both rich and poor fools like boxing.

Pigskin forecast

Detroit Lions over Indianapolis Colts by 4 ( Anthony Richardson converts); Houston Texans over Tennessee Titans by 10 (AFC South title T-shirt orders); Baltimore Ravens over Los Angeles Chargers by 1 (tense Harbaugh family reunion); Ole Miss over Florida by 7 ( Lane Kiffintaunts); Florida State over Charleston Southern by 25 (cupcake recipes); Miami over Wake Forest by 20 ( Cam Ward Heisman Trophy pushes); Notre Dame over Army by 13 (Cinderella storyline kills). Last week: 4 right, 3 CFP committee eye tests.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' defense among biggest culprits for bad season

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