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When it comes to the safety position, Gene Smith said there's no question the Jaguars very much need to get better. And what's more, they need to do it in a hurry.
Smith, in his third season as the Jaguars' general manager, said the play of the entire defensive secondary – and indeed the entire defense – is interconnected, and sub-par play at one position can have a weakening effect on another.
Smith said this season is the time for safety to stop being that component.
“We need to get stronger down the middle of our defense,” Smith said.
Smith spoke candidly about the position's struggles last season during a recent interview with jaguars.com for this story on the team's safety position, part of a position-by-position series that will end this week.
Smith said the team likely will sign one player – maybe two – in pro free agency who will compete for a starting position. While pro free agency typically begins in March, it has been delayed this season because of the ongoing labor issues/lockout between owners and players.Smith declined to specify players that could be targeted at that time, partly because those players are under contract, but said, “We need to get better on the back end.”
“We need more playmaking,” he added.
Such plays were lacking a lot of times last season.
The Jaguars, who finished 28th in the NFL in total defense last season – 28th against the pass and 22ndagainst the run – started five different players at the safety position in a season-long effort to find consistency at the spot.
Source: Jaguars.com
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