Gene Frenette: Forget Arden Key, but Jaguars still need to quickly find pass rush solution
With the Jaguars having only one sack by K’Lavon Chaisson in their last two losses, it’s becoming vogue to question why the Jaguars’ front office didn’t bring back Arden Key, who was a valuable backup pass-rusher last year with 4.5 sacks in 541 snaps (including playoffs), an average of 28.5 per game.
The truth is Key signed a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans for $21 million ($13 million guaranteed), the same average annual salary the Jaguars were willing to pay to bring him back. But Key wanted to be a starter, and the Jaguars weren’t about to demote Josh Allen or Travon Walker, so he’s getting about 15 more snaps a game as an outside linebacker with the Titans. He has 1.5 sacks (all in Week 1) in three starts.
Key’s best season was 2021 with the San Francisco 49ers (6.5 sacks in 433 snaps), back when current Titans GM Ran Carthon was serving in the 49ers’ front office. It’s a free agency scenario where Key felt comfortable going to Tennessee to get the starting job he wanted, while the Jaguars chose not to overpay for a situational pass-rusher.
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Sure, the Jaguars’ defense could probably use Key’s vocal presence and energy boost, but questioning the decision to let him go into free agency isn’t a viable criticism given the circumstances of his departure.
But one thing is indisputable: the Jaguars need the pass rush to look better, especially once DaVon Hamilton and Dawuane Smoot are healthy enough to possibly return next month.
"I just think it comes down to each man just having a want, a will to [get sacks]," said head coach Doug Pederson.
Still, having zero sacks last week of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who had been put on the ground 11 times the first two games, was inexcusable. Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, has only 4.5 sacks in 18 career games, while Detroit Lions pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson (No. 2 overall pick in same draft) has 13 sacks in 21 games.
If that happens again Sunday with Falcons second-year QB Desmond Ridder (12 sacks in three games) and the Jaguars lose, the pass-rush vexation will be louder than ever.
Allen, who leads the team with three sacks, had this to say about the Jaguars’ pass rush: “In order for us to get there, we got to stop the run first.”
Actually, the Jaguars are doing a commendable job in that department, holding opponents to 84.0 yards rushing per game (7th in NFL) and 3.4 yards per carry. The pass rush just isn’t getting to the quarterback, with just five sacks in three games (T24th).
If things don’t improve, GM Trent Baalke may have to seriously consider making a move by the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
Trying to reverse NFC hex
Even by the Jaguars’ low-bar standards in recent history, their track record against NFC opponents is incredibly inept. Since 2010, Jacksonville is 7-45 (.134) facing teams from the other conference and had lost 18 straight until Rayshawn Jenkins’ pick-six last year beat the Dallas Cowboys in overtime.
When the Jaguars face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London, they’ll be trying to snap a nine-game losing streak against the NFC South. Their last win came at home in 2011, a 40-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the defense forced seven turnovers.
Matching Europe’s Cup camaraderie
The challenge for U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson this week won’t be getting his team to play above its talent level. The Americans have enough talent with the likes of veterans Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, along with newbies Brian Harman and Max Homa, to win for the first time on European soil since 1993.
For Johnson, it’ll be the same hurdle as for previous U.S. captains Jim Furyk, Tom Watson, Corey Pavin, Curtis Strange and Tom Kite who took a team across the Atlantic: matching Europe’s team camaraderie.
It’s no secret the Americans aren’t nearly as passionate about the Ryder Cup as their European counterparts. That’s a big reason why Europe has dominated the event the past 30 years, which is most evident in doubles matches as Europe has outpointed the U.S. by a combined margin of 117-99 in foursomes and 4-ball competition since 1995, while the U.S. holds a 83.5-82.5 edge in singles over the same time frame.
Tiger Woods’ Ryder Cup record is a microcosm of the U.S. weak link in pairs matches since 1993. Woods is 4-2-2 in singles play, but 9-19-1 when paired with a teammate.
My Ryder Cup prediction of the U.S. winning 14.5-13.5 isn't looking good after Europe swept all four Friday morning foursome matches and extended its lead to 6.5-1.5 during 4-ball competition. Clutch putts at the final hole by Jon Rahm (eagle), Viktor Hovland (birdie) and Justin Rose (birdie) allowed the Europeans to halve three matches and those extra 1.5 points could potentially be the difference come Sunday.
Ryder Cup trivia
Which American player has more Ryder Cup wins than any other, but not as many as Spain’s Sergio Garcia or England’s Nick Faldo? Answer at the bottom.
Lame-duck Pac-12 looking good
With five teams still undefeated at 4-0 and six ranked in the AP top 25, the Pac-12 is off to an impressive start in what looks like its farewell season.
The league that has seen 10 of its 12 teams exit for the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC next year is a combined 29-5 against non-conference opponents, including a 7-3 mark against Power 5 teams.
We’ll find out more about USC and Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Caleb Williams when the Trojans face four ranked teams — Notre Dame, Utah, Washington and Oregon — in a span of five weeks starting in mid-October.
The Oregon-Washington matchup in two weeks could be a 1,000-yard, 80-point combo platter. No matter who wins the league championship, the Pac-12 is positioning itself to have at least one team in the College Football Playoff, something it’s only done twice in the CFP’s existence — Oregon in 2014 and Washington in 2016.
It’s a shame the Pac-12 is finally rebuilding its shaky football reputation as the league gets ready for a breakup. If this happened two years ago, the league might have remained intact.
More: Gene Frenette: Jaguars put up another stinker at home against AFC South nemesis Texans
Quick-hitting nuggets
It didn’t take long for Las Vegas bookmakers to start jumping on the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce relationship when there’s money to be made from gamblers stupid enough to wager on celebrities’ personal lives. There are all kinds of prop bets out there for those infatuated with Swift’s interest in the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, including an over-under of 2.5 months on the length of their relationship and bewildering 50-1 odds that the couple will leak a sex tape. One Las Vegas bookmaker told me he wasn’t enamored with posting odds on anything connected to Swift and Kelce, but felt an obligation to do it for his clients. …
I did a double take seeing that the late Bob Hayes, the greatest athlete to ever come out of Duval County, and Raines’ first football coach, Earl Kitchings Sr., were inducted into the Florida High School Activities Association Hall of Fame last weekend. How in the world did Hayes — nearly 60 years after winning double gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the 100 meters (on borrowed spikes) and 400-meter relay, and 21 years after his death, then making the Pro Football HOF posthumously as a receiver — not get into the inaugural FHSAA Hall of Fame class in 1991? Oh, well. Better late than never. …
In my lifetime, there has never been a Hall of Fame baseball player known more for his defense than Baltimore Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson, who passed away this week at 86. He won 16 Gold Gloves, more than any position player, while hitting .267 lifetime with 268 home runs. Putting aside his 1964 American League MVP season, when he had career highs in batting average (.317), HRs (28) and RBI (118), Robinson will always be remembered most for being a vacuum cleaner at the hot corner. RIP, Brooks. . . .
Seeing the Milwaukee Bucks acquiring Portland Trailblazers star guard Damian Lillard in a three-way trade means the Bucks have suddenly become the NBA title favorite. With Lillard headed to Milwaukee instead of the Miami Heat in a three-team trade to join monster center Giannis Antetokounmpo, this is one of those rare instances in major pro sports where two of a league's most impactful, established players join forces in a small market. In the 21st century, that almost never happens
Ryder Cup trivia answer
The winningest American player in the Ryder Cup is Arnold Palmer, who had a 22-8-2 record. Billy Casper has the most overall points at 23.5.
Pigskin forecast
Jaguars over Atlanta Falcons by 4 (helpings of desperation); Cincinnati Bengals over Tennessee Titans by 4 (Joe Burrow prayer vigils); Los Angeles Rams over Indianapolis Colts by 1 (less QB dilemma); Kentucky over Florida by 1 (buttoned-up offense); Georgia over Auburn by 17 (speeding tickets); UCF over Baylor by 5 (hello-Big 12 moments); USC over Colorado by 24 (Deion honeymoon killers). Last week: 2 right, 5 Mel Tucker judgment calls.
Gfrenete@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540: Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Goodbye to Arden Key was understandable, but Jaguars still need pass rush
