Quote:"You," Yannick Ngakoue says, "are in Sacksonville right now."

Sacksonville?

It's a place where you find "11 savages, 11 dogs hunting every Sunday," the defensive end says.

Quote:Safety Barry Church calls Sacksonville "a melting pot," with six starters having begun their NFL lives elsewhere. Church came from Dallas. Defensive end Calais Campbell, from Arizona. Defensive tackle Malik Jackson, from Denver. Middle linebacker Paul Posluzny, from Buffalo. Safety Tashaun Gipson, from Cleveland. And cornerback A.J. Bouye, from Houston.

Sometimes mixing cultures like this doesn't work. It does in Sacksonville. The newcomers—Church, Campbell and Bouye—have only made it more vibrant.
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"Last year, I don't think we had a good mix," Malik Jackson says. "We didn't have the stability and wherewithal. We had a young DB core last year. This year, we have A.J. and Church, two guys everybody in this room should want to be like. And then with Calais, we have more examples of guys who are professionals who know how to do the right thing day in and day out."
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Church finds it "astonishing" the way hired hands have come together. Even their coach, the grizzled Doug Marrone, has taken note. "There is excellent communication between all three levels of the defense," Marrone says. "It's kind of hard to get that, especially when you are acquiring free agents like we have."

Quote:On Thursdays, the defensive backs get together to watch a game, bowl or take a few swings at Top Golf. The night before road games, they dine as a group at a restaurant in the town they are visiting. They also gather for one or two chapel services every week.

"That's what's helping us," Gipson says. "We have a brotherhood on the back end. That bond we share off the field helps on the field. These are the type of guys who will be at my wedding. I'm fortunate to have met them, not only as far as my career, but personally. We'll be friends for lifetime."
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Every Friday, the defensive players meet for about 20 minutes after practice without coaches.

"We go around the room and talk about what we need to do," Ngakoue says. "For example, Calais may speak about the intensity we need. Malik speaks. Everybody has input."

Quote:When training camp began in July, the Jaguars defense was loaded. Since then, attrition has diminished every unit in the league except this one. The Jags, incredibly, have had only two missed starts to injury—when Smith had a concussion. And now he's back, playing his position as well as anyone.

The Jaguars defense actually has more talent now than when it began its journey, as the team traded for Dareus in October. The former Pro Bowler gave a lift to a defense that already was above the crowd.