(12-29-2019, 07:14 PM)JAGFAN4EVER! Wrote: What exactly did Gene Smith do again?

Literally, Gene Smith used his first two picks in 2010 draft on defensive tackles (Tyson Alualu 10th overall, D'Anthony Smith 74th overall).  Next two picks were defensive ends (Larry Hart and Austen Lane).

As a precursor was the last game of the 2009 season (Gene Smith's first season as a general manager).   It was against the Cleveland Browns and the Jaguars were 7-8 and still in the playoff hunt (needed a win and 4 other teams to lose).  The Jagaurs lost the game 17-23 and gave one of the worst performances against the run probably in team history (214 on the ground, 86 in the air).  They basically could not stop the run in the second half and the Browns had no real need to throw a pass (only attempting 11 the entire game).  This inability to stop the run had been a developing trend.

After the draft, Gene Smith was quoted as saying that game left a very big impression on him:

Quote:"The way we finished the season certainly left a bad taste in our mouths," Smith said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "I feel what happened in that particular game, Cleveland had tremendous success running the ball against us. Certainly it identified some areas we needed to address in the off-season."

The Jaguars lost their last four games to finish at 7-9.

"I think the Cleveland game was kind of an exclamation point to that last quarter of the season," Smith said. "That certainly stuck with me. I'd like to think it stuck with a lot of our players..

"If we wanted to improve our football team, one of the first things we had to do was get stronger up front. I tried to do that through the last two drafts. I think that toughness of your football team starts up front. And I think winning starts up front."

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2010/11..._atte.html

And the rest is history.

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