Jacksonville Jaguars Third Worst Tacklers in 2014

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are struggling with some basic fundamentals of football.

The key one for the defense: tackling. Wrapping up the ball carrier and bringing him down.

It’s one of the first things we’re taught to do whether playing in a league or playing a pickup game in the neighborhood. It’s hammered into players from the minute you sign up to play. NFL teams are no different. When coaches talk about focusing on fundamentals, tackling is often a part of it.

Heading into 2015, the Jaguars need to work on that fundamental. Tackling all season was visibly atrocious.

As if to confirm what we saw, Pro Football Focus took a look at the best tackling efficiency by team. The numbers simply confirmed what we already knew: the Jags can’t tackle.

Here’s a look at the numbers for every team per PFF:

RankTeamSnapsMissed TacklesMissed Tackles/Snap
1Cleveland Browns11881020.086
2San Francisco 49ers1072940.088
3Chicago Bears1065970.091
4Philadelphia Eagles12071110.092
5Houston Texans11501100.096
6Denver Broncos11001070.097
7Minnesota Vikings11091080.097
8N.Y. Jets10441020.098
9Buffalo Bills11241100.098
10Tennessee Titans11691160.099
11San Diego Chargers10741080.101
12Miami Dolphins10711100.103
13Carolina Panthers10561100.104
14New England Patriots11111160.104
15Cincinnati Bengals11461200.105
16Baltimore Ravens11171170.105
17Seattle Seahawks10021050.105
18Indianapolis Colts10691130.106
19Pittsburgh Steelers10101070.106
20Green Bay Packers11141200.108
21Washington Redskins10601160.109
22Kansas City Chiefs10861200.110
23Arizona Cardinals10851220.112
24N.Y. Giants10761230.114
25Detroit Lions10721240.116
26Atlanta Falcons11061320.119
27St. Louis Rams10771300.121
28Dallas Cowboys10541290.122
29Oakland Raiders11571440.124
30Jacksonville Jaguars11471440.126
31Tampa Bay Buccaneers11391520.133
32New Orleans Saints10921480.136

Stuck in at 31st overall, right between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders is a terrible spot for the Jaguars to be.

Head coach Gus Bradley, a defensive mind, needs to worry about how to improve the Jaguars’ tackling efficiency. Part of that will be finding the right people to replace turnstiles like Josh Evans. Another part of it will be emphasis from Bradley and defensive coordinator Bob Babich. The Jaguars are a young team and being out of position and failing to tackle are part of that. But as we enter year three, the Jaguars need to start putting it together.

The biggest culprit of the Jaguars’ 144 missed tackles are safeties Josh Evans (21) and Johnathan Cyprien (21), linebackers J.T. Thomas (14) and Telvin Smith (13), and defensive back Will Blackmon (8).

You just can’t win games without proper tackling.

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