Jacksonville Jaguars: 30 greatest players in franchise history
By John Buhler
52. . DT. (2001-07). Marcus Stroud. 11. player
- 3x Pro Bowl (2003-05)
- 1x Second-Team All-Pro (2003)
- 213 tackles, 61 assists, 22.0 quarterback sacks in Jaguars uniform
- Half of “Hurricane Henderstroud”
We have already touched on the first half of “Hurricane Henderstroud” when naming defensive tackle John Henderson at No. 14 all-time on this list of greatest Jaguars. It was only a matter of time before we got to Henderson’s counterpart in defensive tackle Marcus Stroud.
Jacksonville used its No. 13 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft to select the defensive stalwart out of Georgia. Stroud had plenty of experience playing big games down in Duval from his time with the Dawgs. The Jaguars certainly got their money’s worth in the seven years that had Stroud’s services in the trenches.
By his second year in the league, Stroud was able to set a career-high in quarterback sacks at 6.5. The next year saw Stroud make his first of three straight trips to the Pro Bowl. He would earn second-team All-Pro that year as well. For the next four years, “Hurricane Henderstroud” was in full effect.
The Jaguars compromised the integrities of endless offensive lines during Henderson and Stroud’s peak as professionals. They made the Jaguars competitive under head coach Jack Del Rio, helping push defensive coordinator Mike Smith to the Atlanta Falcons head coaching gig in 2008.
However, “Hurricane Henderstroud” wasn’t going to last forever. In 2007, Stroud was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. This kept him out of four games in what was his final year in Jacksonville.
During the 2008 NFL offseason, Stroud would be traded to the Buffalo Bills, where he would spend his last three professional seasons. Henderson quickly lost his effectiveness in Jacksonville, and would be traded to the Oakland Raiders soon thereafter.
Overall, Stroud is easily one of the most talented players to star in North Florida. He ended up with 213 quarterback sacks, 61 assists and 22.0 quarterback sacks in seven seasons with the Jaguars.
Could Stroud be a candidate for enshrinement in the Pride of the Jaguars? Potentially, but the PED suspension doesn’t help his case. What does is a joint-bid going in with Henderson as part of “Hurricane Henderstroud”.