Jaguars coordinator Wash ready to get defense rolling
JACKSONVILLE — Even those who had known him for two decades were shell-shocked in January when Todd Wash held his first staff meeting as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator.
The task was a complete analysis of a system that lacked precision and big plays last year, failing to match the improvement on offense during a 5-11 season.
The first morning Wash put on a 48-play video of a defense the Jaguars called in 2015. They broke for lunch 41⁄2 hours later after covering the first seven plays.
Yes, one play every 38.6 minutes — enough time to get halfway through a Donald Trump speech.
“I would joke, ‘We’re the most inefficient guys ever watching tape,’ ” assistant linebackers coach Scottie Hazelton says. “One day from 1-4:30 p.m., we got on a roll and did 16 plays. But there was a point to what he was doing.” The point was clear. Promoted from defensive-line
coach by Gus Bradley, Wash wanted to instantly create a new standard. Letting things like communication errors slide was unacceptable. Same for a player lining up in the wrong spot. Ditto for being unable to make a pre-snap adjustment. That meant marathon meetings. Every play merited a front-to-back analysis of what happened (even the good plays).
“I expect everything to be detailed — there’s no fudging in that area,” Wash says. “If we do the little things, we should be ready.”
Bradley believes Wash, whom he has known since 1987 and worked with at two colleges and three NFL teams, is the guy to get the Jaguars ready for Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco and Andrew Luck — in the first four weeks.
Just like last year’s decision to hire Greg Olson turned around the offense, Bradley is hoping Wash has the same impact, so he turned to his most-trusted ally.
Wash is the opposite of Bob Babich, the Jaguars’ coordinator from 2013-15. Tattoos cover his arms. He more than occasionally curses during an interview. He isn’t afraid to single out a player’s mistakes in front of the whole defense. And on Sundays this fall, every player and coach expects Wash to be an aggressive play-caller, dialing up more blitzes and playing more man coverage.
“He’s going to lean more to finding ways to getting pressure on the quarterback,” Bradley says.
Much is at stake. The Jaguars enter Year 4 of their massive rebuilding effort knowing owner Shad Khan’s patience will eventually run out. Another losing season and there will likely be wholesale staff changes. To win more games, the defense has to improve from last year’s rankings of 29th in passing yards allowed, 31st on third down and 31st in points.
Just like the NFL was never on Bradley’s radar until he joined Tampa Bay in 2006, the same goes for Wash. His goal was to become a Division I defensive coordinator.
Bucs coordinator Monte Kiffin, now a Jaguars senior assistant, created an opening when he promoted Bradley from quality control to linebackers coach.
“I said, ‘Hey, Kiff, there’s a great coach up at North Dakota State. He’s really into ball. I think you’d really like him,’ ” Bradley says. “He brought Washer in, was very impressed and hired him on the spot.”
Says Wash: “Somehow, I got the job. I was intimidated walking into a room with Kevin Carter, Chris Hovan, Simeon Rice, Greg Spires. I was like, ‘Holy bleep, smalltown kid from North Dakota, what the heck am I doing here?’ But football is football. You can either coach or you can’t.”
Wash was the qualitycontrol coach for Tampa Bay in 2007-08; in January 2009, coach Jon Gruden was stunningly fired (days earlier, Bradley was hired as Seattle’s defensive coordinator).
Wash had two years left on his contract.
After the 2010 season, Wash had contract offers on his desk from Tampa Bay and Seattle. He chose to become the Seahawks’ line coach and join Bradley.
“I wanted to be on the winning side of things,” Wash says. “Obviously, the icing on the cake was working with Gus again. I knew what kind of defensive line he wanted and how to coach with him and how to deal with him. It was just a great fit and a great opportunity with Pete Carroll.”
The Seahawks posted 69 sacks in Wash’s two years. In January 2013, Bradley was hired by the Jaguars, and Wash joined him after Carroll released him from his contract. A year after Bradley and Wash left, Seattle won the Super Bowl, and current and former Seahawks credit both men with spearheading the rebuild.
Wash was promoted to defensive coordinator on Jan. 21 and began having marathon meetings with the defensive staff. The players returned in late April and responded, asking for critical reviews during post-practice video sessions.
“He’s a strong personality, and when you have a strong personality in a position like his, it can motivate people,” defensive end Jared Odrick says. “Wash has a strong presence and guys responded to him right away.”
Wash has considerable talent at his disposal. The opening-day defense is expected to have new starters in Malik Jackson, Jalen Ramsey, Tashaun Gipson and Dante Fowler plus Myles Jack and Prince Amukamara.
“I don’t get caught up in the speculation and I never have,” Wash says. “We’re going to come in and do the best possible job we can.
“We’re going to have a chance because we have good players.”