JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (0-2)
AT
NEW YORK JETS (0-2)
Sunday, September 17, 1995, 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Giants Stadium, The Meadowlands
THIS WEEK: The Jacksonville Jaguars, still in search of their first-ever victory, will play their second road game of the regular season when they face the New York Jets at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, September 17 at Giants Stadium. The 0-2 Jaguars are coming off a 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Jets are 0-2 after having lost 27-24 to the Indianapolis Colts in overtime last Sunday. This is their second home game of the season, while the Jaguars will be facing their first non-division foe.
RADIO BROADCAST: This game will be broadcast on WOKV (690 AM) and WKQL (96.9 FM) and the Jaguars Radio Network, with play-by-play man Brian Sexton and color analysts Matt Robinson -- a former New York Jets quarterback -- and Deron Cherry. Jennifer Kumik and Bill Riley, sports director of WOKV handle the pre-game and half-time shows. More than 30 affiliates in five states on the Jaguars Radio Network will also broadcast the game. Sexton, 26, is the NFL's youngest play-by-play announcer, while Robinson and Cherry bring a total of 17 years of NFL playing experience to the broadcast booth.
TELEVISION BROADCAST: Sunday's game will be televised regionally by NBC and locally on WTLV, Channel 12. Calling the action will be veteran broadcasters Don Criqui and Beasley Reece.
THE SERIES: This is the first game between the Jaguars and Jets.
THE OPPONENT: The Jets were charter members of the American Football League and were originally called the New York Titans. They won Super Bowl III 16-7 over the Baltimore Colts behind the quarterbacking of Joe Namath in what is generally considered the biggest upset in pro football history. Following 11 consecutive years out of the playoffs, the Jets advanced to the AFC Championship game in the strike-shortened 1982 season. Since then, they have appeared in the playoffs only three of the last 12 years. Rich Kotite took over as head coach this season after four years in charge of the Philadelphia Eagles.
A VICTORY OVER THE JETS WOULD: Be the Jaguars' first victory ever and be only the third time an expansion team has won one of its first three games. In 1961 the Minnesota Vikings won their first game, and in 1968 the Cincinnati Bengals won their second and third games.
THE COACHES: Jacksonville head coach Tom Coughlin returns to Giants Stadium this week, where he spent three seasons as an assistant with the New York Giants (1988-90). Coughlin led the Jaguars to two victories in five preseason games this year and is 0-2 during the regular season. Coughlin served as the head coach at Boston College from 1991 to '93, compiling a record of 21-13-1, with two appearances in bowl games and a ranking of 13th in the final AP poll of 1993. He was previously an NFL assistant coach with the New York Giants (wide receivers, 1988-90), Green Bay Packers (wide receivers and passing game coordinator 1986-87) and Philadelphia Eagles (wide receivers, 1984-85).
Rich Kotite is in his first season as the Jets' head coach after four years as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The 10th full-time coach in Jets history, Kotite had a 36-28 record with the Eagles, and led them to the playoffs in 1992, winning a wild-card game -- the first postseason victory for a Philadelphia team in 12 years -- before losing in the divisional playoff round. Kotite had served as the Jets' receivers coach from 1983 to '85 and was offensive coordinator from 1986 to '89 under head coach Joe Walton.
JACKSONVILLE-NEW YORK JETS CONNECTIONS: Jaguars starting DE Jeff Lageman was a first-round draft pick of the Jets in 1990, spending six years with the club and leading the team in sacks three times. … Jaguars reserve DT Paul Frase spent the last seven years with the Jets. … Jaguars special teams coordinator Larry Pasquale coached for the Jets from 1980 to '89, the last nine as the special teams coach. … Four Jets call the state of Florida home: C/G Cal Dixon (Merritt Island and University of Florida), LB Marvin Jones (Miami and Florida State), LB Wilbur Marshall (Titusville and the University of Florida) and WR Charles Wilson (Tallahassee). … In college, Jaguars FB Ryan Christopherson was a teammate of Jets WR Ryan Yarborough at Wyoming. … Jets reserve QB Glenn Foley attended Boston College, where he was coached by Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin and was teammates with Jaguars TE Pete Mitchell, FB/TE Gordon Laro and MLB Tom McManus. … Jets G/OT Siupeli Malamala played at Washington with Jaguars QB Mark Brunell. … Jaguars CB Mickey Washington played at Texas A&M with Jets S Gary Jones. … Jets CB Otis Smith played with Jaguars SS Harry Colon at Missouri. … Jets C/G Cal Dixon played at Florida with Jaguars WR Willie Jackson. … Jets CB/S Anthony Prior played at Washington State with Jaguars DT Ray Hall. … Jets CB/S Marcus Turner played at UCLA with Jaguars C/G Frank Cornish. … Jaguars MLB Keith Goganious played at Penn State with Jets G/C Roger Duffy and RB Richie Anderson, and Anderson and Jets DT Lou Benfatti and TE Kyle Brady were teammates of Jaguars G Greg Huntington. … In the NFL, Jaguars P Bryan Barker used to be the holder for Jets PK Nick Lowery when they played together at Kansas City in 1993. Barker spent last season with the Eagles along with Jets reserve QB Bubby Brister. … Jets starting RB Ronald Moore and LB Wilbur Marshall were teammates on the Cardinals with Jaguars QB Steve Beuerlein. … Jets DL Matt Brock was a Packers teammate of Jaguars QB Mark Brunell, OLB Mark Williams, DT Don Davey and CB Vinnie Clark. … Jets WR Charles Wilson was a teammate of Jaguars CB Rogerick Green with Tampa Bay. … And last but not least, Jaguars radio color broadcaster Matt Robinson was a ninth-round draft pick of the Jets in 1977, spending three years there. In 1978, he passed for 2,002 yards and became the first Jets quarterback to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark since Joe Namath in 1975.
LAST WEEK: The Jaguars lost their second regular-season game in franchise history to the Cincinnati Bengals 24-17. After falling behind 3-0, the Jaguars responded on their first possession by scoring their first touchdown ever on a 71-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein to RB Randy Jordan. Beuerlein later suffered a knee injury when sacked late in the second quarter and did not return to the game. Jacksonville allowed a touchdown on the Bengals' last play of the first half, then tied the game 10-10 on a 29-yard field goal by Mike Hollis. After two Cincinnati touchdowns, which capped 71- and 70-yard drives, Mark Brunell scored the Jaguars' first running touchdown on an 8-yard scamper around left end midway through the fourth quarter to narrow the Bengals' lead to 24-17. The Jaguars drove from their own 19 to the Bengals' 37 with less than a minute remaining before losing the ball on downs.
The Jets lost to the Colts 24-21 in overtime after leading 24-3 late in the third quarter.
NOTES FROM THE BENGALS GAME: RB Randy Jordan's 71-yard score on a short pass from Steve Beuerlein is the first touchdown in Jaguars' history. It also marked the first TD pass in franchise history and the longest play from scrimmage. Jordan, who was inactive in the season opener, started in place of James Stewart, who has a shoulder injury. He rushed 20 times for 64 yards, both single-game records. … Beuerlein played most of the first half before leaving the game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. He had completed 4 of 12 passes for 98 yards. … Mark Brunell completed 8 of 18 passes for a career-high 81 yards, and he also ran 3 times for 30 yards including an 8-yard scoring run that was the first TD run in franchise history. Brunell has had the Jaguars' longest run in both games (23 vs. Houston, 19 at Cincinnati). … Vaughn Dunbar, who was claimed on September 6 after being waived by New Orleans, rushed 3 times for 5 yards. … Desmond Howard led the Jaguars with 4 receptions for 50 yards, while Jordan's 3 catches were for a Jaguars game-high 80 yards. … TE Pete Mitchell caught the first 2 passes of his professional career for 18 yards. … Mike Hollis added a field goal and two extra points to give him a team-high 8 points this year. … Bryan Barker punted 6 times for a 41.5-yard average but had only 1 kick returned for minus-3 yards. … Both of the Jaguars' kickoff returners played well. Jimmy Smith returned 3 kickoffs for 65 yards, and Willie Jackson returned 2 for 65 yards, including a 47-yard long. … Jacksonville had 14 first downs to Cincinnati's 17, but lost the time of possession 29:58 to 30:02. … The Jaguars set season highs for rushing yards (119), passing yards (140) and total yards (259). … DT Corey Mayfield and DE Jeff Lageman made the first sack in Jaguars history. Joel Smeenge had 1.5 sacks and Don Davey had half a sack. … LB Bryan Schwartz led the team with 9 tackles (5 solo), while LB James Williams and CB Vinnie Clark had 8 each. … The Jaguars penetrated the Bengals' red zone 2 times, scoring one touchdown and one field goal. … The Jaguars captains were: CB Vinnie Clark, DE Jeff Lageman and WR Desmond Howard.
FROM COACH COUGHLIN ON THE CINCINNATI GAME: ìIt was a great effort, but we have to find a way to win. We were in position, but there were some very untimely errors. We battled back, we made some plays. But we just didn't make enough. We had the frustration once again of a missed play here or a missed play there or a breakdown in protection. People were flying around, but the frustrating thing was, we didn't do it. It's a long game. You have to play well for 60 minutes. You can't play well for spurts here and there. I thought we did a lot of things very well. We tried and played hard but we're frustrated. We don't like to lose. Playing well and losing is little consolation.î
ìThere's no simple answers; no shortcuts. We just have to try to get better. When we're in the same situation next time, hopefully we'll have the experience to know how to handle it, how to improve it. We can work on it some in practice, but I think we just have to get the right play called and make the play.î
(on the defense) ìThe defense played well again today. Cincinnati rushed the ball on us more today than we would have liked, particularly on one drive. It was a good, tough, solid football game and we had a chance to win again in the fourth quarter.î
(on playing better against the blitz) ìWe made some plays into the blitz today, more than we had been making, but we missed some others.î
FROM JAGUARS RB RANDY JORDAN, WHO SCORED THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: ìWe had been working on that play all week in practice. It was a ëhot' play. If one (defensive player) came, or two came, I was hot. They came and I broke it hot and (Steve) Beuerlein put it right on me. I saw No. 50 (Bengals LB James Francis) and I knew if I could beat him I could score, and I did. Yeah, I knew that was the first touchdown ever by a Jaguar. It was funny because when I scored I put the ball down. But then I thought, ëOh, what am I doing? I wanted to go back and get the ball and keep it in the Jordan family.î
FROM QB MARK BRUNELL: ìOffensively, when it was critical (in the fourth quarter) we just didn't get it done. We made too many mistakes. We had something going; we had momentum; we just didn't capitalize on it. Those are the struggles we as an offense have to overcome. There are going to be tough times. We just have to battle through them and learn from this. A lot of teams go through this (not just expansion teams). There's going to be times when the offense does not move the ball. The best teams in the NFL have times when they do not move the ball. There were opportunities for us to move the ball -- we just made too many mistakes, and we've got to correct them.î
(on the drive that led to his 8-yard TD run in the fourth quarter) ìWe knew we could move the ball. We just came together, and we realized that if we didn't score now there wouldn't be a chance, so we got together and put together a drive. The last drive, that's what we needed (again), but we didn't do it.î
(on his TD run) ìThey brought a blitz from the outside and we really just ran around them. It was a perfect call for the defense they presented us with. It was wide open.î
FROM QB STEVE BEUERLEIN ON THE TOUCHDOWN PASS TO RANDY JORDAN: ìThey came with a blitz, and it was a perfect call for it. I actually told Randy before we went out on the field, if that play comes up, as soon as you see the blitz, look, I'm going to stick it right on you. Somehow they got messed up in their coverages, and the guy who was supposed to have Randy obviously wasn't around. So it made us look pretty good. That play is designed for a blitz, just like it came up. If they don't blitz, it's a good zone route, as well. If we catch them in a blitz, we knew we had a good chance to get the ball to Randy. If he can make a guy miss, we knew we would have a chance for a big play. Sure enough, it came up that way.î
(on throwing downfield more) ìWe took some shots at them and would have liked to have taken a few more. I think when we get this thing going a little bit you'll see more of that, as we start learning more about each other and as the coaches start understanding us and what we can do, we'll get more opportunities for that kind of plays. The big problem today was consistency. We have a few good plays and we have a few bad plays. You can't score consistently when you're doing that. You can't ever be satisfied playing close. You have to go out and get the win.î
MILLER LITE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Jaguars nominee for the Miller Lite Player of the Week Award was RB Randy Jordan, who scored the first touchdown in franchise history on a 71-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein. Jordan also rushed 20 times for 64 yards and caught 3 passes for 80 yards.
JAGUARS INJURY UPDATE: The only Jaguars player to get injured in the Cincinnati game was QB Steve Beuerlein, who suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. His status will be updated later in the week.
RB James Stewart, who suffered a sprained shoulder in the season opener and was inactive for Week 2, is also day to day. Other players with injuries are: OT Tony Boselli (knee), TE Derek Brown (broken rib/lacerated kidney) and S Chris Hudson (groin).
NEXT WEEK: The Jaguars will play their second home game and first game ever against an NFC opponent when they host the Green Bay Packers at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, September 24 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. It is the only scheduled nationally televised game for the Jaguars this season, and will be broadcast on TNT and Channel 12. The Packers lost their season opener to the St. Louis Rams 17-14 and faced the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
DAILY SCHEDULE: Tuesday -- Players day off. Wednesday through Friday -- Lockerroom open to media 11:45 to 12:15; head coach Tom Coughlin is available at 12:15 Wednesday and Thursday and at 12:00 on Friday. There is no availability on Saturday. On Monday, the day after the Jets' game, the lockerroom will be open to the media from 11:45 to 12:15, and Tom Coughlin will be available at 12:15.
Practices are being held at the two practice fields adjacent to the new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Check with the Jaguars' Communications Office in (633-6000) for the daily practice schedule and to schedule interviews.
ROSTER MOVES: In the last week, the Jaguars waived RB Reggie Cobb and claimed RB Vaughn Dunbar, who had been waived by New Orleans. The Jaguars also waived RB Leon Brown off the injured reserve list.
GIVINS MOVING UP: With every catch he makes, Jaguars WR Ernest Givins moves up on the list of active receivers. Sunday against the Bengals, Givins caught one pass for 11 yards. In nine seasons with the Oilers, he caught 542 passes for 7,935 yards. Here is where he ranks among active players:
Player Team Receptions Player Team Receiving Yards
Jerry Rice San Francisco 837 Jerry Rice San Francisco 13529
Andre Reed Buffalo 680 Henry Ellard Washington 11304
Henry Ellard Washington 677 Gary Clark Miami 10373
Gary Clark Miami 664 Andre Reed Buffalo 9603
Ernest Givins Jacksonville 544 Irving Fryar Miami 8229
Ernest Givins Jacksonville 7954
BOOTIN' BARKER: Bryan Barker continues to be one of the hottest punters in the NFL. Last year, while with the Eagles, Barker led the NFC with a 36.3-yard net average. In his first two games with the Jaguars, Barker has punted 14 times for an average of 42.4 yards and a net of 37.9 yards. Jaguars opponents have returned five punts for a total of only 24 yards (4.8-yard average). In the five preseason games, Barker punted 25 times for an average of 42.9 yards and a 38.2 net average.
PANTHERS VS. JAGUARS: No, the NFL's two expansion teams do not meet during this regular season, but there are still some interesting comparisons to be made.
For example, a Nielson survey of the teams' preseason games showed that, for their August 25 home game against the Broncos, and assuming that the 66,000 people in attendance would have watched the game had it been an away game, the Jaguars averaged a 33 rating, 78 share and delivered 168,000 households, as compared to a 16.5 rating, 31 share and 131,000 households for the Panthers' two preseason away games. That's 30,000 more households watching Jaguars games than Panthers game, even though the Charlotte market has 300,000 more households than Jacksonville. Said Ken Tonning, president of WTLV-TV, which carried the Jaguars' preseason games, ìThis is just another example of the incredibly strong appetite for Jaguars games on the First Coast!î
Also, J.C. Penney stores report ìphenomenal salesî of Jaguars merchandise. J.C. Penney says that sales of Jaguars merchandise in Jacksonville-area stores is double the amount of Panthers merchandise sold in Penney's stores in the Charlotte area. The four Jacksonville-area J.C. Penney's racked up Jaguars sales that are 90 percent above last year's.
A study in contrasts could also be made on the field, where the Jaguars had the third-youngest team in the NFL on opening day, with an average age of 25.7 years. The Panthers were the oldest team in the NFL, with an average age of 28.2 years, nearly one year older than the next oldest team in the league (Denver, 27.5).
The Jaguars also had the heaviest team in the NFL on opening day, averaging 245.3 pounds per player. Carolina was the heaviest team in the NFC.
FIRST-ROUND COUNT: With the addition of RB Vaughn Dunbar last week, the Jaguars have nine players on their roster who were first-round selections in the college draft:
Player Pos. Year Team
Jeff Lageman DE 1989 New York Jets
Vinnie Clark CB 1991 Green Bay Packers
Kelvin Pritchett DT 1991 Dallas Cowboys*
Derek Brown TE 1992 New York Giants
Eugene Chung G/OT 1992 New England Patriots
Vaughn Dunbar RB 1992 New Orleans Saints
Desmond Howard WR 1992 Washington Redskins
Tony Boselli OT 1995 Jacksonville Jaguars
James Stewart RB 1995 Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pritchett was traded from Dallas to Detroit on Draft Day.
DRAFT REPORT: Eight of the Jaguars' 10 draft picks this year made the roster for the opening game and all 10 are still with the team (one is on injured reserve and the other is on the practice squad).
Rd. Player Status
1a OT Tony Boselli Injured; will start at left offensive tackle when he returns
1b RB James Stewart Starting halfback
2a OT Brian DeMarco Starting right offensive tackle
2b MLB Bryan Schwartz Backup and special teams player
3 S Chris Hudson Backup safety
4a QB Rob Johnson Third-string quarterback
4b DT Mike Thompson Backup left defensive tackle
5 FB Ryan Christopherson Backup fullback and short-yardage runner
6 OT Marcus Price On injured reserve (knee)
7 WR Curtis Marsh On the practice squad
THE ORIGINAL 10: Here's an update on the ìOriginal 10î Jaguars who signed contracts with the team on December 15, 1994:
WR Shannon Baker -- Waived on August 13
SS Hillary Butler -- Waived on August 19
DE Ferric Colons -- Waived on May 1
C/G Greg Huntington -- Backup center/tackle and special teams starter
RB Randy Jordan -- Backup halfback who started last week and scored the first touchdown in franchise history
DE Ernie Logan -- Backup left defensive end
OT Rickie Shaw -- Waived on August 19
DE Jason Simmons -- Waived on August 27
DE Ricky Sutton -- Waived on May 4
DT Chris Williams -- Waived on August 19
ABOUT THE STADIUM: The new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium has drawn rave reviews after its first three games:
NBC broadcaster Don Criqui: ìThere isn't a better football facility in America than Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. I've never seen a better facility. The natural field is a perfect playing surface.î
Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin -- ìWhen you stand at the base of this stadium, it's a magnificent stadium. It's the most beautiful place I've ever played in. This has to be one of the greatest stadiums in the country, bar none. Playing on grass, the weather, a brand new stadium. A great city. People who have waited years for a football team. I don't think there's a hotter place in the country than Jacksonville, Florida. This is tremendous.î
Rams coach Rich Brooks -- ìThis is a great stadium to play football in. The seats are close to the field, and the noise is very, very loud. We tried an audible and screwed it up because of the noise.î
Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver -- ìI think we've raised the bar on how stadiums are gong to be built in the future. The two magnificent Stadium Clubs are unique in any stadium. This stadium is already a candidate to host a Super Bowl game; all we need is the hotel rooms.î
FAX ON DEMAND: All Jaguars press releases can be obtained through the InfoConnection fax-on-demand system. To receive the Jaguars' press releases each week via fax, dial (404) 399-3066 on your fax machine and enter the NFL password: 7575. Key in the following numbers for the Jaguars release: 2801 -- weekly release; 2802 -- alphabetical/numerical rosters; 2803 -- depth chart; 2804 -- offense/defense stats; 2805 -- Tom Coughlin bio; 2806 -- transactions. Dial 1000 for an NFL directory of releases. Press releases will be available on Monday afternoons.
1995 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS SCHEDULE
Sunday, Sept. 3 HOUSTON OILERS L, 3-10 72,363
Sunday, Sept. 10 at Cincinnati Bengals L, 17-24 48,318
Sunday, Sept. 17 at New York Jets 4:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Sept. 24 GREEN BAY PACKERS 8:00 p.m. TNT
Sunday, Oct. 1 at Houston Oilers 4:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Oct. 8 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Oct. 15 CHICAGO BEARS 1:00 p.m. FOX
Sunday, Oct. 22 at Cleveland Browns 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Oct. 29 at Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Nov. 5 Open Date
Sunday, Nov. 12 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Nov. 19 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Nov. 26 CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Dec. 3 at Denver Broncos 4:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Dec. 10 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Dec. 17 at Detroit Lions 1:00 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Dec. 24 CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00 p.m. NBC
Home games in CAPS. All times are Jacksonville time.
FOR FUTURE PRESS RELEASES --------------
JAGUARS INSIDE THE RED ZONE: The Jaguars have penetrated their opponents' red zone 4 times in 2 games, coming away with one touchdown, two field goals and one missed field goal. Jaguars opponents have scored four times in five possessions inside the 20-yard line (two touchdowns and two field goals).
SMALL BUT DEADLY: The Jaguars have smallest starting receivers in the NFL in Ernest Givins (5-10, 180) and Desmond Howard (5-10, 181). In the season opener, they were the team's two leading receivers. Howard caught 3 passes for 33 yards and Givins had 2 receptions for 19 yards. ìSmall but deadly,î is how Givins describes the duo. In an era in which most teams are moving to taller and more physical receivers, the Jaguars start Howard at flanker and Givins at split end. ìBoth those guys have a knack for big plays,î said QB Steve Beuerlein. ìAnd we need to make sure they have the opportunity to make them.î
ROSTER NOTES: The Jaguars' roster includes 43 veterans, 3 first-year players and 10 rookies. … TE Gordon Laro was the only undrafted rookie to make the final roster. … The team's first 8 (of 10) draft choices made the active roster. … Only 18 of the 56 players on the roster are 27 years of age or older. 27 players are 25 or younger, and 11 are 26. … Only 19 of 56 players have four years or more of NFL experience (5th year or more) entering the 1995 season. 13 are rookies or first-year players, and 24 have 1-to-3 years entering this season. … The oldest player on the roster is P Bryan Barker at 31 (born 6/28/64), who is one month older than OT Bruce Wilkerson (7/28/64). WR Ernest Givins becomes the third 31-year-old on Sunday. Six players are 30 or older. … The youngest player, and the only one born after 1972, is 22-year-old QB Rob Johnson (3/18/73). … The tallest players, at 6-7, are veteran C Dave Widell and rookie OT's Tony Boselli and Brian DeMarco. The shortest player is 5-7 PK Mike Hollis. … The heaviest player is 323-pound OT Tony Boselli, followed closely by 321-pound OT Brian DeMarco. The lightest players, at 180 pounds, are PK Mike Hollis and WR Desmond Howard. … The current starting offensive line of C Dave Widell, G's Shawn Bouwens and Tom Myslinski and OT's Jeff Novak and Brian DeMarco, averages 6-5.4 in height, 301 pounds, 26.8 years of age and 2.8 years of NFL experience entering 1995. … The current starting defensive line of DE's Jeff Lageman and Joel Smeenge and DT's Kelvin Pritchett and Don Davey averaged 6-4.8, 273 pounds, 26.8 years of age and 4.8 years of NFL experience entering 1995. … The average age of the 56 players on the roster is 25.68 and the average NFL experience is 2.66 years entering 1995. … Of the 56 players, 20 were selected in the expansion draft, 8 from the college draft, 11 signed as first-year free agents, 12 as unrestricted free agents, 3 arrived via trades, 1 was claimed on waivers and 1 was an undrafted rookie. … Of the 56 players, 44 were drafted by the Jaguars or another team and 12 entered the NFL undrafted. … The only Jaguar with Pro Bowl experience is WR Ernest Givins (1990, 1992).
CONFERENCE CALL: __________________
?????????THE B.C. CONNECTION: Three Jaguars played under Tom Coughlin at Boston College: TE Gordon Laro is a rookie free agent who played under Coughlin in 1993 after transferring from Michigan; MLB Tom McManus, a first-year player, played two seasons under Coughlin (1991 and '92); and TE Pete Mitchell, who was acquired in a trade with Miami on August 27, played under Coughlin from 1991 to '93. Mitchell had his best season under Coughlin in '93, catching 66 passes for 818 yards and 7 touchdowns.
STOPPIN' THE RUN: _________In the five preseason games, the Jaguars allowed only 462 yards rushing on 129 carries for a 3.6-yard average that would have ranked sixth-best in the NFL last year. Jaguars opponents had a long run of just 25 yards and no back gained more than 68 yards (Detroit's Ron Rivers). In fact, in three of the other four games, the opponent's leading rusher was stopped significantly (Carolina's Barry Foster 9 carries for 22 yards, Miami's Irving Spikes 9 carries for 25 yards and the Rams' Jerome Bettis 9 carries for 12 yards). Denver's Terrell Davis ran for 46 yards on 7 carries last week.
TICKET INFORMATION: A limited number of tickets still remain for the Jaguars-_ game. Seats in the South End Zone are available for $46, and seats in the North End Zone and the East Upper Deck Sideline are available for $35. For information, call (904) 633-2000.
PERSONNEL BREAKDOWN
QUARTERBACK (__): dd
RUNNING BACKS (__): dd
WIDE RECEIVERS (__): dd
TIGHT ENDS (__): dd
OFFENSIVE LINE (__): dd
DEFENSIVE LINE (__): dd
LINEBACKERS (__): dd
DEFENSIVE BACKS (__): dd
SPECIAL TEAMS (): Jacksonville's special teams are coached by Larry Pasquale, who is wide considered one of the best special teams coaches in the NFL. Handling the placekicking for the Jaguars will be______
COACH COUGHLIN ON THE OILERS GAME: ì_______
1995 TEAM RANKINGS: __________
