THIS WEEK: The Jacksonville Jaguars - only the third expansion team ever to win by its fifth game - host the defending AFC Central champion Pittsburgh Steelers at 1:00 p.m. Sunday October 8 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Jaguars, who are coming off a last-minute 17-16 victory over the Houston Oilers, will play their first of two straight home games and their fourth game against an AFC Central Division rival. Three of their next four games are against division foes, and the next four opponents have a combined record of 11-7. The Steelers are 3-2 after beating the San Diego Chargers 31-16 on Sunday.
RADIO BROADCAST: All of the Jaguars'games are broadcast on WOKV (690 AM) and WKQL (96.9 FM) and the Jaguars Radio Network, with Brian Sexton calling the action and analysis by Matt Robinson 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.
TICKET INFORMATION: The game is sold out. (A limited number of tickets still remain for the Jaguars-Bears game on October 15 and go on sale Wednesday for $35 and $46. For information, call (904) 633-2000.
THE SERIES: This is the first game ever between the Jaguars and Steelers. They will meet again in three weeks, when the Jaguars travel to Pittsburgh for an October 29 game at Three Rivers Stadium.
THE OPPONENT: The fifth-oldest franchise in the NFL, the Steelers have been members of the NFL since 1933, when they were founded by Art Rooney (they were called the Pittsburgh Pirates until 1940). They made their first playoff appearance in 1947, losing to the Chicago Cardinals, then didn't make the playoffs again until 1972 after coach Chuck Noll had arrived. Behind Noll and six other Hall of Famers, the Steelers developed into one of the NFL's true dynasties. They won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, in 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979. They made the postseason only once in seven years from 1985 to '91, but have advanced to the playoffs the last three years under Bill Cowher, playing in the AFC championship game last season.
A VICTORY OVER THE STEELERS WOULD: Be the Jaguars'second victory and be only the second time an expansion team has won two of its first six games. In 1968 the Cincinnati Bengals won their second and third games. In fact, 4 of the 8 previous expansion teams won their next game following their first-ever victory.
FIRST VICTORY FOR EXPANSION TEAMS:
Team Year First Victory Second Victory
Minnesota Vikings 1961 1st game 9th game
Cincinnati Bengals 1968 2nd game 3rd game
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 1995 5th game ???
Miami Dolphins 1966 6th game 7th game
Seattle Seahawks 1976 6th game 9th game
New Orleans Saints 1967 8th game 11th game
Atlanta Falcons 1966 10th game 12th game
Dallas Cowboys 1960 13th game 14th game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976 27th game 28th game
Carolina Panthers 1995 ??? ???
THE COACHES: Jacksonville head coach Tom Coughlin led the Jaguars to their first victory ever last Sunday and is 1-4 during the regular season. The Jaguars were 2-3 during the preseason. Coughlin became the first head coach of the NFL's newest franchise on February 21, 1994 following three successful seasons as head coach at Boston College. He compiled a record of 21-13-1 from 1991 to '93 at Boston College, and had two appearances in bowl games and a ranking of 13th in the final AP poll of 1993. A veteran of 25 years of coaching, Coughlin 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). He was a member of the Giants'1990 Super Bowl XXV champions coaching staff.Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher has led the Steelers to the playoffs three straight seasons after taking over from Chuck Noll January 21, 1992 at the age of 34. The Steelers have won two AFC Central Division titles under Cowher (1992, 1994), and last year they won 12 games for only the fourth time in team history. In doing so, he became only the sixth coach in NFL history to guide his team to the playoffs his first three seasons. Cowher was the Chiefs'defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 1989 to '91, and he was Cleveland's special teams coach in 1985 and ë86 and secondary coach in 1987 and ë88. Cowher played in the NFL for five seasons (Cleveland 1980-82) and Philadelphia (1983-84) as a linebacker and as a special teams standout.
JACKSONVILLE-PITTSBURGH CONNECTIONS: The Steelers have five players from the state of Florida: rookie DB Lance Brown (Jacksonville, Terry Parker High), CB Alvoid Mays (Bradenton), WR Ernie Mills (Dunnellon and University of Florida), Leon Searcy (Orlando and the University of Miami), and FB John L. Williams (Palatka and the University of Florida). … Jaguars RB coach Jerald Ingram is from Beaver, Pa., and DB coach Randy Edsall, is from York, Pa. … Jaguars reserve TE Craig Keith played for the Steelers for two seasons (1993-94) and was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh on August 26. … Jaguars CB Vinnie Clark is a former Falcon teammate of Steelers PK Norm Johnson and RB Erric Pegram. … Jaguars QB Steve Beuerlein and G/OT Ben Coleman are former Cardinal teammates of Steelers CB Chris Oldham. … Steelers CB Alvoid Mays is a former Redskin teammate of Jaguars WR Desmond Howard and G Greg Huntington. … Steelers DE Ray Seals is a former Buccaneers teammate of Jaguars CB Rogerick Green. … Jaguars OLB Santo Stephens attended Temple University with Steelers OL James Parrish. … Steelers reserve QB Jim Miller and S Myron Bell attended Michigan State with Jaguars rookie OT Brian DeMarco. … Jaguars MLB Keith Goganious and G Greg Huntington attended Penn State with Steelers FS Darren Perry and LB Eric Ravotti. … Steelers WR Ernie Mills attended Florida with Jaguars WR Willie Jackson. … Steelers DE Kevin Henry attended Mississippi State with Jaguars OLB James Williams. … Dan Edwards, the Jaguars'executive director of communications, worked for the Steelers for 9 years and was the director of public relations from 1987 to ë94.
LAST WEEK: The Jaguars won their first game ever over the Houston Oilers 17-16, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:03 remaining. Desmond Howard tied the game on a tied the game on a 15-yard pass from Mark Brunell, who replaced Steve Beuerlein at quarterback, and PK Mike Hollis kicked the winning extra point. Houston drove downfield, and on the last play of the game, Al Del Greco's 52-yard field goal attempt was wide left. The Jaguars got the ball for their winning 45-yard drive when Jeff Lageman stripped Rodney Thomas and Darren Carrington recovered. Carrington, who made his first start of the season, also had an interception and another fumble recovery in the game. The three turnovers set up two touchdowns and halted a Houston scoring threat in the endzone. The Jaguars jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Ryan Christopherson's first NFL touchdown - and the first rushing TD by a Jaguars'running back - and a 22-yard field goal by Hollis in the first quarter. The Steelers won their third game of the season by defeating the Chargers 31-16. Pittsburgh returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the first quarter and jumped out to a 24-0 lead. Bam Morris scored two touchdowns and Erric Pegram rushed for 95 yards. Mike Tomczak went the distance at quarterback for the Steelers, completing 12 of 21 passes for 147 yards.
NOTES FROM THE OILERS GAME: The Jaguars became only the third expansion team to claim its first victory by the fifth game of the season when they defeated the Houston Oilers 17-16 last Sunday. … The Jaguars scored first for the first time all season, and on their first two possessions for the first time. Their 7-0 and 10-0 leads were their biggest ever. … The Jaguars lost the coin toss for the fifth straight game (during the preseason, they won 4 of 5 coin tosses). However, after a penalty on the opening kickoff, the Oilers started out from their own 15-yard line, the best field position the Jaguars defense has begun a game all season. The Jaguars held the Oilers scoreless on their first 4 possessions of the game. … Mark Brunell came off the bench in the fourth quarter to lead Jacksonville to the victory. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 57 yards and the game-winning, 15-yard touchdown pass to Desmond Howard. … Steve Beuerlein started his first game at quarterback since Week 2 of the season and completed 8 of 18 passes for 117 yards and 1 interception. … Willie Jackson started his second game at wide receiver and led the team in receiving for the second straight week with 6 catches for 48 yards. Jackson had 13 receptions the last two games. … TE Pete Mitchell had a career-high 3 catches for 36 yards, and Howard added 3 receptions for 32 yards and 1 TD. … James Stewart led Jacksonville rushers with 11 carries for 23 yards, and Le'Shai Maston ran 3 times for 22 yards. Ryan Christopherson carried 5 times for 11 yards, scoring his first NFL touchdown and the first rushing TD by a Jaguars running back (QB Mark Brunell has the team's other rushing TD). … PK Mike Hollis has scored in all 5 games and leads the team with 19 points. He has also made his last 4 field goals. … In making his first start for the Jaguars, FS Darren Carrington had 7 tackles, one interception and 2 fumble recoveries. Both takeaways led to touchdowns. Carrington's interception was the third of the year for Jacksonville and the 21st of his career. … Tony Boselli started his first game at left tackle, and Jeff Novak made his first start at left guard in place of Shawn Bouwens (knee) after starting the first 4 games at left tackle. … Bryan Barker punted 5 times for an average of 46.2 yards per kick, with 0 touchbacks and 2 inside the 20. … Jimmy Smith returned 4 kickoffs for 85 yards. … The Jaguars had 16 first downs to the Oilers'19, but they converted only 1 of 8 third downs to Houston's 11 of 19 (and 1 of 1 on 4th down). … The Jaguars gained 219 yards on 50 offensive plays. They were sacked 3 times for 23 yards in losses, the fewest times Jacksonville quarterbacks have been sacked all season. … Ernie Logan, who made his first start at defensive left end in place of Joel Smeenge, made one sack for the Jaguars; Paul Frase had the other. Logan now has 3.5 career sacks and Frase has 11. The Jaguars have 7 sacks in 5 games. … Both teams had 3 turnovers. … Houston controlled the clock: 34:08 to Jacksonville's 25:52. … Keith Goganious led the Jaguars with 14 tackles (6 solos), and S Harry Colon and CB Mickey Washington had 7 each. … The Jaguars scored all three times they penetrated the Oilers'red zone, coming away with two touchdowns and one field goal. Houston was 3 for 4 (1 touchdown, 2 field goals). … The only player who suited up but didn't play was S Mike Dumas, who was nursing an ankle injury. … Not active were: QB Rob Johnson, LB Bryan Schwartz, G/OT Ben Coleman, G Shawn Bouwens, WR Ernest Givins, TE Derek Brown, DT Mike Thompson and DE Joel Smeenge. … The attendance at the Astrodome was 36,346. … The Jaguars captains were: FB Le'Shai Maston, CB Mickey Washington and CB Dave Thomas. … Game balls were awarded by coach Tom Coughlin to all 62 players and the coaching and football staff. Players of the game were QB Mark Brunell (offense), DE Jeff Lageman (defense) and FS Darren Carrington (defense/special teams).
FROM COACH COUGHLIN ON THE OILERS GAME: "We battled all the way. The thing that's great about these kids is that we didn't move the ball at all, we had to punt, but then we got the turnover. We got a new life, a spark occurred and we got the ball into the end zone. Then Houston comes down the field, Al Del Greco has already made a 53-yarder, and it went wide left on a 52-yarder. It's a great feeling; an historic first victory for our football team and a great day in the history of the Jaguars. We've been talking about having the courage to win, getting into the fourth quarter of a tough football game. You have to rise up and find a way to win. Sometimes it's not pretty, but we'll take it. We didn't look very sharp in the beginning of the drive, but then we made a play to Willie Jackson, then the run by Mark Brunell and then the touchdown by Desmond Howard."(on Houston's final drive) "They came down the field, they got to a field goal (attempt) with four seconds to go, and it was wide left. That's tough. Al Del Greco is a veteran. He's done it for years. It was huge. It's a great feeling (for us). A lot of emotion is pouring out right now. It's one win. We don't have to worry about that any longer. Let's just go ahead and start to look forward now to get No. 2. There was no destiny. You earn the right to win."(on failed opportunities earlier in the game) "We were very frustrated. We had the ball on the 30 twice. We did have opportunities, and so did they. It looks like when these two teams play it's going to be a physical battle; it's going to be a struggle." (on switching quarterbacks to Mark Brunell) "We felt that was the thing to do at that point. We played a game without any turnovers (last week against Green Bay) and then we turned the ball over today like there isn't any value to it. That just drives me crazy." (on the touchdown by Desmond Howard) "We didn't know if we were going to get blitzed. We had utilized the screen before for a pretty good-sized play. As soon as the wall formed well, after Desmond turned up the field, it looked like a punt return."
FROM QB MARK BRUNELL ON HIS GAME-WINNING TD PASS: "It was a screen play. Desmond made a great catch. It was a great call. He caught the ball and made a couple of jukes and got into the endzone. You have to give all the credit to the defense. It was incredible that they came up with that recovery. We had a few pretty big plays after that. That's the way this sport is. You never know what's going to happen. You never give up. And you have to believe you're going to get it done. It's a great feeling. I can't explain it. You just want to stay in this lockerroom all night. The guys are fired up.
FROM WR DESMOND HOWARD, WHO SCORED THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN: "It was a play we had run earlier. It was just a matter of catching the ball and following the block. The linemen did a great job downfield. It happened quick. It was a blur. I could see at least three good blocks to my left, and there was one near the endzone. When the linemen are blitzing, you have to put it up so the receiver can get it. It was an excellent call at the right time. We caught them in the defensive scheme we wanted to catch them in. It was just a matter of catching it and executing the blocks." It's a great victory. It's what we've been waiting for. To get your first victory on the road is sweet. Let's hope that momentum carries us through the next two home games. You taste a little victory, you get even hungrier."
FROM DE JEFF LAGEMAN: "It's a great feeling to win the first game. I hope Jacksonville's partying hard tonight, because they deserve it after supporting us all along. (on forcing Rodney Thomas' second fumble) "I had Bruce Matthews, and he actually had me almost beat. He was trying to cut me off on the outside. I went underneath him and put my arm out and grabbed 20 (Rodney Thomas) right around the midsection. I could feel his arm, and the ball just came out."
FROM OWNER WAYNE WEAVER: "They hung tough and they played their hearts out. You have to keep the game close, and when you do that, you always have a chance to win it. I can't describe the feeling when Desmond took the ball into the end zone. But then we had heart palpitations on that field goal (attempt)."It's a great win. It's something to build on now. We've gotten that monkey off our back. We got our first win behind us now. Going against Pittsburgh at home next week, it's a real confidence builder. They know they can win now.
MILLER LITE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Jaguars' nominee for the Miller Lite Player of the Week Award is S Darren Carrington. In his first start of the season - and just one week after being third-string on the depth chart - Carrington had 7 tackles (4 solos), one interception and two fumble recoveries. His interception led to the Jaguars' first touchdown, and his second fumble recovery came with 2:27 to play and led to the Jaguars' winning touchdown in the 17-16 victory over Houston.
JAGUARS INJURY UPDATE: Injured in the Oilers game was DT Don Davey (hamstring).The status of LB Bryan Schwartz (sprained ankle), S Mike Dumas (ankle), WR Ernest Givins (hamstring) and and DE Joel Smeenge (quadriceps) will be updated later in the week. The only other players with injuries are TE Derek Brown (rib) and G Shawn Bouwens (knee).
NEXT WEEK: The Jaguars will host the Chicago Bears at 1:00 p.m. EDT at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium before going on the road for two games prior to their bye week. The upcoming Steelers and Bears games are the only back-to-back home games on the Jaguars'schedule during the regular season.
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 Steelers'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: On September 27, the Jaguars placed S Monty Grow on injured reserve with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and claimed G/OT Ben Coleman of waivers from the Arizona Cardinals. On September 28, the Jaguars placed rookie S Chris Hudson on injured reserve with a groin injury and re-signed S Deral Boykin, who had been waived August 27 in the final cutdown.
JAGUARS NOTES: The Jaguars average 4.0 yards rushing, compared to their opponents'3.7-yard average. QB Mark Brunell still leads the team with 153 yards on 20 carries. … Although he has started only 2 games, Willie Jackson leads the team with 15 receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. He also ranks sixth in the AFC in kickoff returns with a 23.9-yard average. … Of the Jaguars'68 pass completions, 47 have been to wide receivers, 10 to tight ends and 11 to running backs. … PK Mike Hollis has kicked four consecutive field goals and is the only player to have scored in every game. … Desmond Howard is tied for 2nd in the AFC and 3rd in the NFL in punt returns with a 12.2-yard average (13 for 159, 40 long). … Only 4 players on offense have started every game at the same position: C Dave Widell, RG Tom Myslinski, RT Brian DeMarco and TE Rich Griffith. Novak started 4 games at left tackle and 1 at left guard. On defense, 8 players have started every game: LT Kelvin Pritchett, RT Don Davey, RE Jeff Lageman, OLB's Mark Williams and James Williams, CB's Vinnie Clark and Mickey Washington and S Harry Colon. DeMarco is the only rookie to start every game. … In the Jaguars' first five games, they have played teams whose defenses rank 3rd, 30th, 23rd, 1st and 3rd in the NFL in defense. … Jacksonville has scored 38 of their 61 points in the fourth quarter (62 percent). …
BOOTIN'BARKER: Bryan Barker continues to have stellar performances week after week. Last week against the Oilers, he punted 5 times for a 46.2-yard average, 0 touchbacks and 2 kicks inside the 20. He posted a net average of 43.4. For the season, he has punted 33 times for an average of 44.5 yards (4th in the AFC) and a net of 38.2 (3rd in the AFC). Jaguars opponents have returned 17 punts for a total of only 126 yards (7.4-yard average). Last year, while with the Eagles, Barker led the NFC with a 36.3-yard net average.
INSIDE THE RED ZONE: The Jaguars are red hot inside the red zone. They have penetrated their opponents' red zone 11 times in 5 games, coming away with 6 touchdowns, 4 field goals and one missed field goal. Jaguars opponents have scored 12 times in 17 possessions inside the 20-yard line (7 touchdowns and 5 field goals).
FIRST-ROUND COUNT: 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 Started his first game at left tackle last week
1b RB James Stewart Starting halfback
2a OT Brian DeMarco Starting right offensive tackle
2b MLB Bryan Schwartz Started at middle linebacker in the third game; sidelined last 2 weeks
3 S Chris Hudson On injured reserve (groin)
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; scored first TD vs. Oilers
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 "Original 10" 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 in Week 2 and scored the first touchdown in franchise history
DE Ernie Logan - Backup left defensive end; started last week vs. Houston
OT Rickie Shaw - Waived on August 19
DE Jason Simmons - Waived on August 27 but placed on the practice squad on August 28
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: "There 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." Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin - "When 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." Rams coach Rich Brooks - "This 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." Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver - "I 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." Packers RB Edgar Bennett, a native of Jacksonville: "It's a beautiful stadium. You've got to tip your hats off to them. It's real nice. Definitely an upgrade."
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 L, 10-27 49,970
Sunday, Sept. 24 GREEN BAY PACKERS L, 14-24 66,744
Sunday, Oct. 1 at Houston Oilers W, 17-16 36,346
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 --------------
GIVINS'STREAK ENDS: Jaguars WR Ernest Givins was sidelined for the second consecutive week with a hamstring injury. He had the second-longest streak of consecutive games started among wide receivers after Jerry Rice until being sidelined two weeks ago. Givins had started 87 consecutive games and last missed a game on November 26, 1989 at Kansas City because of an ankle injury. With every catch he makes, Givins moves up on the list of active receivers. In nine seasons with the Oilers, he caught 542 passes for 7,935 yards, and so far he has 7 catches for 60 yards and 1 TD with the Jaguars. Here is where he ranks among active players (Jerry Rice's stats from the Monday night game are not included):
Player Team Receptions Player Team Receiving Yards
Jerry Rice San Francisco 843 Jerry Rice San Francisco 13616
Andre Reed Buffalo 686 Henry Ellard Washington 11452
Henry Ellard Washington 686 Gary Clark Miami 10373
Gary Clark Miami 665 Andre Reed Buffalo 9698
Ernest Givins Jacksonville 549 Irving Fryar Miami 8264
Ernest Givins Jacksonville 7995
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. "Small but deadly," 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. "Both those guys have a knack for big plays," said QB Steve Beuerlein. "And we need to make sure they have the opportunity to make them."
CONFERENCE CALL: __________________
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 Bett's 9 carries for 12 yards). Denver's Terrell Davis ran for 46 yards on 7 carries last week.
COACH COUGHLIN ON THE OILERS GAME: "_______
1995 TEAM RANKINGS: __________
