THIS WEEK: The Jacksonville Jaguars, still seeking their elusive fourth victory of the season after five straight defeats, host the Indianapolis Colts at 1:00 EST Sunday at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Jaguars have a 3-10 record following a 31-23 loss to the Denver Broncos, while the Colts are 7-6 after losing to the Carolina Panthers 13-10 on Sunday. It is the second consecutive game for the Colts against the NFL's two expansion teams.
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, 27, 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 Jim Donovan and John Dockery.
TICKET INFORMATION: A limited number of upper deck sideline and end zone tickets still remain for $35 and $46. For information, call (904) 633-2000.
THE SERIES: This is the first regular-season game ever between the Jaguars and Colts.
A VICTORY OVER THE COLTS WOULD: Give the Jaguars their fourth victory of the season and break the previous record for most wins by an expansion team in NFL history (the Carolina Panthers already have six victories this season).
THE OPPONENT: The Colts began play in Baltimore in 1953 and were one of pro football's most successful franchises for the next two decades. They won world championships in 1958 and '59 behind legendary QB Johnny Unitas and six other eventual Hall of Famers. They also won the 1968 NFL championship prior to losing in Super Bowl III. The Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984. In 1994, they finished 8-8 and in third place in the AFC East. They have not made the playoffs since 1987.
THE COACHES: Jacksonville head coach Tom Coughlin has led the Jaguars to three victories so far this season. He became head coach of the NFL's newest franchise on February 21, 1994 following three successful seasons as head coach at Boston College. Coughlin 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, 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). He was a member of the Giants' 1990 Super Bowl XXV champions coaching staff.
Indianapolis coach Ted Marchibroda is in his ninth season as head coach of the Colts and his fourth in his second stint with the team. He coached the Colts from 1975 to '79 and returned in 1992. The second-winningest coach in team history behind only Don Shula, he has an overall coaching record of 69-66. His 138 games are the most ever by a Colts head coach. With the Colts, Marchibroda owns 2 of the 4 eight-win season improvements ever earned in NFL history.
JACKSONVILLE-INDIANAPOLIS CONNECTIONS: Jaguars tight ends coach Nick Nicolau was the offensive coordinator for the Colts for the past three seasons before coming to Jacksonville. … Colts offensive coordinator Lindy Infante attended the University of Florida, where he was a running back from 1960 to ë62. Infante later went on to be the head coach of the Jacksonville Bulls of the now defunct USFL, where he coached Matt Robinson, now the Jaguars' color commentator. … Colts coaches Jim Johnson (linebackers) and Greg Blache (defensive line) were part of Infante's Bulls staff. … Jaguars offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride was a member of the Oilers staff with the Colts secondary coach Pat Thomas. …Six Colts are from the state of Florida: QB Craig Erickson (Boynton Beach and University of Miami), RB Zach Crockett (Pompano Beach and Florida State), LB Stephen Grant (Miami), DT Tony McCoy (Orlando and University of Florida), DE/DT Ellis Johnson (Wildwood and University of Florida) and OG Randy Dixon (Clewiston). … Jaguars RB Vaughn Dunbar is from Fort Wayne, Ind. and attended Indiana University. Dunbar and Jaguars FS Mike Dumas played at Indiana with Colts DB Damon Watts and DE Bernard Whittington. …Colts DB Jason Belser played at Oklahoma with Jaguars DT Corey Mayfield. … Colts RB Vince Workman played at Ohio State with Jaguars CB Vinnie Clark. … Colts LB's Jeff Herrod and Tony Bennett played at Mississippi with the Jaguars DT Kelvin Pritchett. … Colts LB Quentin Coryatt and OT Jason Matthews played at Texas A&M with Jaguars CB Mickey Washington. … Jaguars WR Willie Jackson played at Florida with Colts McCoy and Johnson. … Colts TE Bradford Banta played at Southern Cal with Jaguars rookie OT Tony Boselli and QB Rob Johnson. … Colts WR Floyd Turner is a former Saints teammate of Jaguars LB James Williams, DE/LB Joel Smeenge and Dunbar. … Colts DE Freddie Joe Nunn was a Cardinals teammate of Jaguars QB Steve Beuerlein. … Colts OT Will Wolford is a former Bills teammate of Jaguars Dumas and Washington. … The Colts' Bennett is a former Packers teammate of the Jaguars' Clark.
LAST WEEK: The Jaguars lost their sixth game this season by eight points or fewer when they were defeated by the Denver Broncos 31-23 at Mile High Stadium. Jimmy Smith scored a team-record three touchdowns for Jacksonville, and he did it three different ways -- on a blocked punt, off a lateral on a kickoff return, and on a pass reception. Steve Beuerlein started for the second consecutive week, but the Jaguars' offense could manage only one field goal and one touchdown. The Jaguars' 23 points were their 3rd-highest total of the season (tying the 23 they scored at Cleveland), and the 31 points allowed was also the second highest.
The Colts lost 13-10 to the Carolina Panthers on the road. Jim Harbaugh, the NFL's top-rated passer, threw 1 touchdown pass but missed almost half the game with a sprained right knee. The Colts managed only 200 total yards, with Marshall Faulk carrying 20 times for 53 yards.
NOTES FROM THE BRONCOS GAME: The Jaguars scored points in all four quarters of the game for the first time all season, but they lost their sixth game of the season by eight points or fewer. … Jimmy Smith has scored the Jaguars' last 4 touchdowns. Against Denver he scored 3 ways: on a blocked punt, off a lateral on a kickoff return, and on a pass reception. … Smith's first 2 scores were the first special-teams touchdowns by the Jaguars in franchise history. Mike Dumas blocked Tom Rouen's punt, also a team first. Steve Beuerlein started at quarterback for the second consecutive week and finished his second game. He completed 15 of 28 passes for 198 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. … James Stewart led Jacksonville rushers for the 7th time this season and took over the team rushing lead for the year with 39 yards on 7 carries, a 5.6-yard average per carry. It was his fourth consecutive game averaging at least that many yards per carry. … WR Cedric Tillman, a former Bronco, led Jacksonville receivers with 4 catches for 55 yards. Desmond Howard and James Stewart had three receptions each. It was the most receptions in a game for Howard since October 1 at Houston. … Mike Hollis kicked 1 field goal and 2 extra points for 5 points total. He continues to be the only Jaguars player to score in every game. … Bryan Barker punted 5 times for a 43.2-yard average with 3 inside the 20 and 2 50-yard punts. … The Jaguars got their 4th interception by a linebacker in the last 2 games when James Williams stole a John Elway pass. It was Williams' 4th career interception, though it did not lead to any points. … Joel Smeenge started at outside linebacker for the 2nd straight game following 10 starts at left defensive end, and Travis Davis opened the game at strong safety, with Harry Colon moving to free safety for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. … MLB Bryan Schwartz led the team with 12 tackles (9 solos). Following him were S Travis Davis with 11 tackles and LB James Williams with 9 tackles. … The only players who suited up but didn't play were QB Rob Johnson and G Tom Myslinski. Not active were: QB Mark Brunell, CB Tommy Johnson, FB Ryan Christopherson, DE Jeff Lageman, G Eugene Chung, WR Willie Jackson, DT Mike Thompson and DT Ray Hall. … Jaguars captains were: C Dave Widell, WR Cedric Tillman and DT Corey Mayfield. … The attendance at Mile High Stadium was 72,231, the biggest crowd ever to see a Jaguars game on the road.
FROM COACH TOM COUGHLIN ON THE BRONCOS GAME: ìAgain, it was a very frustrating loss. We lost our poise at the end of the game when we had an opportunity to score at least three points. We did the same thing in the third quarter with points on the line in an area of the field in which we've been very good, but we just did not get any production there today.
ìThe fact that we did not handle the red area in the third quarter and the fringe of the red area in the fourth quarter is very discouraging. At this point of the season regardless of who's playing, whether they're veteran players or young players, we've played enough that we should be able to handle that better. We did some things to get ourselves back into the game. Special teams contributed two big plays. We threw the kitchen sink at them. Everything we brought, we tried.
(on the Jaguars' final drive after getting a turnover) ìIt's incredible that we would get the turnover and then have a delay of game penalty, an illegal procedure penalty and we find ourselves going backwards and we find ourselves on fourth down out of field goal range. We lost our poise. We did the same thing in the red area in the third quarter, when we had the ball inside the 15-yard line and we backed ourselves up there, too. There's no question about it, we shot ourselves in the foot over the last three weeks and didn't allow ourselves a chance to win.î
(on Jimmy Smith, who scored 3 touchdowns) ìHe made some plays, but he had some other opportunities, too. He certainly has that ability to kick it into another gear, and that's something we haven't had. That's why the return throwback was in. We had planned that for the right situation. We had had production on our kickoffs and the ball was kicked in an ideal position. There was one guy for Jimmy Smith to make miss, and he did, and when he got into the open field he made some good cuts. That and the blocked punt before the half gave us a real shot in the arm.î
FROM WR JIMMY SMITH: ìI just wanted to contribute in any way I can. I don't think I played a solid game as a receiver, but I managed to make a couple plays in the game to help the team. We showed great character in coming back and closing the gap. My hat goes off to my teammates for not giving up. Desmond (Howard) made a perfect throw on the kickoff. I managed to stay in bounds and the kickoff return team couldn't have blocked any better than they did. On the blocked punt, Mike Dumas got in and made an outstanding play on the ball. All I had to do was catch the ball and keep my feet in. But I would rather have no touchdowns and have the win. It's team first.î
FROM QB STEVE BEUERLEIN: ìWe had some opportunities. We shot ourselves in the foot many times. The blame goes across the board. It seems like whenever we made a play, something happened to call us back. That's the way it's been going for us lately. But with the big plays on special teams and the defense getting us the turnover, we had a chance at the end. That was encouraging, but we didn't cash in. You can't self-destruct like we did.
ìThe more you're in those situations, the more confident and poised you're going to be. There were some times where poise was lost. The crowd can smell it. The other team can smell it and you, yourself, start thinking about it a little bit.î
MILLER LITE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Jaguars' nominee for the Miller Lite Player of the Week Award is WR Jimmy Smith, who set a Jaguars single-game record with three touchdowns. Smith scored three different ways and has scored all 4 of the Jaguars' touchdowns in the last 2 weeks. His touchdowns vs. Denver were: a blocked punt in the endzone, an 89-yard return of a kickoff after a cross-field lateral from Desmond Howard, and a 14-yard pass reception from Steve Beuerlein.
JAGUARS INJURY UPDATE: The Jaguars did not suffer any injuries against Denver. The status of QB Mark Brunell (strained right hamstring), DT Ray Hall (strained pectoral), DE Jeff Lageman (sprained foot) and WR Willie Jackson (sprained knee and ankle) will be updated later in the week.
NEXT WEEK: The Jaguars will travel to Pontiac, Michigan to face the Detroit Lions at 1:00 EST Sunday, December 17 at the Silverdome. It will be the first regular-season meeting between the two teams. They met during the preseason, with Detroit winning 19-3.
DAILY SCHEDULE: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday -- Lockerroom open to media 11:45 to 12:15; head coach Tom Coughlin is available at 12:15. Friday -- Lockerroom open 11:45 to 12:15, with Coughlin at 12:00 noon. There is no availability on Saturday. Tuesday is the players' day off.
Practices are being held at the two practice fields adjacent to the new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Check with the Jaguars' Communications Office (633-6000) for the daily practice schedule and to schedule interviews.
ROSTER MOVES: On November 28, the Jaguars signed DE Bronzell Miller off the St. Louis Rams practice squad and released QB Brad Goebel.
EXPANSION DIVISION RECORDS: The Jaguars have a record of 3-4 in the AFC Central and will become the first expansion team to record a .500 divisional record in their inaugural season if they beat Cleveland in the final game of the season. No expansion team has finished .500 in its division until at least its third season. Following is a list of expansion teams ranked by earliest .500 divisional year (the Carolina Panthers are currently 2-4 in the NFC West):
Expansion First Divisional .500 Division
Team Year .500 Season Record_____
Miami Dolphins 1966 3rd, 1968 4-3-1, AFC East
Cincinnati Bengals 1968 3rd, 1970 3-3, AFC Central (won division)
Seattle Seahawks 1976 3rd, 1978 4-4, AFC West
Minnesota Vikings 1961 4th, 1964 6-5-1, NFL Western Conference
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976 4th, 1979 6-2, NFC Central (won division)
Atlanta Falcons 1966 5th, 1970 3-2-1, NFC West
Dallas Cowboys 1960 6th, 1965 6-6, NFL Eastern Conference
New Orleans Saints 1967 8th, 1974 3-3, NFC West
Jacksonville Jaguars 1995 ??? ???
STATS AND SUCH: The Jaguars have thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game since the season opener. … Jacksonville ranks 3rd in the AFC in touchdown percentage inside the red zone. In 13 games, they have scored 19 touchdowns in 34 possessions inside the 20 for a 55.9 percentage (they also have 11 field goals). The only AFC teams ahead of the Jaguars are Cincinnati (56.4) and Seattle (56.3). Four NFC teams also rank ahead of Jacksonville. … The Jaguars have won 3 of the 4 games in which they have held opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing. Jacksonville lost to the Jets (79 yards), but beat the Oilers (91), Steelers (68) and Browns (89). … The following 7 players have started every game: C Dave Widell, OT Brian DeMarco, DT Kelvin Pritchett, DT Don Davey, CB Vinnie Clark, CB Mickey Washington and S Harry Colon. … Through 13 games, the Jaguars are 1-5 at home, 2-5 on the road, 3-4 vs. the AFC Central, 3-1 when scoring first, 3-3 when scoring on their first possession, 3-1 when leading at halftime, 0-2 when tied at halftime, 0-7 when trailing at halftime, 2-1 when leading after three quarters, 1-9 when trailing after three quarters, 2-3 when scoring 20-plus points, and 3-3 when allowing 20 or fewer points. The Jaguars are also 2-3 when they have a time of possession of 30:00-plus, 1-2 when they make no turnovers, 0-2 when they have no takeaways, 2-3 when they have a plus-turnover ratio, 1-2 with an even turnover ratio, and 0-5 when they have a minus-turnover ratio. … The Jaguars have outscored their opponents in the first (54-51) and fourth (84-72) quarters, while being outscored in the second (57-104) and third (25-71) quarters. … In the last 10 games, Jacksonville has lost the ball only 14 times, with 17 takeaways. … Mark Brunell, who has missed the last 2 games with a strained hamstring, continues to lead all NFL quarterbacks in rushing. He has 410 yards on 60 carries, with a 6.8-yard average that leads the NFL. He ranks 20th among AFC rushers with 410 yards and 12th among AFC passers with a 77.3 rating. … James Stewart took over the team rushing lead from Brunell for the first time in 5 weeks. He now has 421 yards. … The longest current streaks for consecutive games started belong to CB Mickey Washington (33 games), C Dave Widell (30) and DT Kelvin Pritchett (28). … With 5 points vs. Cincinnati, PK Mike Hollis is 13th among kickers in the AFC in scoring. He has 70 points. … P Bryan Barker's 44.2-yard gross average is tied for 5th in the NFL, and his net average of 39.0 is 2nd in the NFL. Barker's 72 punts are the 4th most in the league. … The Jaguars' 7.0-yard average on opponents' punt returns is 5th in the league. … Desmond Howard is tied for 4th in the AFC and tied for 10th in the NFL in punt returns with a 10.3-yard average (24 for 246, 40 long). … Jimmy Smith is the only wide receiver who has played in every game.
SMITH ON A STREAK: WR Jimmy Smith has scored all 4 of the Jaguars' touchdowns in the last 2 games and he leads the team with four touchdowns scored this season. Smith, who has started only once this season (November 26 vs. Cincinnati) has caught 12 passes for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns and he has returned 17 kickoffs for 370 yards and 1 TD. Here is a breakdown of Smith's scores the last 2 weeks:
Date Opponent How he scored___________
November 26 vs. Cincinnati 31-yard reception
December 3 at Denver Recovered blocked punt in endzone
December 3 at Denver 89-yard kickoff return (after a lateral from Desmond Howard)
December 3 at Denver 14-yard reception
LAGEMAN THE LEADER: Jaguars DE Jeff Lageman is bidding to be his team's leader in sacks for the 4th time in the last 5 seasons. Lageman, who has missed the last 2 games with a foot injury, currently paces the team with 3 sacks. He notched team-highs with the New York Jets in 1991, 1993 and 1994. After posting a career-best 10 sacks in 1991, Lageman missed all but 2 games in 1992 before coming back to get 8.5 sacks in 1993 and 6.5 in 1994.
BRUNELL STILL IN FRONT: Although he has missed the last 2 games with a hamstring injury, Mark Brunell, with 410 rushing yards leads all NFL quarterbacks. In fact, Brunell's yardage total already exceeds the top mark by a quarterback in 1994. Last season, San Francisco's Steve Young ran for 293 yards. The NFL record is 968 yards by Chicago's Bobby Douglass in 1972. Brunell ranked as the Jaguars' rushing leaders for the first 6 weeks of the season, as well as games 9 through 12.
BARKER IS NFL'S NO. 2 PUNTER THE LAST TWO SEASONS: Jaguars P Bryan Barker has the second-highest net punting average in the NFL over the last two seasons.
In the last two years, Barker's net average of 37.7 yards ranks second only to Denver's Tom Rouen, who has a 37.9-yard net average. Those two punters outdistance every other punter in the NFL, including Rick Tuten and Reggie Roby, who punted in last season's Pro Bowl game.
For the season, Barker has punted 74 times for an average of ______44.2 yards, tied for 5th in the NFL and above his career best of 43.3 in 1993 while with Kansas City. Barker's net average of 39.0 yards is 2nd in the NFL and far above his previous best of 36.3 yards in 1994, which led the NFC when he was with Philadelphia. The Jaguars have allowed their opponents to return 39 punts for a total of only 273 yards -- a 7.0-yard average that is 5th best in the NFL.___
With 2 games to go in the 1995 season, Barker is trying to take over first place as the best net punter in the NFL. But he's also bidding for another recognition: No expansion team has ever sent its punter to the Pro Bowl.
Here are the two-season statistics of the NFL's two best net punters over the last two seasons:
Rk. Player No. Yards Gross Avg. TB In20 Blk Ret. Yards Net Yds Net Avg.
- Tom Rouen, Den. 117 4949 42.2 10 44 1 59 400 4436 37.9
- Bryan Barker, Jax. 138 5876 42.6 12 36 0 76 431 5205 37.7
INSIDE THE RED ZONE: The Jaguars continue to be one of the NFL's best teams inside the red zone. Against Indianapolis, they scored 5 of the 6 times they penetrated the Colts' 20-yard line. In 14 games, Jacksonville has reached the red zone 40 times and scored 35 times, coming away with 23 touchdowns and 12 field goals (they also had two missed field goals, two interceptions and a fumble). Jaguars opponents have scored 44 times in 52 possessions inside the 20-yard line (26 touchdowns and 18 field goals). On goal-to-goal situations, the Jaguars are 17 of 20, with 13 touchdowns and 4 field goals. Their opponents are 21 of 21, with 14 TDs and 7 FG's.
JAGUARS STILL HAVE NFL'S BIGGEST OFFENSIVE LINE: The Jaguars have the tallest starting offensive line in the NFL and the second heaviest.
The Jaguars' starting offensive line averages 6-6.4 inches in height and weighs 312 pounds. Only the Dallas Cowboys weigh more than the Jaguars.
In fact, Jacksonville's smallest starting offensive lineman (LG Shawn Bouwens, who is 6-5, 293) is taller than the average lineman on all but five teams in the NFL.
ìSize matters, but what's important is production,î says Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin. ìSize is an advantage in certain situations, and you'd like it to be a major plus.î
Jacksonville has three starters who are 6-7, and in the entire NFL there are only 13 players who are 6-7 or taller. Here is a breakdown:
Rk. Team Avg. Ht. Avg. Wt. Rk. Team Avg. Ht. Avg. Wt.
- Jacksonville 6-6.4 312 16. Miami 6-4.2 297
- Cincinnati 6-6.0 296 17. Indianapolis 6-4.2 293
- Seattle 6-5.4 305 18. San Francisco 6-4.2 279
- Oakland 6-5.2 306 19. Dallas 6-4.0 319
- N.Y. Giants 6-5.0 295 20. N.Y. Jets 6-4.0 309
- Cleveland 6-4.8 307 21. St. Louis 6-4.0 301
- Chicago 6-4.8 305 22. Houston 6-4.0 294
- Kansas City 6-4.8 300 23. Minnesota 6-3.8 293
- New England 6-4.8 294 24. Green Bay 6-3.6 299
- New Orleans 6-4.6 294 25. Arizona 6-3.4 300
- Denver 6-4.6 289 26. San Diego 6-3.4 299
- Washington 6-4.4 309 27. Pittsburgh 6-3.4 295
- Detroit 6-4.4 293 28. Tampa Bay 6-3.4 294
- Atlanta 6-4.2 301 29. Philadelphia 6-3.0 302
- Buffalo 6-4.2 298 30. Carolina 6-2.4 300
YOUNG UP FRONT: The Jaguars' starting offensive line is also one of the youngest in the NFL, with two rookies and one other player who had never started an NFL game until this season. Here's a look at the experience of the line:
Pos. Player Ht. Wt. Age NFL Starts Starts before '95 Year in NFL
LT Tony Boselli 6-7 323 23 9 0 1st
LG Shawn Bouwens 6-5 293 27 39 33 5th
C Dave Widell 6-7 308 30 63 50 8th
RG Ben Coleman 6-6 313 24 15 13 3rd
RT Brian DeMarco 6-7 321 23 13 0 1st
FIRST-ROUND COUNT: The Jaguars have eight players on their roster and another on injured reserve 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 (on I.R.) 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.
ABOUT THE STADIUM: The new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium has drawn rave reviews (in 6 regular-season home games, the average attendance is 70,497):
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
Steelers owner Dan Rooney: ì(Jacksonville is) the most enthusiastic place I've ever seen. (The stadium has) been an impetus to the community like you've never seen. You could say that's money well spent.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
Packers RB Edgar Bennett, a native of Jacksonville: ìIt's a beautiful stadium. You've got to tip your hats off to them. It's real nice. Definitely an upgrade.î
Bengals general manager Mike Brown: ìThere are a lot of things to impress us about this stadium. The club seat arrangement, the sight lines -- really everything about it.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 late Monday afternoons.
ON THE INTERNET: The Jaguars' weekly press releases can also be accessed on the Internet at:
http://nflhome.com
Also on the Internet is an NFL library with historical information and current NFL stats, as well as rosters and team rankings, the NFL newswire with daily team updates, chat rooms and bulletin boards, TV listings and a children's section.
COACH OF THE YEAR: For the first time ever, fans can vote for the first-ever official Visa Coach of the Year Award using the telephone or the Internet.
By telephone, fans can call 1-500-NFL-COACH. Each call costs a maximum of 25 cents per minute, depending on the time of the call. The length of each call will be 2-3 minutes, as fans are led through the selection process by a voice-response unit.
Voting is also available on the NFL Internet site at: http://nflhome.com
EXPANSION NOTES
JAGUARS DEFENSE: The Jaguars have allowed only 298 points in 13 games. That ranks second when compared to the eight previous expansions teams in NFL history. The fewest points allowed is an average of 21.4 by the 1968 Cincinnati Bengals. Here is a statistical breakdown:
Points Allowed
Team Year Allowed Games Avg. 31
Cincinnati 1968 299 14 21.4 4
Jacksonville 1995 298 13 22.9 2
Miami 1968 362 14 25.9 3
Seattle 1976 429 14 26.8 6
New Orleans 1967 379 14 27.1 3
Atlanta 1966 397 14 28.4 6
Minnesota 1961 407 14 29.1 7
Tampa Bay 1976 412 14 29.4 6
Dallas 1960 370 12 30.8 6
THE OFFENSE IS NO. 2, TOO: The Jaguars currently rank 2nd among the highest-scoring offenses on NFL expansion teams. Through 13 games, the Jaguars have scored 220 points, an average of 16.9 per game.
Team Year Points Games Average
Minnesota 1961 285 14 20.4
Jacksonville 1995 220 13 16.9
New Orleans 1967 233 14 16.6
Seattle 1976 229 14 16.4
Miami 1966 213 14 15.2
Dallas 1961 177 12 14.8
Atlanta 1966 204 14 14.6
Cincinnati 1968 175 14 12.5
Tampa Bay 1976 125 14 8.9
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: When compared to the 8 expansion teams in NFL history, a number of Jaguars players rank highly. Here is a listing of the Jaguars' leading in 8 different statistical categories as compared to the team leader for the previous 8 expansion teams in NFL history (the statistics for the Jaguars' players are for 13 games, while other players are for the entire season):
EXPANSION PASSERS
Team Player Year Att. Comp. Yards TD INT Rating
Jacksonville Mark Brunell 1995 278 158 1581 11 6 77.3
Minnesota Fran Tarkenton 1961 280 157 1997 18 17 74.5
Cincinnati John Stofa 1968 177 85 896 5 5 60.8
New Orleans Gary Cuozzo 1967 260 134 1562 7 12 59.9
Tampa Bay Steve Spurrier 1976 311 156 1628 7 12 57.1
Dallas Eddie LeBaron 1960 225 111 1736 12 25 53.4
Seattle Jim Zorn 1976 439 208 2571 12 27 49.2
Atlanta Randy Johnson 1966 295 129 1795 12 21 47.9
Miami Dick Wood 1966 230 83 993 4 14 30.4
EXPANSION RUSHERS
Team Player Att. Yards Avg. TD
Cincinnati Paul Robinson 238 1023 4.3 8
Atlanta Junior Coffey 199 722 3.6 4
Minnesota Hugh McElhenny 120 570 4.8 3
Seattle Sherman Smith 119 537 4.5 4
Tampa Bay Louis Carter 171 521 3.0 1
Jacksonville James Stewart 116 421 3.6 1
Miami Joe Auer 121 416 3.4 4
New Orleans Jim Taylor 130 390 3.0 2
Dallas L.G. Dupre 104 362 3.5 3
EXPANSION RECEIVERS
Team Player No. Yards Avg. TD
Seattle Steve Largent 54 705 13.1 4
Minnesota Jerry Reichow 50 859 17.2 11
New Orleans Danny Abramowicz 50 721 14.4 6
Atlanta Alex Hawkins 44 661 15.0 2
Jacksonville Willie Jackson 41 381 9.3 2
Cincinnati Bob Trumpy 37 639 17.3 3
Dallas Jim Doran 31 554 17.9 3
Tampa Bay Morris Owens 30 390 13.0 6
Miami Dave Kocourek 27 320 11.9 2
EXPANSION KICKERS
Team Player XP XPA FG FGA Pts.
Jacksonville Mike Hollis 22 23 16 21 70
New Orleans Charlie Durkee 27 27 14 32 69
Minnesota Mike Mercer 36 37 9 21 63
Cincinnati Dale Livingston 20 20 13 26 59
Miami Gene Mingo 23 23 10 22 53
Atlanta Lou Kirouac 19 24 9 18 46
Seattle John Leypoldt 19 22 8 12 43
Dallas Fred Cone 21 23 6 13 39
Tampa Bay Dave Green 11 14 8 14 35
EXPANSION KICKOFF RETURNERS
Team Player No. Yards Avg. TD
New Orleans Walter Roberts 28 737 26.3 1
Miami Joe Auer 28 698 24.9 1
Minnesota Tommy Mason 25 603 24.1 0
Atlanta Ron Smith 43 1013 23.6 0
Tampa Bay Rod McNeil 17 384 22.6 0
Cincinnati Warren McVea 14 310 22.1 0
Jacksonville Jimmy Smith 17 370 21.8 1
Seattle Oliver Ross 30 655 21.8 0
Dallas Tom Franckhauser 26 526 20.2 0
EXPANSION PUNT RETURNERS
Team Player No. Yards Avg. TD
Minnesota Tommy Mason 14 146 10.4 0
Jacksonville Desmond Howard 24 246 10.3 0
Dallas Bill Butler 13 131 10.1 0
Atlanta Ron Smith 11 80 7.3 0
Tampa Bay Danny Reece 20 143 7.2 0
Seattle Lyle Blackwood 19 132 6.9 0
Miami Bob Neff 10 60 6.0 0
Cincinnati Essex Johnson 22 111 5.0 0
New Orleans Walter Roberts 11 50 4.5 0
EXPANSION INTERCEPTORS
Team Player No.
New Orleans Dave Whitsell 10
Miami Willie West 8
Minnesota Rip Hawkins 5
Atlanta Jerry Richardson 5
Seattle Dave Brown 4
Roland Woolsey 4
Dallas Don Bishop 3
Tom Franckhauser 3
Cincinnati Jess Phillips 3
Tampa Bay Mark Cotney 3
Jacksonville Harry Colon 2
James Williams 2
EXPANSION PUNTERS
Team Player No. Avg.
Jacksonville Bryan Barker 72 44.2
Cincinnati Dale Livingston 70 43.4
New Orleans Tom McNeil 74 42.9
Dallas Dave Sherer 57 42.5
Miami George Wilson 42 42.1
Atlanta Billy Lothridge 73 40.7
Tampa Bay Dave Green 92 39.3
Minnesota Mike Mercer 63 39.0
Seattle Rick Engles 80 38.3
FUTURE PRESS RELEASES
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 (two are on injured reserve).
Rd. Player Status
1a OT Tony Boselli Starting left offensive tackle
1b RB James Stewart Has started 7 games at halfback
2a OT Brian DeMarco Starting right offensive tackle
2b MLB Bryan Schwartz Starting middle linebacker
3 S Chris Hudson On injured reserve (groin)
4a QB Rob Johnson Third-string quarterback
4b DT Mike Thompson Backup defensive tackle
5 FB Ryan Christopherson Backup fullback and short-yardage runner; has 1 TD run
6 OT Marcus Price On injured reserve (ankle)
7 WR Curtis Marsh Backup wide receiver and kickoff returner
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 W,20-16 72,042
Sunday, Oct. 15 CHICAGO BEARS L, 27-30 72,020
Sunday, Oct. 22 at Cleveland Browns W, 23-15 64,405
Sunday, Oct. 29 at Pittsburgh Steelers L, 7-24 54,516
Sunday, Nov. 12 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS L, 30-47 71,290
Sunday, Nov. 19 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L, 16-17 71,629
Sunday, Nov. 26 CINCINNATI BENGALS L, 13-17 68,249
Sunday, Dec. 3 at Denver Broncos L, 23-31 72,231
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.
THE LAST TIME: (info on the last time the two teams played / use for CLEV release)
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 -- Waived on November 21
RB Randy Jordan -- Backup halfback who scored the first TD in franchise history vs. Cincinnati
DE Ernie Logan -- Backup left defensive end; started Week 5 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
