THIS WEEK: The Jacksonville Jaguars, who have tied the NFL record for most victories by an expansion team, have their only open week of the 1995 season this week. The Jaguars will play again November 12 when they host the Seattle Seahawks at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

RED-HOT OCTOBER: The Jaguars were one of the NFL's best teams in the month of October, going 3-2, with victories at Houston and Cleveland and at home against Pittsburgh with only two losses. Here are the records of the NFL's 30 teams in the month of October.

AFC Central AFC East AFC West

Jacksonville 3-2 Indianapolis 4-1 Kansas City 4-0

Pittsburgh 2-2 Buffalo 3-2 Oakland 3-1

Cincinnati 1-3 Miami 2-3 Denver 2-2

Houston 1-3 N.Y. Jets 1-4 San Diego 1-3

Cleveland 1-3 New England 1-4 Seattle 1-4

NFC East NFC Central NFC West

Philadelphia 4-0 Chicago 3-0* Carolina 3-2

Dallas 3-1 Tampa Bay 3-2 Atlanta 2-2

Arizona 2-2 Green Bay 2-2 San Francisco 2-2

N.Y. Giants 2-2 Detroit 2-2 New Orleans 2-2

Washington 2-3 Minnesota 1-2* St. Louis 1-3

• -- does not include Monday night game

THE COUNTDOWN:

The Jaguars have already tied the NFL record for most victories by an expansion team and are only one victory away from breaking it. They and the Carolina Panthers are also the fastest teams ever to win three games in their inaugural seasons, doing so in 8 games. Here's a look at how many games each of the 10 expansion teams in NFL history won (and their winning percentages) in their first season:

Year Team Record Pct. Finish_______

1995 Carolina Panthers 3-5 .375 Currently 4th in NFC West

1995 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 3-6 .333 Currently 5th in AFC Central

1961 Minnesota Vikings 3-11 .214 Last in NFL Western Conference

1966 Atlanta Falcons 3-11 .214 Next-to-last in NFL Eastern Conference*

1966 Miami Dolphins 3-11 .214 Last in AFL Eastern Division

1967 New Orleans Saints 3-11 .214 Last in NFL Capitol Division

1968 Cincinnati Bengals 3-11 .214 Last in AFL Western Division

1976 Seattle Seahawks 2-12 .142 Last in NFC West

1960 Dallas Cowboys 0-11-1 .042 Last in NFL Western Conference

1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-14 .000 Last in AFC West

• Finished ahead of the 1-12-1 New York Giants

FIRST THREE VICTORIES FOR EXPANSION TEAMS:

Team Year First Victory Second Victory Third Victory Fourth Victory

JACKSONVILLE 1995 5th game 6th game 8th game ???

Carolina 1995 6th game 7th game 8th game ???

Cincinnati 1968 2nd game 3rd game 11th game 15th game (2)

Miami 1966 6th game 7th game 14th game 15th game (2)

Minnesota 1961 1st game 9th game 12th game 20th game (2)

Seattle 1976 6th game 9th game 19th game (2) 21st game (2)

New Orleans 1967 8th game 11th game 14th game 16th game (2)

Atlanta 1966 10th game 12th game 13th game 21st game (2)

Dallas 1960 13th game 14th game 16th game (2) 19th game (2)

Tampa Bay 1976 27th game 28th game 31st game (3) 32nd game (3)

(2) -- second season

(3) -- third season

EXPANSION DIVISION RECORDS:

The Jaguars have a record of 3-3 in the AFC Central and would become the first expansion team to record a .500 divisional record in their inaugural season if they win 1 of their final 2 games against AFC Central opponents. No expansion team has finished .500 in its division until at least its third season. The Jaguars' remaining division games are both at home: November 26 vs. Cincinnati and Dec. 24 vs. Cleveland. Following is a list of expansion teams ranked by earliest .500 divisional year (the Carolina Panthers are currently 1-2 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 ??? ???

THE DEFENSE IS DOMINATING (FOR AN EXPANSION TEAM, THAT IS): With 9 games played and 7 to go, Jacksonville's defense is more than halfway to becoming the best defense ever for an NFL expansion team in terms of fewest points allowed. Through 9 games, the Jaguars' defense has allowed only 186 points -- an average of just 20.3 points per game. Of the 8 previous expansion teams in NFL history, the fewest points allowed is an average of 21.4 by the 1968 Cincinnati Bengals.

Also, through 8 games, the Jacksonville defense has yet to allow more than 30 points in a game, something that no expansion team has ever done. Here is a statistical breakdown:

Points Allowed

Team Year Allowed Games Avg. 31

Jacksonville 1995 186 9 20.7 0

Cincinnati 1968 299 14 21.4 4

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

LAST WEEK: The Jaguars lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-7, only the second time they have lost by more than 10 points all season. The Jaguars fell behind 21-0 at halftime, though they bounced back and outscored and outgained Pittsburgh in the second half (the Steelers gained only 70 yards in the third and fourth quarters). Jacksonville got its only score on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell to rookie Pete Mitchell.

NOTES FROM THE STEELERS GAME: The Jaguars were trying to become the first expansion team since 1966 to sweep an opponent. In 1966, Miami swept Houston. … Jacksonville scored a touchdown in the third quarter for the first time all season when Mark Brunell threw a 16-yard TD pass to Pete Mitchell on a 4th-and-10 play (and the final play of the quarter). Prior to that, the Jaguars had scored only two field goals in the third quarter all season (at Cincinnati and vs. Pittsburgh). … Vaughn Dunbar started at halfback, opening a game for the first time since his rookie season of 1992 when he played for the Saints. … Dunbar rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries. … Mark Brunell led the Jaguars with 53 yards rushing on 7 carries, marking the third time he has been the team's rushing leader or co-leader. Brunell also completed 18 of 33 passes for 189 yards and 1 TD. Brunell made his 6th start of the season. … Jimmy Smith (4 catches for 54 yards) and Pete Mitchell (4 receptions for 48 yards and 1 TD) led the team. Smith's receptions were his first of the season and the first of his career (all of them came in the 4th quarter), while Mitchell's score was the first of his NFL career. … Rookie Curtis Marsh, who was elevated from the practice squad one week earlier, caught the first 3 passes of his pro career, and all of them went for first downs. He gained 31 yards. … With 1 point, Mike Hollis continues to be the only Jaguars player to score in every game. … Bryan Barker punted a team-record 9 times for a 41.0-yard average, with 1 touchback and 1 inside the 20. The touchback was his first in 5 games. He had 5 kicks returned for a total of only 21 yards. … The Jaguars and Steelers lost the ball only one time each (on fumbles). Neither team was intercepted. That marks the 8th time in 9 games that the Jaguars have come up with at least 1 takeaway. … In the last 5 games, Jacksonville has lost the ball only 7 times, with 10 takeaways. … The Jaguars allowed 7 sacks, their most since the second game of the season at Cincinnati, when they also gave up 7. Jacksonville's defense did not have a sack for the 5th time this season. … For the first time in 4 weeks, the Jaguars had fewer first downs than their opponent, 14 to 20. … And, one week after the Jaguars had a franchise-best mark on third-down conversions (12 of 17, 71 percent), they converted only 2 of 14 attempts. Jacksonville was also 1 of 2 on 4th downs. Pittsburgh was 3 of 10 on third downs. Of the Jaguars' 14 3rd-down plays, 8 were 3rd-and-8 or longer. of Pittsburgh's 10 3rd-down plays, 6 were 3rd-and-2 or less. … The Steelers controlled the clock 31:24 to the Jaguars' 28:36. … Bryan Schwartz started his third game at middle linebacker and tied for the team lead with 11 tackles (6 solos) along with Mike Dumas (also 6 solos). Schwartz forced one fumble and Dumas recovered a fumble. Jeff Lageman had 10 tackles. … The Jaguars scored the only time they penetrated their opponent's red zone, coming away with a touchdown. Pittsburgh was 3 for 3 (2 TD's and 1 field goal). It was the first time since opening day that the Jaguars did not have any goal-to-goal opportunities. … The only player who suited up but didn't play was QB Steve Beuerlein. Not active were: QB Rob Johnson, S Darren Studstill, FB Ryan Christopherson, G Shawn Bouwens, G Greg Huntington, WR Desmond Howard, DT Paul Frase and DT Mike Thompson. … Jaguars captains were: LB Keith Goganious, DE Jeff Lageman and C Dave Widell.

FROM COACH COUGHLIN ON THE STEELERS GAME: ìThe Steelers had their backs to the wall. They wanted this game very badly. They had their crowd in the game the whole way. We didn't make anything happen early on to change it, and so it steamrolled on us. The second half was more representative of our game. We didn't tackle well early on. Offensively we were 3-and-out a bunch of times in the first half, and we didn't make any plays to get ourselves in position where we might take the crowd out of the game. Our effort, our intensity was good. We just didn't make anything happen.

ìThere's a great learning process here, and it's called ëbig games.' You have to learn how to function under those circumstances. It's a great lesson, but we weren't good enough to get it done today. It was very important for us coming into a game of this stature at the midpoint of our season. But we learned some great lessons from this game and I hope we can battle our way back into a game that has this kind of significance again.

ìWe had no threat of the run, and they knew exactly what was going to happen. The protection was pretty good for that kind of circumstance.

ìWe made some mental errors today, defensively, that hurt us. But you have to make plays, particularly when you're on the road in a hostile environment, to inspire your team. It has to happen with big plays and enthusiasm, and it just didn't happen. We didn't make any plays with the run at all. Who knows what would have happened if we had made some first downs. We never made first downs, so we couldn't keep the ball.î

(on the bye week) ìOur team would like to line up again and play right away after a game like this. But we will use the bye week for various advantages. We'll study ourselves and practice areas where we think we need improvement. It'll also give some people time to heal. And then we'll make a real push for our final seven games. But in a position like this, we would really like to go back and get this one studied and corrected and get on to the next team.î

FROM QB MARK BRUNELL: ìWe struggled today. Passing. Running. We were improving, but we didn't get any better today. We're not going to make any excuses -- we just didn't play well today. You have to give them a lot of credit. They came out fired up, and they shut us down.

ìWe had our opportunities, situations where we had open receivers, but the ball didn't get to them. They were a better football team today. They blitzed, but not a lot; not as much as they usually do.

ìThis was our biggest game of the year, and we didn't play well. We are a young team; we are inexperienced. But we have to go through these situations if we want to get to the level we want to be at. Right from the beginning, they dominated us.î

FROM RB VAUGHN DUNBAR: ìWe just didn't have it. They beat us in time of possession, and when we had the ball, it was in deficit situations and we were passing a lot. They came ready to play today. I feel we did, too. But they made a couple of really big plays, and we weren't able to come back. We didn't get a chance to run the ball. If you're not in running situations, you're not going to run it.î

FROM DE JEFF LAGEMAN: ìOnce they got going, they seemed to build on what they were doing. It's tough when you're on the road and you get down early. That's not the greatest of situations to be in. You can't expect to have a whole lot of success when you start slowly in a ballgame. They had a few new twists, but they did basically the same thing they did last time. They're not going to change everything just for us. They'll use their bread and butter.

ìIt's back to work. We have an off week, which will be nice because it gives the body a break. But we have to get back to the drawing board and go back to work.î

FROM C DAVE WIDELL: ìThe lessons are, there's going to be a lot of adversity in a hostile stadium, especially with a team in your division that you've already defeated. It's twice as hard to beat that team again. But it's not impossible. That's the biggest lesson we learned today. We took some of the better players out of the game, but we let some of the lesser players make big plays.

ìThe bye week is coming at a good time, even though we're coming off a loss. We know what we have to improve upon. We do have a lot of things to work on. It would have been a fairytale ending to the first half of the season if we could have won today. But it didn't happen. We didn't do the things we needed to do to succeed. Offensively, we needed to run the ball with more authority. And we needed to keep the defense off the field today, and we didn't do that.î

FROM PETE MITCHELL: ìIt's really important that we do come back from the loss and show what kind of character we have. I think we have great character on this team, great guys. We have a week off and we'll hit things hard and try to get things straight again. We came back from some losses earlier in the season. We'll rebound really well after this.î

MILLER LITE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Jaguars' nominee for the Miller Lite Player of the Week Award is rookie MLB Bryan Schwartz. Making only his third NFL start, Schwartz tied for the team lead with 11 tackles (6 solos) and had one forced fumble.

JAGUARS INJURY UPDATE: The Jaguars suffered no significant injuries against Pittsburgh. The status of WR Desmond Howard (ankle), S Darren Studstill (knee) and FB Ryan Christopherson (calf) will be updated later in the week. The only other player with an injury is G Shawn Bouwens (knee).

NEXT WEEK: The Jaguars will host the Seattle Seahawks at 1:00 EST Sunday, November 12 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Seahawks host the New York Giants this Sunday at the Kingdome.

DAILY SCHEDULE THIS WEEK: Tuesday -- Players day off. Wednesday through Friday -- Lockerroom open to media 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.; head coach Tom Coughlin is available at 11:45 Wednesday and Thursday. Players will be off Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with the normal practice schedule beginning Tuesday, November 7.

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: The Jaguars did not have any roster moves in the last week.

STATS AND SUCH: Through 9 games, the Jaguars are 1-3 at home, 2-3 on the road, 3-3 vs. the AFC Central, 3-0 when scoring first, 3-1 when scoring on their first possession, 3-0 when leading at halftime, 0-1 when tied at halftime, 0-5 when trailing at halftime, 2-0 when leading after three quarters, 1-6 when trailing after three quarters, 2-1 when scoring 20-plus points, and 3-1 when allowing 20 or fewer points. The Jaguars are also 2-1 when they have a time of possession of 30:00-plus, 1-2 when they make no turnovers, 0-1 when they have no takeaways, 2-1 when they have a plus-turnover ratio, 1-2 with an even turnover ratio, and 0-3 when they have a minus-turnover ratio. … The Jaguars have outscored their opponents in the first (44-27) and fourth (58-33) quarters, while being outscored in the second (23-69) and third (13-57) quarters. … With 53 yards rushing at Pittsburgh, Mark Brunell has regained the team's rushing lead. He now has the edge over running back James Stewart (323 to 297 yards). Brunell also leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing. Vaughn Dunbar is third on the Jaguars with 127 yards. … Brunell ranks 12th in the AFC with a 75.8 passer rating. His 2.1 interception percentage is tied for 8th, and his 323 yards rushing ranks 16th among AFC rushers. … Willie Jackson leads the Jaguars and is tied for 12th in the AFC with 35 catches for 332 yards and 2 TD's. … P Bryan Barker's 44.3-yard gross average ranks 5th in the AFC, and his net average of 39.1 is tied for 2nd in the NFL. Barker's 54 punts through 9 games are the most in the AFC and 2nd in the NFL. … Desmond Howard is 2nd in the AFC and 3rd in the NFL in punt returns with a 11.9-yard average (15 for 179, 40 long), although he has missed the last two games.. … Only 4 NFL teams have allowed fewer rushing touchdowns than the Jaguars, who have allowed just 3 in 9 games (the league average is 5.8). … The Jaguars rank 6th in the AFC on the turnover/takeaway table with a 0 net difference (15 turnovers and 15 takeaways).

INSIDE THE RED ZONE: The Jaguars continue to be one of the NFL's best teams inside the red zone. They have penetrated their opponents' red zone 21 times in 9 games and scored 19 times, coming away with 13 touchdowns and 6 field goals (they also had one missed field goal and one interception). Last week against Pittsburgh, the Jaguars scored a TD the only time they were inside the 20. Jaguars opponents have scored 28 times in 34 possessions inside the 20-yard line (14 touchdowns and 14 field goals).

On goal-to-goal situations, the Jaguars are 11 of 12, with 9 touchdowns and 2 field goals. Their opponents are 10 of 10, with just 4 TDs and 6 FG's.

MIDSEASON REVIEW

QUARTERBACK: Mark Brunell has led the Jaguars to all 3 of their victories so far this season. Brunell has completed 130 of 237 passes for 1291 yards, 10 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He currently ranks 12th in passing in the AFC (75.8), higher than all 8 of the starting quarterbacks on the previous 8 expansion teams in NFL history. Brunell has started 6 of the Jaguars' 9 games so far, including the last 4. Steve Beuerlein opened the season as the starter and was injured in the second quarter of the second game at Cincinnati. Beuerlein, who also started the 5th game at Houston, has completed 19 of 47 passes for 269 yards, 1 TD and 1 interception. The Jaguars have completed 63 percent of their passes (94 of 149) to wide receivers, 28 passes to tight ends and 27 passes to running backs.

RUSHING: The Jaguars have run the ball 246 times compared to 284 passes. Three players have started at halfback for Jacksonville so far, with James Stewart making 6 starts, and Vaughn Dunbar and Randy Jordan making one each (Jordan also started one game split wide and the Jaguars did not start a halfback in another game. Le'Shai Maston has opened 5 games at fullback. However, quarterback Mark Brunell continues to be the Jaguars' leading ballcarrier. He has rushed for 323 yards on 48 carries, ranking 16th in the AFC in rushing and 1st in the NFL in average per carry (6.7). Stewart has 297 yards to lead all running backs on a team-high 95 carries. He has also scored a touchdown both rushing and receiving and has caught 12 passes for 112 yards. He is followed by Vaughn Dunbar, who has been the top running back the last 2 games. Dunbar, who was claimed off waivers from New Orleans on September 6 (three days after the season opener), has 127 yards and 1 TD on 40 carries. Another rookie, Ryan Christopherson, who has missed the last 2 games with a calf injury, has scored one TD and is the team's short-yardage and goal-line runner when he is healthy.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Willie Jackson, who has started the last 6 games, leads the team with 35 receptions for 332 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cedric Tillman, who has just 2 starts, is second with 23 catches for 268 yards and 3 TD's (most on the team). The receiving corps has seen its share oif injuries so far. Desmond Howard (14 catches, 163 yards, 1 TD) has missed the last 3 games with an ankle injury, and Ernest Givins (15 receptions, 136 yards, 2 TD's) has missed 4 games earlier with hamstring and knee injuries. Backups Jimmy Smith and Curtis Marsh made their first receptions of the season Sunday at Pittsburgh. Smith caught 4 balls for 54 yards, and Marsh has 3 receptions for 31 yards.

TIGHT ENDS: The Jaguars opened in two-tight end sets in 3 games and started no tight end in 1 game. All 3 tight ends on the roster see considerable playing time. Rich Griffith has 8 starts, and Pete Mitchell has 2 (Mitchell started the season opener just 7 days after being acquired in a trade with Miami). Mitchell leads the tight ends with 15 catches (tied for 3rd on the team) for 168 yards and 1 TD. Griffith, who led the team in receiving during the preseason, has 9 catches for 120 yards. Craig Keith has 1 start and 3 catches. Derek Brown, who started all 5 preseason games and was supposed to be the starting tight end, suffered a ruptured spleen and bruised kidney in the final preseason game and was finally placed on injured reserve on October 10. He cannot return this season.

OFFENSIVE LINE: The Jaguars have one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL, with 4 starters who never started an NFL games before this season. Two rookies start at tackle, with Brian DeMarco having started all 9 games (and all 5 in the preseason) and No. 1 draft pick Tony Boiselli having started the last 5 games at left tackle since returning from a knee injured suffered during training camp. Tom Myslinski, a third-year pro, has started every game at right guard, and Jeff Novak, a second-year player, started 4 games at left tackle and the last 5 at left guard. Dave Widell, the veteran of the group who had 50 starts coming into this season, has opened every game at center. Shawn Bouwens started the first 4 games at left guard before suffering a knee injury against Green Bay. He has been inactive for the last 5 games..

DEFENSIVE LINE: RDE Jeff Lageman, RDT Don Davey and LDT Kelvin Pritchett have started all 9 games, while LDE Joel Smenge has 8 starts. Ernie Logan started 1 game at left end for Smeenge. Lageman has 3 of the team's 8 sacks, and he also has a team-high 27 QB pressures and 51 tackles. Pritchett is the leading tackler on the defensive line with 61 stops. Davey has 37 tackles, and Smeenge has 33. Every starter has at least shared a sack, and Lageman and Smeenge have each forced 2 fumbles. The key backup is DT Corey Mayfield, who combined with Lageman for the first sack in franchise history in the 2nd game of the season at Cincinnati.

LINEBACKERS: Mark Williams is the only linebacker who has started every game. Keith Goganious has started 4 games at middle linebacker and 3 at weak linebacker. Bryan Schwartz has 3 starts at middle linebacker, and Tom McManus has 2 starts there. And James Williams has opened 5 games at weak linebacker. Goganious is the leading tackler on the team with 64 stops (26 solos), followed by Schwartz (58 tackles), James Williams (57 tackles) and Mark Williams (47 tackles).

DEFENSIVE BACKS: CB's Mickey Washington and Vinnie Clark and SS Harry Colon have started all 9 games so far, while Mike Dumas has 5 starts at free safety. Darren Carrington had 2 starts at free safety and Monty Grow had 1 start at free safety, but both players are on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. The team has only five interceptions (one each by Washington, Colon, Dumas, Carrington and Grow). Washington's went for a 48-yard touchdown at Cleveland. Colon is the leading tackler in the secondary, with 54 stops (41 solos), followed by Vinnie Clark with 48 tackles. Washington has the most passes defenses (9).

SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Mike Hollis is the only Jaguars player who has sored in every game. Hollis has converted 15 of 16 extra points and is 9 of 12 on field goals. Bryan Barker continues to be one of the top punters in the NFL. He has punted 54 times for an average of 44.3 yards (5th in the AFC) and a net of 39.1 (2nd in the NFL). Jaguars opponents have returned 27 punts for a total of only 180 yards (6.7-yard average), with 7 fair catches. The leading tacklers on special teams are Santo Stephens (12) and Jimmy Smith (8).

not used

YOUNG UP FRONT: The Jaguars' starting offensive line is one of the youngest in the NFL, with two rookies and two other players who had never started an NFL game until this season. Here's a look at the experience of the line (LG Shawn Bouwens has missed the last 4 games with a knee injury and is expected back sometime after the bye week):

Pos. Player Ht. Wt. Age NFL Starts Starts before '95 Year in NFL

LT Tony Boselli 6-7 323 23 5 0 1st

LG Jeff Novak 6-5 296 28 9 0 2nd

C Dave Widell 6-7 308 30 59 50 8th

RG Tom Myslinski 6-3 287 26 9 0 3rd

RT Brian DeMarco 6-7 321 23 9 0 1st

BOOTIN' BARKER: With the season half over, Bryan Barker continues to be one of the top punters in the NFL. Last week against the Browns, he punted 3 times for a 37.0-yard average, with 2 inside the 20. However, none of his kicks were returned. For the season, he has punted 45 times for an average of 44.9 yards (4th in the NFL) and a net of 39.6 (2nd in the NFL). Jaguars opponents have returned 22 punts for a total of only 159 yards (7.2-yard average), with 7 fair catches. Last year, while with the Eagles, Barker led the NFC with a 36.3-yard net average.

ABOUT THE STADIUM: The new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium has drawn rave reviews:

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

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

In four regular-season games, the average attendance is 70,792.

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 (two are on injured reserve).

Rd. Player Status

1a OT Tony Boselli Starting left offensive tackle

1b RB James Stewart Has started 6 games and has scored 2 TDs the last 4 weeks

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 FB and short-yardage runner; has 1 TD run

6 OT Marcus Price On injured reserve (ankle)

7 WR Curtis Marsh Backup wide receiver; caught 3 passes last week

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 player

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

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 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. 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.

EXPANSION NOTES

THE DEFENSE IS DOMINATING (FOR AN EXPANSION TEAM, THAT IS): With 9 games played and 7 to go, Jacksonville's defense is more than halfway to becoming the best defense ever for an NFL expansion team in terms of fewest points allowed. Through 9 games, the Jaguars' defense has allowed only 186 points -- an average of just 20.3 points per game. Of the 8 previous expansion teams in NFL history, the fewest points allowed is an average of 21.4 by the 1968 Cincinnati Bengals.

Also, through 8 games, the Jacksonville defense has yet to allow more than 30 points in a game, something that no expansion team has ever done. Here is a statistical breakdown:

Points Allowed

Team Year Allowed Games Avg. 31

Jacksonville 1995 186 9 20.7 0

Cincinnati 1968 299 14 21.4 4

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

AND ABOUT THAT OFFENSE: While the Jacksonville defense is on pace to become the best ever in the history of NFL expansion teams, the Jaguars offense had one of the highest-scoring expansion offenses, too, before scoring just seven points in the last game against the Steelers. Through 9 games, the Jaguars have scored 138 points, an average of 16.4 per game (one touchdown was by the defense). That puts them tied for 3rd among the previous 8 expansion teams. They ranked third a week earlier and could bounce back up there quickly with a flurry of points against Seattle. The Jaguars scored an average of 21.8 points per game in its first four games in October.

Team Year Points Games Average

Minnesota 1961 285 14 20.4

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

Jacksonville 1995 130 9 14.4

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 9 games, while other players are for the entire season):

EXPANSION PASSERS

Team Player Year Att. Comp. Yards TD INT Rating

Jacksonville Mark Brunell 1995 237 130 1291 10 5 75.8

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

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

Jacksonville James Stewart 95 297 3.1 1

(Note: Quarterback Mark Brunell is actually the Jaguars' leading rusher, with 323 yards on 48 carries).

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

Cincinnati Bob Trumpy 37 639 17.3 3

Jacksonville Willie Jackson 35 332 9.5 2

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.

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

Jacksonville Mike Hollis 15 16 9 12 42

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

Seattle Oliver Ross 30 655 21.8 0

Jacksonville Willie Jackson 17 368 21.6 0

Dallas Tom Franckhauser 26 526 20.2 0

EXPANSION PUNT RETURNERS

Team Player No. Yards Avg. TD

Jacksonville Desmond Howard 15 179 11.9 0

Minnesota Tommy Mason 14 146 10.4 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 5 players 1

EXPANSION PUNTERS

Team Player No. Avg.

Jacksonville Bryan Barker 54 44.3

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

FOR FUTURE PRESS RELEASES

GIVINS BACK ON TRACK: After missing the previous three games with a hamstring injury, Jaguars WR Ernest Givins started again against Chicago and caught 7 passes for 73 yards and 1 touchdown. He had the second-longest streak of consecutive games started among wide receivers after Jerry Rice until being sidelined. Givins had started 87 consecutive games and last missed a game on November 26, 1989.

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 14 catches for 133 yards and 2 TD's with the Jaguars. Here is where he ranks among active players:

Player Team Receptions Player Team Receiving Yards

Jerry Rice San Francisco 873 Jerry Rice San Francisco 13954

Andre Reed Buffalo 697 Henry Ellard Washington 11720

Henry Ellard Washington 697 Gary Clark Miami 10542

Gary Clark Miami 677 Andre Reed Buffalo 9803

Ernest Givins Jacksonville 556 Irving Fryar Miami 8538

Ernest Givins Jacksonville 8068

TICKET INFORMATION: A limited number of sideline and end zone tickets still remain for $35 and $46. For information, call (904) 633-2000.

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

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