JAGUARS FINISH 2003 SEASON WITH 5-11 RECORD
TEAM WINS THREE OF FINAL FIVE GAMES UNDER DEL RIO
2003 IN REVIEW: The Jacksonville Jaguars finished their 2003 season with a 5-11 record in Jack Del Rio's first season as head coach. The team won three of its final five games and four games in the second half of the season following a 1-7 start. They finished the year in third place in the AFC South. After facing five of this year's playoff teams in seven games, the Jaguars tied for the fourth-most difficult schedule in the league in 2003. Their opponents had a .543 winning percentage with a record of 139-117.
The Jaguars lost their final game of the season 21-14 to the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome, and the game served as a microcosm of the entire season, according to Del Rio. "We came out and did not do things well early. That was similar to the first half of our season," said Del Rio. "We came back in the second half and started doing some good things to get back into the game. But in the end, we fell a little short."
The Jaguars finished the year ranked No. 6 in total defense and No. 2 in run defense. They allowed only 100 points in their last seven games, the third-lowest total in the league in that time. They also allowed only 1,863 yards in their last seven games, an average of 266.1 per game.
In the second half of the season, the Jaguars rode the legs of Fred Taylor, who rushed for 989 yards in the final eight games — and a stingy run defense. That conforms perfectly with Del Rio's mantra — run the ball and stop the run.
"Certainly, our record is not what we want it to be," said Del Rio. "When we get back together in the spring, we will do so with more resolve and determination than ever. We played hard, but we didn't get the results we were looking for. We have a lot of time to look at our team to see what we need. I believe we have identified some building blocks. We have addressed certain areas, but there's still a lot of work to do. I believe we established our mindset and identified some building blocks of players we can build around, but we've also identified some needs. We will continue to build this football team into one that can compete this time of year and still be playing."
Here's a summary of the 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars:
-- Finished third in the AFC South Division with a 5-11 record
-- Won 5 of 8 games at home, finishing with a winning record for the first time since 1999. In eight years, they are 45-27 at home.
-- Won four straight home games for the first time since 1999
-- Played seven of their 16 games against playoff teams
-- Six of the team's 11 losses were by seven points or fewer
-- Won 2 of 6 games in the AFC South, including a victory over division-winner Indianapolis
-- The franchise's nine-year record in the regular season moved to 73-71
-- The offense ranked 12th in the NFL in yards gained (8th rushing, 15th passing). All three rankings improved from 2002.
-- The defense ranked 6th in the NFL in yards allowed (2nd rushing, 18th passing). In 2002, the team ranked 20th in total defense
and 25th in run defense.
-- Allowed only 331 points (20.7 per game), second lowest in the division
-- Scored 276 points (17.3 per game)
-- Fred Taylor rushed for a team-record 1,572 yards. In the second half of the season, he rushed for 989 yards and six 100-yard games
-- QB Byron Leftwich threw for the fourth-most passing yards of any rookie in NFL history with 2,819 yards
-- DT Marcus Stroud was selected to his first Pro Bowl
-- The offensive line allowed a franchise-low 28 sacks
-- The Jaguars rushed for 2,073 yards, surpassing 2,000 yards for the fourth time in five years
-- Averaged 53,509 in home attendance in 2002, and average 63,785 in nine seasons
-- Will select ninth in the 2004 NFL Draft (April 24-25)
JAGUARS ON THE AIR THIS WEEK:
Monday — Jaguars Reporters, 6:00 p.m., WOKV Radio, with Brian Sexton, Vic Ketchman, Cole Pepper
Monday — The Jack Del Rio Show, 7:30 p.m., WTEV Ch. 47
Tuesday — The Jack Del Rio Show, 6:00 p.m., WOKV Radio
Wednesday — Jaguars This Week, 6:00 p.m., WOKV Radio
Saturday — Jaguars Weekend, 7:30 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., WTEV Ch. 47
Sunday — THE Jaguars Show, 11:00 a.m., WTEV Ch. 47
2004 SCHEDULE: The Jaguars will play the following schedule in 2004 (dates and times will be announced in April):
HOME
Houston Texans,Indianapolis Colts,Tennessee Titans,Denver Broncos,Kansas City Chiefs,Pittsburgh Steelers,Chicago Bears,Detroit Lions
AWAY
Houston Texans,Indianapolis Colts,Tennessee Titans,Oakland Raiders,San Diego Chargers,Buffalo Bills,Green Bay Packers,Minnesota Vikings
In addition to the AFC South games, the Jaguars will face the AFC West and the NFC North in 2004. They will make two west coast trips in '04, to Oakland and San Diego. The Chargers were the last NFL team the Jaguars faced, doing so this season, and now they will face them in back-to-back years. The trip to Green Bay's historic Lambeau Field will be a first for the Jaguars. The two games against the Tennessee Titans will be the 19th and 20th of the series (21 including playoffs), the most against any NFL team.
The preseason schedule is set by the NFL office and will also be announced in the spring.
FINAL 2003 AFC SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS: The Jaguars finished the 2003 regular season with a 5-11 record and tied for third place in the AFC South. Tennessee and Indianapolis both advanced to the playoffs.
OFFSEASON DATES TO REMEMBER:
February 1 Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston
February 8 Pro Bowl in Honolulu
February 18-24 Scouting combine in Indianapolis
March 3 Veteran free agency signing period begins
March 22 Jaguars offseason conditioning program begins
April 24-25 NFL draft
September 12 First Sunday of regular season
INJURY UPDATE: Two players were injured in the season finale at Atlanta: DT John Henderson (knee) and C Brad Meester (hamstring/calf). DE Tony Brackens (knee) missed the game. The team ended the season with nine players on injured reserve, but the only starters were P Chris Hanson and KR Jermaine Lewis.
THE COACH: Jack Del Rio was named Jaguars head coach on January 17, 2003, becoming the second head coach in Jaguars' history. He led the team to a 5-11 record in his first season. At 40, Del Rio is the second youngest head coach in the NFL (four months older than Jon Gruden). Del Rio spent 11 years as an NFL linebacker and had a standout college career at the University of Southern California. He previously coached in New Orleans (1997-98), Baltimore (1999-2001), and Carolina (2002). He was the Panthers' defensive coordinator, and in his only season with the club the defense improved from 31st in the NFL to second, the biggest one season defensive improvement in NFL history. Del Rio was the linebackers coach for three seasons in Baltimore, where the Ravens' defense also ranked second each season. He helped the team win Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants and coached the Ravens' talented linebackers, overseeing the development of Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper and Ray Lewis, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV. Prior to coaching, Del Rio played 11 seasons in the NFL, with New Orleans (1985-86), Kansas City (1987-88), Dallas (1989-1991) and Minnesota (1992-95), playing in the Pro Bowl following the 1994 season. Del Rio was a starter at linebacker for Southern California (1981-84), where he earned All-America honors, was a runner-up for the Lombardi Award and co-MVP of the 1985 Rose Bowl. Del Rio has learned from some of the best coaches in all of football. He was recruited to USC and played for John Robinson, and in the NFL he played under Bum Phillips, Jim Mora, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Green. As an assistant coach, he has worked for Hall of Famer Mike Ditka and Super Bowl winner Brian Billick, as well as John Fox. Drafted by baseball's Toronto Blue Jays, Del Rio batted .340 while playing catcher on USC's baseball team in 1983 and 1984 with future stars Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire. He was a third-round choice by the New Orleans Saints in 1985 and was named to the NFL's All-Rookie team.
LAST WEEK: The Jaguars finished the 2003 season 5-11 after losing to the Atlanta Falcons 21-14 at the Georgia Dome. The Jaguars lost the ball on downs at the Atlanta 14-yard line with 32 seconds left when Byron Leftwich's pass into the end zone was incomplete. Leftwich had driven the team 74 yards in attempting to tie the score. The Jaguars fell behind 21-7 at halftime when the Falcons became the first team all season to have success running the ball against Jacksonville. Atlanta rushed for 117 yards and had 237 total yards in the first half. In the second half, they were held to 107 yards and only 49 on the ground, as the Jaguars closed ground. Fred Taylor rushed for 121 yards to finish the season with 1,572 yards on the ground, a team record. The Falcons scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, sandwiched around a 15-yard TD pass from Leftwich to Troy Edwards. The Falcons notched their final score 11 seconds before halftime two plays after a 38-yard pass from Michael Vick on a third down play. In the third quarter, the Jaguars scored the game's last touchdown on a four-yard run by LaBrandon Toefield in the third quarter.
NOTES FROM THE FALCONS GAME: The Jaguars have have lost their last three games played in a domed stadium and their last six games played on artificial turf. They finished the season 2-2 vs. NFC teams. … The Jaguars allowed 14 points in the first quarter and 21 points in the first half, the most since the second game of the season. … The Jaguars had fewer yards (320 to 344) and less time of possession (28:38 to 31:22) and the same number of first downs (21 for each team) . … The Jaguars converted 5 of 13 third downs (and 2 of 3 third downs), while the Falcons were 9 of 14 on third downs. … The Falcons' 166 yards rushing was the most against the Jaguars since 12/22/02 vs. Tennessee. … Fred Taylor rushed 22 times for 121 yards. It was his seventh 100-yard game of the season (sixth in his last eight games) and 30th of his career. He extended two single-season records, finishing the year with 1,572 rushing yards and 345 attempts. He moved into 49th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list, passing Floyd Little (6,323) and Ricky Williams (6,354). Taylor has 6,356 rushing yards in six seasons. … Byron Leftwich completed 19 of 32 passes for 167 yards, one TD and no interceptions for a passer rating of 83.7. He also ran for a season-high 33 yards on three carries. Leftwich finished the year with 2,819 passing yards, the fourth-highest total ever for a rookie quarterback in NFL history. The team finished the season 4-1 when he did not throw an interception and 1-7 when he was intercepted. He finished the season with a TD (pass or rush) in 13 of his 15 games. … Jimmy Smith led the team with four receptions for 33 yards, followed by LaBrandon Toefield and Marc Edwards with three catches each. … Smith has now caught a pass in 44 straight games in which he has played, the third-longest streak in team history (he also has the longest streak of 86 straight games). Smith started his 118th game as a Jaguar, breaking the team record he shared with Mark Brunell. However, his streak of 1,000-yards receiving was broken after seven straight years. Smith missed the first four games of the season with an NFL suspension and finished with 805 yards. … Kevin Johnson also caught a pass in his 79th straight game, every one in his career. He started his first game as a Jaguar. … PK Seth Marler scored 2 points on 2 of 2 PATs. He had a 30-yard field goal blocked midway through the fourth quarter. … Mark Royals punted 4 times for a 38.5-yard average, with one touchback, none inside the 20 and a long of 43 yards. He had no kicks returned and a 33.5-yard net average. … David Allen returned two punts for 49 yards (including a 48-yarder) and three kickoffs for 64 yards. He broke the team single-season record for kickoff return yardage. His total of 831 yards beat out Shyrone Stith's mark of 767 yards in 2000. … The team had one sack (by Kiwaukee Thomas) and allowed only one sack. The team finished the season allowing only six sacks in the last eight games and set a team record by allowing only 28 sacks all year (the previous record was 36 sacks allowed in 1999). … The Jaguars had one turnover and one takeaway (an interception by Akin Ayodele) and finished the season minus-four. … WLB Danny Clark led the team with 13 tackles (9 solo), followed by MLB Mike Peterson and SLB Akin Ayodele with 11 tackles each. … Every player who dressed saw action except QB David Garrard. The inactive players were: QB Mark Brunell (third QB), QB Quinn Gray, LB Hakim Akbar, OT/G Sammy Williams, C Brett Romberg, OL Marques Ogden, WR Matthew Hatchette and DE Tony Brackens. … Jaguars captains were: C Brad Meester, RB Fred Taylor, SS Donovin Darius, DT John Henderson and S Nick Sorensen.
FROM COACH JACK DEL RIO ON THE FALCONS GAME: "If there's any one thing that you can point to, this game seemed to be a microcosm of our entire season. We came out and did not do things well early. That was similar to the first half of our season. We came back in the second half and started doing some good things to get back into the game. But in the end, we fell a little short and disappointed, and that's really how the year finished."
(on having a chance to win) "We had a chance because we came out in the second half and did things the way we expected to. I just challenged the guys to not look at the scoreboard and to take care of their jobs and responsibilities."
(on not stopping the run) "I thought it was a combination of things. They did a good job coming out and getting our guys on the ground a little bit. We had been good at not allowing that to happen. We did not execute the way we have been all year. Any team is going to try and pound you if they find a crack like that."
(on Byron Leftwich's performance) "I think Byron played well. We did not turn the ball over on offense. I thought Byron was very efficient and made some very good decisions. He took care of the ball and ran for a first down. You can see the progress that he has made. We just want to pick up were we left off and we'll get together in the spring and build from there."
(on the road record 0-8) "We have not functioned with a high level on third down on either offense or defense. We probably have had more problems with that on the road than at home."
(on expectations for next year) "I really haven't gotten into what I expect next year. We played hard, but we didn't get the results we were looking for. We have a lot of time to look at our team to see what we need. I believe we have identified some building blocks. We have addressed certain areas, but there's still a lot of work to do."
FROM QB BYRON LEFTWICH: (on his rookie season) "It's been great to have an opportunity to get a chance to play as many games I played as a rookie. I know it will help me in the future. We would like to have won more games, but we didn't. We understand that we put ourselves in this hole. We understand that if we want to be a playoff team next year, we have to start off early and win some football games."
FROM WR JIMMY SMITH: "I think we will be better next year when we get a full year together. We had a lot of guys come through here offensively and defensively, and it was like a revolving door. The offensive line started playing well, so we'll get a full year of minicamps and training camp and then this thing will come full circle."
(on whether or not the Jaguars can be a playoff team next season) "I don't know. I can't answer something like that. But it's a realistic expectation, barring injuries and everything else that comes into play."
(on Byron Leftwich) "He improved a lot. He's got his first season under his belt, and that's the most difficult season for a quarterback. He's been in some tough situations where he's had to win the game for us, so next year he will be a much better quarterback. He has all the tools in the world and he's going to win a lot of games for this organization."
(on not winning on the road) "We're a young team and young teams have to learn to win on the road. Teams that win on the road are teams that end up in the playoffs."
SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON: The Jaguars won four of the last eight games, and all four losses were decided in the final minute of play.
JAGUARS SET TEAM RECORDS FOR FEWEST SACKS ALLOWED: The Jaguars allowed only 28 sacks this season — just six in the last eight games — breaking the team record of 36 sacks given up in 1999.
TAYLOR MADE FOR SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON: Fred Taylor rushed for more than 100 yards in six of the last eight games, and the Jaguars won four of those games.
TAYLOR RANKS THIRD IN RUSHING YARDS PER GAME: Jaguars RB Fred Taylor ranks third among active NFL running backs with an average of 88.3 rushing yards per game (minimum 50 games). Taylor has started the last 32 games for the Jaguars, the fifth-longest streak among current running backs. He trails only Eddie George (128), Curtis Martin (91), and Ricky Williams and LaDainian Tomlinson (48 each).
TAYLOR IN 2003: In 2003, while starting all 16 games for the second straight season, Jaguars RB Fred Taylor set a number of team and individual milestones. He broke team records for rushing yards (1,572), rushing attempts (345) and total yards from scrimmage (1,942). He had his fourth 1,000-yard season and 48 receptions, one shy of his career high.
THE RUSH STOPS HERE: This season, the Jaguars ranked second in the NFL in rushing defense (87.9 yards per game) and first in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt (3.2). In the last 15 games, the Jaguars held opposing starting ballcarriers to an average of 56.8 yards per game and an average of only 3.1 yards per rush. For the season, Jacksonville allowed 111 more rushing yards than Tennessee, which has the No. 1-ranked run defense.
Under head coach Jack Del Rio, the Jaguars' defense improved from 20th overall in 2002 to sixth this year, and the run defense improved from 25th a year ago to second. The defense allowed only one 100-yard rusher all season and none in the last 15 games.
O-LINE AND D-LINE: The key to the success of the Jaguars' rushing offense — Fred Taylor was the AFC's fourth-leading rusher — and run defense this season — ranked second in the NFL — was the consistency of the two lines.
The starting offensive line remained the same all season, except for Game 10 at Tennessee, when rookie LG Vince Manuwai was sidelined and the following week when Jamar Nesbit started but Manuwai returned on the third series. For the season's first nine games, for the first time in Jaguars history, the starting offensive line and defensive line had stayed the same. The other four offensive linemen — LT Mike Pearson, C Brad Meester, RG Chris Naeole and RT Maurice Williams — started all 16 games. The Jaguars' offensive line allowed only six sacks in the last eight games and 28 for the season and broke the team's previous season low.
The defensive line was intact for the first 15 games until DE Tony Brackens missed the season finale with a knee injury. In the franchise's first eight seasons, the defensive line had never gone past the fourth game of the season before the starters changed. The starters — LE Tony Brackens, DTs Marcus Stroud and John Henderson, and RE Hugh Douglas — played 40 to 90 percent of the defensive snaps, while often rotating with backups such as DEs Lionel Barnes and Paul Spicer and DT Rob Meier.
LEFTWICH RANKS NO. 4 AMONG ROOKIE PASSERS, PART ONE: In 2003, QB Byron Leftwich passed for the fourth-most yards of any rookie in NFL history.
LEFTWICH RANKS NO. 4 AMONG ROOKIE PASSERS, PART TWO: Of the 37 quarterbacks who have been drafted in the first round in the last 21 years — since the great quarterback draft of 1983 — the Jaguars' Byron Leftwich has the fourth-highest passer rating for his rookie season. In addition, Leftwich passed for the fourth-most yards by a rookie in NFL history (2,819).
SMITH 17TH AND 19TH AMONG ALL-TIME RECEIVERS: Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith ranks 17th on the NFL's all-time receiving list and 18th in career receiving yards. Smith has 718 career receptions for 10,092 yards.
TAYLOR HAS SEVENTH-MOST TOUCHDOWNS IN LAST FIVE YEARS:Despite missing 24 full games and parts of nine others, Jaguars RB Fred Taylor has scored the seventh-most touchdowns over the last six seasons among active players.
DOUGLAS IS EIGHTH-LEADING ACTIVE SACKER:Jaguars DE Hugh Douglas is tied for eighth among active players in sacks.
THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY: Six of the Jaguars' 11 losses in 2003 were decided in the final minute of play. Here's a look back:
Carolina 23-24 Down 14-0 at halftime, the Panthers came back and scored the winning touchdown with 18 seconds remaining. The Jaguars had a chance to win on the final play, but a 55-yard field goal by rookie Seth Marler was blocked.
Houston 20-24 Texans QB David Carr scored the winning TD from one foot out on the final play of the game. The Jaguars had a 20-17 lead and the ball, but rookie QB Byron Leftwich, who started his first NFL game, fumbled after making a first down on a naked bootleg with 2:42 left.
Baltimore 17-24 Trying to tie the score, Byron Leftwich was intercepted by Ray Lewis at the Ravens' 9-yard line with 44 seconds remaining.
Tennessee 3-10 On fourth down at the Titans' 2-yard line with 48 seconds remaining, Byron Leftwich was blitzed and threw an incomplete pass into the end zone.
New York Jets10-13 Capping a 94-play drive in the final three minutes, Santana Moss caught a 3-yard TD pass from Chad Pennington with 26 seconds remaining. The Jaguars had a chance to run out the clock on their previous series but failed to convert on third-down.
Atlanta 14-21 On fourth down at the Atlanta 14-yard line, Byron Leftwich threw incomplete in the end zone after a 74-yard drive.
NEW FACES: There were 30 new faces among the 53 players on the Jaguars' final 2003 roster. Here is the breakdown.
Unrestricted Free Agents (3) — DE Hugh Douglas, FB Marc Edwards, LB Mike Peterson
Veteran Free Agents (9) — DE Lionel Barnes, S Deke Cooper, WR Troy Edwards, RB Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, WR Matthew
Hatchette, G Jamar Nesbit, P Mark Royals, S Nick Sorensen, OT/G Sammy Williams
First-year free agents (3) — RB/KR David Allen, QB Quinn Gray, S Ray Perryman
Trade (1) — S Anthony Mitchell
Waivers (1) — WR Kevin Johnson
Draft Choices (6) — QB Byron Leftwich, DB Rashean Mathis, G Vince Manuwai, TE George Wrighster, RB LaBrandon Toefield,
OT Marques Ogden
Undrafted Rookies (4) — WR Cortez Hankton, DT Matt Leonard, PK Seth Marler, C Brett Romberg
Signed off practice squads (3) — CB Blue Adams (Tampa Bay), LB Hakim Akbar (Tampa Bay), LB Tony Gilbert (Arizona)
GAMES STARTED BY JAGUARS ROOKIES: The Jaguars' first three draft choices this season — QB Byron Leftwich, CB Rashean Mathis and G Vince Manuwai — combined for 44 starts as rookies.
The Jaguars' top three draft picks each of the last two seasons have missed a total of only two games. The 2002 draft choices — John Henderson, OT Mike Pearson and LB Akin Ayodele — have yet to miss a game. And this year's top three choices — QB Byron Leftwich, CB/S Rashean Mathis and G Vince Manuwai — have missed just two games (one each by Leftwich and Manuwai).
16-GAME STARTERS: A total of 14 players (six on offense and eight on defense) started all 16 games in 2003.
ROOKIE REVIEW: Here's a recap of the seven of the Jaguars' nine 2003 draft choices still with the team:
QB Byron Leftwich (1st round, 7th pick) — Started the final 13 games of the season and passed for the fourth-most yards of any rookie in NFL history. Completed 239 of 418 passes for 2,819 yards, with 14 TDs and 16 interceptions for passer rating of 73.0 (tied for 11th in the AFC). Named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for December.
CB/S Rashean Mathis (2nd round, 39th pick) — Started all 16 games (6 at free safety, 10 at right cornerback) and missed only two snaps all season. Made two interceptions. Named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November.
G Vince Manuwai (3rd round, 72nd pick) — Started 14 of 15 games played, missing one game with an injury, as team's offensive line paved the way for Fred Taylor's 1,572-yard season and allowed team-record-low 28 sacks.
TE George Wrighster (4th round, 104th pick) — Backup tight end played in 15 games with one start. Caught 13 passes for 150 yards and two TDs.
RB LaBrandon Toefield (4th round, 132nd pick) — Backup to Fred Taylor finished second on team with 212 yards rushing and 14 receptions for 105 yards. Scored three TDs, in addition to making 14 kickoff returns..
DE Brandon Green (6th round, 176th pick) — Spent last 15 weeks of season on injured reserve. Inactive for first two games.
OL Marques Ogden (6th round, 193rd pick) — On 53-man roster all season but inactive for all 16 games
The only two draft choices no longer with the Jaguars are S David Young (6th round), who was waived in the final cuts and eventually played for the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, and FB Malaefou MacKenzie (7th round), who was on the roster the first two games before being replaced by veteran Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala.
JAGUARS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: The Jaguars ranked 12th in the NFL in total offense (8th rushing, 15th passing), and they were 6th in defense (2nd rushing and 18th passing). … QB Byron Leftwich tied for 11th in the AFC in passing with a 73.0 passer rating. … PK Seth Marler was 12th in the AFC with 90 points (30 of 30 PATS, 20 of 33 FGAs). … RB Fred Taylor was fourth in the AFC and sixth in the NFL with 1,572 rushing yards. He ranked fourth in the conference with 1,942 yards from scrimmage. … WR Jimmy Smith was 26th in the AFC with 54 receptions and 17th with 805 receiving yards. … P Mark Royals was tied for eighth in the AFC with a 35.2-yard net average and was 11th in the AFC with a 40.9 gross average. … RB/KR David Allen was fourth in the AFC with a 12.0 average on punt returns and 15th with a 20.3-yard average on kickoff returns. … DE Tony Brackens tied for 17th in the AFC with 6.0 sacks. He led the team in sacks for the fourth time in the past five seasons. … LB Akin Ayodele tied for third in the AFC among defensive players with three fumble recoveries.
STATS AND SUCH: In 16 games, the Jaguars used five different starting lineup combinations on offense and five different starting combinations on defense. … The Jaguars used turnovers to score 31 points, while their opponents scored 94 points off Jaguars' turnovers. … The Jaguars had 18 plays of 30 or more yards in 2003. They had 16 plays of 30-plus yards in 2002, 11 in 2001, 26 in 2000, 23 in 1999, 29 in 1998, 22 in 1997, 26 in 1996 and 12 in 1995. The Jaguars allowed 19 30-plus plays this season… Of the Jaguars' 303 completed passes, 158 were to wide receivers, 45 to tight ends and 100 to running backs. Sixteen different players caught passes this season, the most in franchise history. … The Jaguars made 15 interceptions this season, the second most in franchise history and five shy of their 1999 single-season record of 19. Two of those interceptions were by defensive linemen (Tony Brackens and Paul Spicer) and five were by linebackers (Mike Peterson with three and Akin Ayodele with two). … The Jaguars finished the year 13 for 26 on fourth-down conversions; their opponents were 7 for 14 … On 45 drives inside the opponent's 20, the Jaguars scored 20 touchdowns and 13 field goals. Their opponents had 44 trips inside the red zone and came away with 23 touchdowns and 16 field goals. … Jaguars opponents began 22 possessions inside their own 20 and scored on three of those drives (3 TDs), while the Jaguars began 46 possessions inside their own 20 and scored on nine of those drives (6 TDs, 3 FGs). … In nine seasons, the Jaguars are 17 for 27 on two-point conversions (0 for 1 in 2003), while their opponents are 8 for 26 (1 for 3 in 2003). … In nine seasons, the Jaguars' record for each month is: 1-0 in August, 16-17 in September, 14-21 in October, 21-15 in November, 20-17 in December and 1-1 in January.
Mark Brunell is 63-54 in 117 regular-season starts, 67-58 overall. Byron Leftwich is 5-8. … WR Jimmy Smith has played in 139 of the 144 games in Jaguars history. Of the current players, next are QB Mark Brunell (120) and DE Tony Brackens (107). … The longest streak of consecutive starts by a Jaguar is held by C Brad Meester (team-record 64), followed by WR Jimmy Smith (51) and then four players with 32 consecutive starts: CB Fernando Bryant, RB Fred Taylor, DT Marcus Stroud and G Chris Naeole (who has 72 straight starts dating back to 1999 with New Orleans) … The Jaguars' current longest streak of games played is held by TE Kyle Brady (66), followed by Meester and DT Rob Meier (64 each). … Seven players have played in 100 or more games during their careers: P Mark Royals (224), WR Jimmy Smith (146), TE Kyle Brady (140), QB Mark Brunell (122), DE Hugh Douglas (122), FB Marc Edwards (112) and DE Tony Brackens (107). … Brady leads with 133 career starts, followed by Smith (team-record 118), Brunell (117), and DE Hugh Douglas (105).
