UNDEFEATED JAGUARS HAVE THEIR OPEN WEEK

bodyinfo--P>FROM COACH TOM COUGHLIN ON THE OILERS GAME: "We knew what kind of dogfight it would be; it always has been with the Oilers. But it's always great to win. We had to call on our defense in this game. We knew that the first five minutes of the second half would tell the story of the game. We took the ball, drove it and scored. We stopped them, and then it became one of those kind of games. We made a lot of errors today. I'm not pleased with the turnovers. We had three turnovers. We had 10 penalties in the game. But it's a road game and it seems like you make things go uphill for yourself. There is a lot of heart on our team. They fought their butts off and got the fourth win. In the long run, the ability to stop Eddie George and the run, our ability to play pressure defense in the second half, got them in long-yardage situations." (on Fred Taylor) "Fred was strong. That big run at the start of the second-half (49 yards) really got us going. He continued to pound the ball up in there, which was very, very impressive. If he can do that, just keep getting better, he'll be what we're looking for to keep our running game going." (on the bye week and the final 12 games) "It's good; it lets us get our people back (from injuries). We're 4-0. We have a little rest now, so let's get healthy and let's get ourselves charged up for the final 12 games."FROM QB MARK BRUNELL: (on throwing two interceptions) "No question, turnovers in any game will hurt you. Those two interceptions hurt us and put some points on the board for the Oilers. You just can't do that, but we knew coming in that it was going to be a very hard-fought game and you have to give credit to their team. Those guys are smart. They know us; we play each other twice a year. They know what we like to do. It's like a chess game - you have to find out what they're doing and run the plays that are going to be successful against their solid defense." (on being 4-0) "It's very sweet to be 4-0 and there are not a lot of teams that are 4-0 right now. We do have some work to do, as you saw out there today. Hopefully this will carry on into Game 5."FROM RB FRED TAYLOR: "The guys up front did a great job. The Oilers had a lot of guys up in the box. The safeties were pursuing real quickly." (on breaking long runs) "I try to do it every play, but it only happens once. I just keep pounding and pounding, and eventually something will happen."MILLER LITE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Jaguars' nominee for the Miller Lite Player of the Week Award is RB Fred Taylor, who made his first NFL start and rushed for 100 yards for the second straight week. Taylor carried 25 times for 116 yards (4.6 average) and scored one touchdown in the Jaguars' 27-22 victory over the Tennessee Oilers. He also caught two passes.THE TEAL IS REAL . . . Since November 24, 1996, when the Jaguars began their run to the '96 playoffs, their record is the third best in the NFL and the best in the AFC. The Jaguars have won 20 of their last 25 regular-season games. Here's a look at the league's best records since November 24, 1996:TEAM 1996 REG. SEASON 1997 REG. SEASON 1998 REG. SEASON TOTALKansas City Chiefs New England Patriots 1-4 4-1 13-3 10-6 3-1 2-1 17-8 16-8 7. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-3 11-5 3-1 16-9. . . WITH THE THIRD-BEST RECORD AT HOME . . . The Jaguars have gone 7-1 at ALLTEL Stadium each of the last two seasons and are 2-0 this year, which gives them a 16-2 record, tied for the third-best mark at home in the last three seasons. The Jaguars have lost only one home game since the second week of the 1996 season and have won 17 of their last 19 home games dating back to December 24, 1995, in their inaugural season. Here are the best home records in the NFL since the start of the 1996 season:TEAM 1996 1997 1998 TOTAL 1. Green Bay Packers 8-0 8-0 2-0 18-0 2. Denver Broncos 8-0 8-0 2-0 18-0 3. Jacksonville Jaguars San Francisco 49ers Pittsburgh Steelers 7-1 6-2 7-1 7-1 8-0 7-1 2-0 2-0 2-0 16-2 16-2 16-2 6. Kansas City Chiefs 5-3 8-0 2-0 15-3 7. New England Patriots 6-2 6-2 2-0 14-4. . . AND THIRD-BEST RECORD ON THE ROAD . . . The Jaguars are one of only six NFL teams with a better than .500 record on the road dating back to November 24, 1996. The Jaguars' 8-4 record away from home during that time is the third-best mark in the NFL. Here are the only teams in the league with a .500 or better record on the road since November 24, 1996:TEAM W-L-T PCT. 1. San Francisco 49ers Green Bay Packers 9-3 9-3 .750 .750 3. Jacksonville Jaguars 8-4 .667 4. Carolina Panthers 7-4 .636 5. New York Giants 6-5-1 .542 6. Kansas City Chiefs 7-6 .538JAGUARS SUPERLATIVES: Through four games, the Jaguars have achieved the following milestones:4 victories in 4 games: Previous 4th victory: 5th game (1997), 11th game (1996) and 16th game (1995) Have allowed 6 TDs in 4 games: Previous best was allowing the sixth TD in the third game (1997) Have scored 96 points in 4 games: Average 24.0 points a game, just off last year's pace of 24.6 Average 151.8 rushing yards per game: The team record is 107.5 in 1997 Have a 100-yard rusher in all 4 games: Have never had more than 2 in a season (and 3 total in 3 seasons before '98)STINGY DEFENSE: Through the first four weeks of the season, the Jaguars have allowed only six touchdowns in four games, an average of 1.5 per game that is by far the best in team history. In 1996, Jaguars opponents scored 37 TDs, an average of 2.3 per game.Compared to the rest of the NFL, only Miami (2 TDs allowed in three games) and Seattle (5 TDs allowed in four games) have done better than Jacksonville. Pittsburgh has also allowed six TDs in four games.The Jaguars have allowed 71 points in four games, an average of 17.75 per game, which is at a record pace for the team. Last season the Jaguars allowed 318 points, an average of 19.88 per game.THE COMEBACK CAT: Since 1995, QB Mark Brunell has led the Jaguars to nine come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter. Here's a recap: Date Opponent Score What Happened Sept. 6, 1998 at Chicago 24-23 Down 23-17 with 4:08 to play, Brunell drove the Jaguars 87 yards in 12 plays, throwing a four-yard TD pass to Jimmy Smith for the winning score. Sept. 22, 1997 vs. Pittsburgh 30-21 Down 21-20 with 10:28 remaining in the game, Brunell drove the Jaguars 72 yards in 13 plays, culminating in a 27-yard field goal from Mike Hollis with 4:14 left that gave Jacksonville the lead. Pittsburgh then drove downfield and attempted a winning field goal, which was blocked and returned for a touchdown. Dec. 28, 1996 at Buffalo 30-27 Tied 20-20 heading into the quarter, Brunell threw a pass that was (Wild-Card) tipped, then intercepted and returned for a touchdown. He then led the Jaguars to 10 unanswered points, including a 2-yard TD pass to Jimmy Smith on third down, for the team's first-ever playoff victory. Dec. 15, 1996 vs. Seattle 20-13 Down 13-7 entering the fourth quarter, the Jaguars scored 13 unanswered points to win 20-13. First, Brunell threw a 39-yard TD pass to Jimmy Smith, then Mike Hollis kicked field goals of 19 and 39 yards. Nov. 24, 1996 at Baltimore 28-25 (OT) Down 25-10 entering the fourth quarter. Scored two touchdowns on Brunell TD passes to Pete Mitchell and Willie Jackson and a two-point conversion on a Brunell run. Brunell led Jacksonville 48 yards on 9 plays to set up Mike Hollis' game-winning 34-yard field goal. Nov. 10, 1996 Baltimore 30-27 Down 27-16 with 6:23 to play. Scored on last two possessions, an 8-yard pass from Brunell to James Stewart and a 1-yard run by Brunell (with Brunell throwing a pass to Keenan McCardell for a two-point conversion). Dec. 24, 1995 Cleveland 24-21 Down 14-13, Brunell ran 27 yards for a TD and threw a pass for a two-point conversion for a 21-14 lead. Cleveland tied the game 21-21 with 1:13 to play, then Brunell led the Jaguars 63 yards in 5 plays for a 34-yard field goal by Mike Hollis for the game-winner. Oct. 1, 1995 at Houston 17-16 Down 16-10 with 2:27 remaining, Jeff Lageman forced a fumble. Brunell, in a relief role, drove the Jaguars 45 yards in five plays, leading to a 15-yard TD pass to Desmond Howard and the extra point by Mike Hollis. It was the franchise's first-ever victory.JAGUARS KICK RETURN TEAMS ARE REALLY SPECIAL: Since the midway point of the 1997 season, Reggie Barlow has been on a tear on both punt and kickoff returns. Here's a look at his numbers in the last 12 regular-season games:REGGIE BARLOW NO YDS AVG LG TD Punt returns 34 551 16.2 85t 1 Kickoff returns 14 349 24.9 92t 1In last year's AFC playoffs, Barlow also returned three kickoffs for 118 yards, with a 52-yarder. In addition, rookie Tavian Banks returned a kickoff 65 yards in Week 2 against Kansas City.TWO TERRIFIC TANDEMS: Jaguars wide receivers Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith have each had consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and they seek to join Minnesota's Cris Carter and Jake Reed as the only duos in NFL history to reach the milestone for three straight seasons. Carter and Reed have each compiled 1,000-yard receiving seasons for four consecutive seasons, and they can extend their record to five in 1998. Following is a chart comparing the receiving yards of the two terrific tandems:PLAYER 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1998 PACE Cris Carter 1,256 1,371 1,163 1,069 186 744 Jake Reed 1,175 1,167 1,320 1,138 84 336 Keenan McCardell -- -- 1,129 1,164 262 1,048 Jimmy Smith -- -- 1,244 1,324 309 1,238 Based upon a 16-game seasonBRUNELL'S TOUCHDOWN TARGETS: Mark Brunell has thrown 59 TD passes in four seasons in Jacksonville. Here are the 13 players who have caught them: Jimmy Smith (13), Willie Jackson (10), Keenan McCardell (9), Pete Mitchell (6), James Stewart (5), Damon Jones (4), Ernest Givins (3), Cedric Tillman (3), Andre Rison (2),Derek Brown (1), Ty Hallock (1), Desmond Howard (1), Natrone Means (1).JAGUARS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: Through four weeks, the Jaguars rank 5th in the NFL in total offense (3rd rushing, 14th passing), and they rank 9th in defense (5th rushing and 19th passing). ... The Jaguars' red zone defense is currently tops in the NFL with a 25 percent TD rate. The unit has allowed three TDs and eight FGs on 12 opponent trips inside the 20. ... The Jaguars' offense is tied for fourth best in the NFL in third down percentage (25 of 55, 45.5 percent) and the defense is the best in the AFC and tied for the fourth best in the NFL in opponent's third-down conversions (15 of 52, 28.8 percent). A year ago in third down percentage, the Jaguars ranked 12th on offense (39.2 percent) and last on defense (45.1 percent). ... The Jaguars' plus-1 difference in turnovers-takeaways is tied for eighth in the AFC and tied for 11th in the NFL. ... RB James Stewart and WR Jimmy Smith are tied for fifth in the AFC with three touchdowns ... Mike Hollis is tied for sixth in the AFC in scoring with 24 points. ... QB Mark Brunell is fourth in the AFC in passing with a 93.5 rating. ... WR Keenan McCardell is second in the AFC with 22 catches, and Jimmy Smith is tied for ninth in the AFC with 18 receptions. Smith's 309 yards is fourth in the AFC, and McCardell's 262 yards is 10th. ... Fred Taylor is 10th in the AFC with 290 yards rushing, and James Stewart is 13th with 217 yards. ... In AFC total yards from scrimmage, Taylor is sixth with 368 yards and Smith is 15th with 309 yards. ... Reggie Barlow is second in the AFC with a 17.6-yard punt return average. ... Chris Hudson is tied for third in the AFC with two interceptions.1998 STATS AND SUCH: In four games, the Jaguars have eight plays of 30 or more yards, which is their best start ever. In 1996, the Jaguars had seven 30-plus-plays in the first four games. For an entire season, the Jaguars had 22 plays of 30-plus yards in 1997, 26 in 1996 and 12 in 1995. ... The Jaguars have outscored their opponents in the first quarter (21-16) and third quarter (35-6) and have been outscored in the second quarter (24-32) and fourth quarter (16-17). ... The offense has used two different starting lineup combinations in the four games, while the defense has had a different starting lineup in all four games. ... Of the Jaguars' 75 completed passes this season, 42 have been to wide receivers, 11 to tight ends and 22 to running backs. ... Jaguars opponents have begun 15 possessions inside their own 20, and they have scored on only one of those drives (1 FG). The Jaguars have begun 8 possessions inside their own 20, and they have scored on 2 of them (2 TD). On 18 drives inside the opponent's 20, the Jaguars have scored nine TDs and four FGs. Their opponents have scored three TDs and eight FGs in 12 trips. ... The Jaguars have used turnovers to score 17 points, while their opponents have scored 15 points off turnovers. ... In four seasons, the Jaguars are 7 for 11 on two-point conversions, while their opponents are 2 for 9 (the Jaguars had one attempt and conversion this year, which was nullified by a penalty). ... The Jaguars have not attempted any fourth-down conversions; their opponents are 3 of 4 this season.The Jaguars have not allowed an opposing player to rush for 100 yards in the last 15 regular-season games. That is the second-longest active streak in the league, behind Pittsburgh (21 games). ... In three seasons, the Jaguars are 1-0 in August, 8-8 in September, 6-7 in October, 6-5 in November and 7-4 in December. ... Mark Brunell is 25-19 as a starter in regular-season games, 27-21 overall. ... The average age of the 53-man roster as of September 28 was 26.17 years old. There were 23 players 25 or younger, 24 players between 26 and 29 years old, and six players 30 or older. The youngest player is RB Fred Taylor (22 years, 8 months), and the oldest is P Bryan Barker (34). ... Eight rookies are on the roster, including seven of the 11 draft choices (RB Fred Taylor, S Donovin Darius, CB Cordell Taylor, QB Jonathan Quinn, RB Tavian Banks, C/G John Wade and WR Alvis Whitted) ... More than half of the players (35) have four years or less of NFL experience, and only 5 players are in their eighth season or more. ... There are 14 players who are new to the team this year, and 39 who were with the team before this year. In addition to the seven draft choices, the other seven new players are C Quentin Neujahr (restricted free agent from Baltimore); LB Bryce Paup (unrestricted free agent from Buffalo); QB Jamie Martin, DEs Fernando Smith and Eric Curry and RBs George Jones (veteran free agent) and Chris Howard (rookie free agent). ... The Jaguars have 11 players who were first-round selections in the college draft, including six of their own picks: DE Jeff Lageman, who is on I.R. (1989, New York Jets), DT Kelvin Pritchett (1991, Dallas Cowboys, but traded to Detroit on Draft Day), OT Leon Searcy (1992, Pittsburgh Steelers), CB Deon Figures (1993, Pittsburgh Steelers), DE Eric Curry (1993, Tampa Bay), OT Tony Boselli (1995, Jaguars), RB James Stewart, who is on I.R. (1995, Jaguars), LB Kevin Hardy (1996, Jaguars), DT Renaldo Wynn (1997, Jaguars), RB Fred Taylor (1998, Jaguars) and S Donovin Darius (1998, Jaguars).In three seasons, five Jaguars have played in all 56 games (regular season and postseason) in franchise history: WR Jimmy Smith, TEs Pete Mitchell and Rich Griffith, PK Mike Hollis and P Bryan Barker. ... OT Leon Searcy has started the most consecutive games, 84 dating back to 1993 when he was with the Steelers. Searcy has played in 98 straight games. ... Three players have played in more than 100 games during their careers: P Bryan Barker (123), LB Bryce Paup (111) and DT Kelvin Pritchett (104) Searcy will play in his 100th game Oct. 12 vs. Miami. ... Paup has 86 career starts, followed by Searcy (84). ... OT Tony Boselli and QB Mark Brunell have each started 44 games for the Jaguars, followed by Ben Coleman (41).# # #