JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2-3) at BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-3)
Sunday, October 28, 2001, 1:00 p.m. EST
PSINet Stadium, Baltimore, Md.
THIS WEEK: The Jacksonville Jaguars will try to break a three-game losing streak when they make only their second road trip of the season and travel to Baltimore to face the Super Bowl champion Ravens at 1:00 p.m. EST Sunday at PSINet Stadium.
The Jaguars are in an unaccustomed place, tied for fifth place in the AFC Central Division with the Tennessee Titans. This marks the first time they have been in last place since the 10th week of the 1996 season - the point in which the 3-6 team defeated the Ravens and won eight of nine games, including a seven-game winning streak that propelled the team into the AFC Championship game.
However, the Jaguars are 10-2 lifetime against the Ravens - 8-2 vs. the Ravens and 2-0 vs. the Cleveland Browns in 1995, before the franchise moved to Baltimore. Jacksonville is also 1-0 when playing the defending Super Bowl champions, having defeated the Denver Broncos in 1999.
The game vs. the Ravens begins a stretch of three road games in a four-week span of division games. The Jaguars are coming off a 13-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, October 18. They have lost three consecutive games only four previous times in franchise history. The season has taken a startling turn for the Jaguars, who opened the season with convincing victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, both of whom had winning records in 2000. Since then, they have lost to the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.
The Jacksonville defense has allowed only five touchdowns in the first five games and 62 total points (another seven points were scored off a turnover). However, the offense has had trouble scoring points. In five games, the offense hasn't scored more than 21 points in a game and the team's 73 points is its fewest after five games since 1995, when they scored 61 points.
The Jaguars have the best road record in the NFL dating back to the 1996 season, a 20-15 mark that is half a game ahead of the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans.
TELEVISION BROADCAST: The Jaguars-Ravens game will be televised regionally on CBS and locally on WJXT Channel 4, with Dick Enberg calling the play-by-play, Dan Dierdorf adding analysis and Bonnie Bernstein as the field reporter. The Jaguars Pregame Show, with hosts Brian Sexton and Sam Kouvaris, airs live at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on WJXT Channel 4.
RADIO BROADCAST: All of the Jaguars' games are broadcast on WOKV (690 AM), WBWL (600 AM) and WKQL (96.9 FM) and the Jaguars Radio Network. Brian Sexton calls the play-by-play and former NFL quarterback Matt Robinson adds analysis, with Sam Kouvaris serving as field reporter. Sexton and Robinson are in their seventh season together. Robinson, Vic Ketchman and Cole Pepper handle the pre-game show (three hours before kickoff on all three stations), and Pepper and ex-Oakland Raider Pete Banaszak do the post-game show. A total of 19 affiliates in three states on the Jaguars Radio Network will also broadcast the game.
ON THE INTERNET: For breaking news, columns, feature stories, press releases, historical information, video highlights, rosters, depth charts and statistics, go to www.jaguars.com Updated daily, the Jaguars' Official Web Site has been ranked among the 100 Best Sites in the World by PC Magazine. The site also features online ticket buying, new merchandise offerings and multimedia, including video of Jaguars television shows and live radio broadcasts of games.
THE OPPONENT: After a 12-year absence, NFL football returned to the city of Baltimore on February 9, 1996, when the NFL clubs approved the transfer of Art Modell's franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore. Now the owner of the Ravens, Modell's previous franchise competed in 20 postseason contests, including four NFL Championship games, three AFC Championship games and a victory in the 1964 NFL title game. The Ravens went 5-11 in 1996, 6-9-1 in '97, 6-10 in 1998 and 8-8 in 1999. Last season, they finished 12-4 and in second place in the AFC Central Division with a defense that allowed a record-low 165 points. They swept through the playoffs, defeating Denver, Tennessee and Oakland before beating the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV. This season they are 3-3.
THE SERIES: The Jaguars and Ravens have played 10 times with the Jaguars holding an 8-2 advantage, winning the first eight games before being swept last year (Jacksonville also defeated the Cleveland Browns twice in 1995). In 1996, the Ravens' first season in Baltimore, Jacksonville swept the series, winning 30-27 in Jacksonville and 28-25 in overtime in Baltimore two weeks later. In 1997, the Jaguars won the season opener 28-27 in Baltimore and took the rematch at home 29-27. In 1998, Jacksonville won 24-10 at home and 45-19 in Baltimore. In 1999, Jacksonville won 6-3 at home, then won again 30-23 two weeks later at Baltimore. Last season, the Ravens won 39-36 in Week 2 in Baltimore and again 15-10 in Jacksonville.
THE LAST TIME: The Jaguars lost their third straight game of the season and dropped to 2-4 after being defeated by the Baltimore Ravens 15-10 on October 8, 2000 at ALLTEL Stadium. The Jacksonville defense held the Ravens to 193 yards and no touchdowns, as Baltimore's Matt Stover kicked five field goals for all of his team's points. It marked the Jaguars' first loss ever in a game in which they did not allow a touchdown. However, the Jaguars fumbled a team-record eight times - losing three of them - and were intercepted three times, in addition to having a wind-aided kickoff recovered by the Ravens and an apparent touchdown by Tony Brackens overruled. Mark Brunell failed to lead the Jaguars to a touchdown for the second consecutive game and was replaced by Jamie Martin in the fourth quarter. Martin led the Jaguars to their lone touchdown, a one-yard run by Fred Taylor (his first score of the year), but he was intercepted on the final drive with less than a minute remaining. The Jacksonville defense held the Ravens to only 10 first downs (three conversions on 17 third downs) and just 55 yards rushing. But the defense had only two sacks - both by Aaron Beasley - and came up with just one takeaway. Steve Lindsey kicked a career-long 49-yard field goal but also missed a 31-yarder. The Jaguars lost two straight games at home for the first time since 1995.
A JAGUARS VICTORY OVER THE RAVENS WOULD: Give them a 3-3 record and their first road victory of the season. It would also give them a 9-2 record in the series against Baltimore.
INJURY UPDATE: OT Tony Boselli underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on October 15 and was placed on injured reserve on October 22. In the Buffalo game, three players suffered injuries: LB T.J. Slaughter (knee and ankle), TE Damon Jones (shoulder) and OT Todd Fordham (ankle). Two other starters missed the game: S Donovin Darius (hip) and RB Fred Taylor (groin). The status of all players will be updated on Wednesday.
THE COACHES: Jacksonville head coach Tom Coughlin (58-43 in regular season, 4-4 in postseason) has led the Jaguars to two AFC Central Division championships and two appearances in the AFC Championship game in six seasons as the only head coach in franchise history. The Jaguars made the playoffs all four seasons from 1996 to '99 - a first for an NFL expansion team and one of only two teams in the NFL to do so (along with Minnesota). In 1999, the Jaguars had the best record in the NFL (14-2), advancing to the conference championship game before losing to Tennessee. In 1998, Coughlin guided them to their first AFC Central Division championship with an 11-5 record. They defeated the New England Patriots in a Wild-Card game before losing to the New York Jets in the Divisional playoffs. In 1997, the Jaguars were 11-5 and finished second in the AFC Central, and they were defeated by Denver in the Wild-Card playoffs. In their second season in 1996, the Jaguars advanced all the way to the AFC Championship game, finishing the regular season in second place in the division with a 9-7 record. In the playoffs, the Jaguars upset the Bills and Broncos on the road before losing at New England. In 1995, the Jaguars finished with four victories in their inaugural season. Coughlin became head coach of the Jaguars on February 21, 1994 following three successful seasons as head coach at Boston College. He compiled a record of 21-13-1 from 1991 to '93 at Boston College, and had two appearances in bowl games and a ranking of 13th in the final AP poll of 1993. A veteran of 30 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).
Brian Billick guided the 2000 Ravens to a 16-4 record, including a 34-7 victory over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. On the way to the title, the Ravens set numerous records, including the fewest points allowed (165) in a 16-game schedule and fewest rushing yards allowed (970). The win over the Giants was the Ravens' 11th consecutive victory. Billick served as the Vikings' offensive coordinator from 1994-98. He led an offense that scored an NFL-record 556 points in 1998. Prior to joining the Vikings, Billick was a Stanford assistant from 1989 to '91 under current Vikings head coach Dennis Green and spent three seasons as offensive coordinator at Utah State (1986-88). He coached receivers, tight ends, and quarterbacks at San Diego State (1981-85) after beginning his coaching career as an assistant at Redlands (1979) and Brigham Young (1978). He was an assistant director of public relations for the San Francisco 49ers in 1979-1980. Billick earned All-Western Athletic Conference honors and was an honorable mention All-America in 1976 as a tight end at Brigham Young. He played linebacker at Air Force before transferring to BYU. In 1977, Billick was selected by the 49ers in the 11th round of the NFL draft.
COUGHLIN IN SEVENTH SEASON WITH JAGUARS: Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin is in his seventh season as the team's head coach, tied for the fourth-longest tenure of any NFL coach with his current team. In addition, Coughlin has the fourth-best record of all current NFL coaches in division games (minimum of 20 wins) and the ninth-best record in home games (minimum of 16 home games). Records include all teams coached by an individual during the regular season.
JACKSONVILLE-BALTIMORE CONNECTIONS: Jaguars WR Keenan McCardell played for the Cleveland Browns from 1992 to '95, before the franchise moved to Baltimore … Four Ravens have ties to the Jaguars: S Carnell Lake (1999-2000, released during training camp this year); OT Leon Searcy (1996-2000); S Anthony Mitchell (1999 training camp with the Jaguars), RB Jason Brookins (two weeks on Jaguars' practice squad in 2000) ... Several members of the Ravens have ties to north Florida: WR Travis Taylor (Jacksonville, Ribault High School, University of Florida), OT Leon Searcy (Orlando), Ravens defensive assistant/DL coach Mike Smith (from Daytona Beach) and Ravens LB Peter Boulware (Florida State) … Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin, Ravens offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh and Jaguars TE coach Fred Hoaglin (who was a sixth-round draft choice of the Browns in 1966 and played for the team for seven years) were a part of the New York Giants' 1990 Super Bowl championship team … Jaguars ILB coach Steve Szabo began his coaching career at Johns Hopkins University in 1969 and played for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis ... Jaguars DL coach John Pease was a member of the Baltimore Stars coaching staff from 1983 to '85 … Ravens LB coach Jack Del Rio played for the Saints in 1986 when Pease was on the coaching staff ... Players who were college teammates include: Jaguars LB T.J. Slaughter and Ravens DE Adalius Thomas at Southern Mississippi … Jaguars TE Kyle Brady and Ravens FB Sam Gash at Penn State … Jaguars RB Fred Taylor and Ravens WR Travis Taylor at the University of Florida … Jaguars S Delvin Brown and Ravens CB Duane Starks at the University of Miami … Jaguars RB Frank Moreau and Ravens QB Chris Redman at Louisville, when Jaguars offensive coordinator Bob Petrino was a coach there … Jaguars PK Jim Tarle and Ravens P Kyle Richardson at Arkansas State … Jaguars LB Joseph Tuipala and Ravens FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo at San Diego State … Ravens LB Peter Boulware and Jaguars DT Larry Smith and G/OT Todd Fordham at Florida State ... Jaguars FB Patrick Washington and Ravens LB Shannon Taylor at the University of Virginia … LB Hardy Nickerson played for the Pittsburgh Steelers with CB Rod Woodson, OT Leon Searcy, and S Carnell Lake when Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis was the DB coach.
JAGUARS VS. RAVENS: Here are the accumulated statistics for players in the Jaguars-Ravens series:
QB Mark Brunell - 9 games; 208 completions in 331 attempts, 62.8%, 2,599 yards, 13 TDs, 11 INTs; Rushing: 42-151 yards, 1 TD; 6 300-yard games
RB Fred Taylor - 3 games; 69 carries for 291 yards, 3 TDs; 17 receptions for 208 yards, 1 TD
WR Jimmy Smith - 10 games; 67 receptions for 1,165 yards and 8 TDs, 5 100-yard games
WR Keenan McCardell - 10 games; 53 receptions for 705 yards and 1 TD, 3 100-yard games
PK Mike Hollis - 9 games; 19 of 23 on FGAs and 23 of 23 on PATs for 80 points
Ravens WR Travis Taylor - 2 games; 5 receptions for 87 yards, 1 TD
Ravens WR Jermaine Lewis - 7 games; 21 receptions for 359 yards, six TDs
Ravens WR Qadry Ismail - 4 games; 17 receptions for 194 yards, 0 TDs
Ravens TE Shannon Sharpe - 4 games (2 with Denver); 10 receptions for 149 yards, 2 TDs
Ravens PK Matt Stover - 10 games (two with Cleveland); 22 of 24 on FGAs and 13 of 13 on PATS for 879 points
Ravens DE Peter Boulware - 5 games; 8.5 sacks
SMITH VS. THE RAVENS: When the Jaguars face the Ravens, WR Jimmy Smith will be facing one of his favorite opponents. Smith has averaged 116.5 receiving yards per game against Baltimore in his career, the third-best per-game receiving mark by a player against an opponent since 1970 (minimum five career games).
LAST GAME: The Jaguars lost their third consecutive game of the season 13-10 to the Buffalo Bills when Jake Arians hit on a 46-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining in the game. It marked the team's second straight home loss and dropped them to 2-3 for the year. The Jaguars' offense scored its fewest points of the season and was held below 16 points for the fourth consecutive game. The team's only scores came on a 20-yard pass from Mark Brunell to Kyle Brady and a 41-yard field goal by Mike Hollis. Both scores came in the second half following a first half in which Jacksonville gained only 69 yards on offense. The Jaguars' defense allowed only one touchdown and 317 yards. But the Jacksonville offense gained a season-low 247 yards. Trailing 3-0 at halftime (the Bills missed two field goals), the Jaguars scored a touchdown on the first possession of the third quarter. However, Buffalo, quarterbacked by former Jaguar Rob Johnson, struck back with a TD to maintain a 10-7 lead. Early in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars faced a 4th-and-1 at the Buffalo 10-yard line but decided to attempt a game-tying field goal. However, Joe Zelenka's high snap was mishandled by holder Chris Hanson and Jacksonville lost a scoring opportunity. Minutes later, a Hanson punt backed the Bills to their own four-yard line and they went three-and-out and kicked a 28-yard punt. The Jaguars gained only six yards on three plays and Hollis kicked a 41-yard field goal to tie the game with 4:00 remaining. The Bills then drove 48 yards for the game-winning points. On Jacksonville's final possession, Brunell was intercepted with 44 seconds left.
NOTES FROM THE BILLS GAME: With the loss, the Jaguars dropped to 9-6 in prime time games and 4-3 after bye weeks. … The Jaguars are 0-2 in non-division games. They have not defeated a team from the AFC East or AFC West since 1999. … … Buffalo took a 2-1 series lead over Jacksonville, not including playoff games. … The loss dropped the Jaguars to 12-15 in October games over seven seasons. October is the only month in which the Jaguars have a losing record (ironically, they were 3-1 in October in their first season). … The Jaguars had fewer first downs (14 to 19), fewer total yards (247 to 317) and less time of possession (24:26 to 35:34). … Jacksonville's 247 total yards was its lowest total since gaining 206 on 10/1/00 vs. Pittsburgh. … The Jaguars converted only 3 of 10 third downs (30 percent), while the Bills were 6 of 14 (43 percent). … The Jaguars had two turnovers and no takeaways, leaving them at plus-one for the season. … Mark Brunell completed 16 of 26 passes for 150 yards, one TD and two interceptions. It was his fewest yards passing in a complete game since throwing for 137 yards on 10/1/00 vs. Pittsburgh. Brunell has now passed for 20,062 yards in the NFL - 19,967 as a Jaguar and 85 for the Green Bay Packers in 1993 and '94. … Stacey Mack rushed for 84 yards on 15 carries, a 5.6-yard average that included career-long runs of 29 and 28 yards. … WR Jimmy Smith led the team with six receptions for 49 yards, and Keenan McCardell had four catches for 33 yards and extended his team-best streak to 38 straight games with at least one reception. Smith played in his 100th game as a Jaguar, a team record. … SLB Kevin Hardy made his 54th consecutive start, extending his team record. … SLB Kevin Hardy led the team lead with 12 tackles (6 solo), followed by MLB Hardy Nickerson with 11 tackles (4 solo). … Turning in sacks were: T.J. Slaughter (first ever) and Gary Walker (second of the season) … Chris Hanson punted five times for a 45.0-yard average, one touchback, one inside the 20 and a long of 54. He had two punts returned for only two yards. … Every player who dressed played except QB Jonathan Quinn and RB Frank Moreau. The inactive players were: S Donovin Darius, S Delvin Brown, RB Fred Taylor, OT Patrick Venzke, WR Randal Williams, DE/DT Larry Smith and QB Phil Stambaugh (third QB). … Jaguars captains were: WR Jimmy Smith, C Jeff Smith, SLB Kevin Hardy and DT Seth Payne.
FROM COACH TOM COUGHLIN ON THE BILLS GAME: "We certainly are capable of playing better than that. At least I keep saying that. Error after error after error. I'm sure there is an answer somewhere, but we just have to go back and start at the basics because our execution is not there offensively. Our ability to control all situations on the field presently from the running back standpoint, it is just not getting done. We didn't rush the ball with the kind of consistency we thought we would. What I'm seeing, quite frankly, is in key situations at key times, different groups are not doing their job, not producing at the right time. One time it's an inability to make a run, then next time it's a breakdown in protection, the next time the ball is thrown high. Quite frankly, I'm questioning why. From a coaching standpoint, I'll take the blame. The performance was not what I expected. People have to perform in their roles. Somehow, someway we have to come to grips with this and make improvements. This is without a doubt a lowpoint. This game is one we had the opportunity to win and didn't win for obvious reasons. The first half was very, very poor. Very pathetic. I put the blame on the offense. Defensively, you should win every game when you allow only 13 points."
(on losing three straight after starting 2-0) "Some of the things that are happening out there are things you don't expect to happen. How mind-boggling is it for me? As I said, I don't know how else I can describe it - it's a low point for me personally, professionally and every other way."
FROM QB MARK BRUNELL: (on the offense) "It was a number of things. Obviously, too many mistakes, and we did not get into a rhythm like we had hoped. They did some different things on defense and we had to make some adjustments as far as protection and our running game and we did that. It was just too little too late. We needed to get it going and establish some confidence in that first half with the offense. It wasn't until the 2-minute drive that we got something going. It's just not enough. We just did not execute. The defense did great, the defense had a great night."
(on tonight's loss being the low point, not just this year) "I think so. It's difficult because we lost three games that we … I'm not going to say we gave away but we just did not execute good enough to win, and we're better than that. That's the frustrating part. We have a lot of talent, we have an enormous amount of talent. Sure, we're beat up, but that's not an excuse. We are all beat up. We are just not executing. I can only speak for the offense. We are just not getting it done. We have got a lot of soul-searching to do to get this thing back on track."
FROM WR JIMMY SMITH: (on the team's troubles) "We're going through a tough time right now. The bad part about it is that games that we should win, we're just giving them away. It's just bad mistakes. We work so hard offensively to drive the ball down the field and then when we get into scoring territory, something happens, just a breakdown somewhere."
(on the offense) "All the guys have to be on the same page on offense. You look at the films and there's a breakdown here and a breakdown there. On every play, there's one breakdown. We can't have the breakdowns like we have on offense. It's like a domino effect. We go three-and-out and keep our defense on the field. They're tired and the other team has more scoring opportunities."
MILLER LITE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Jaguars' nominee for the Miller Lite Player of the Week Award is RB Stacey Mack, who rushed 15 times for 84 yards, including longs of 28 and 29 yards.
NEXT WEEK: The Jaguars will travel to Nashville to face the Titans at 1:00 Sunday, November 4 at Adelphia Coliseum. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 13-6 earlier this season, but they have never won at Adelphia, losing in both 1999 and 2000. The Jaguars did, however, win in Houston, Memphis and at Vanderbilt Stadium before the Titans franchise moved into Adelphia Coliseum. The two franchises have met 13 times, with the Jaguars holding a 7-6 lead in the series (the Titans also won the 1999 AFC Championship game).
CENTURY MARK: The Jaguars played in their 100th game on October 7 and had a overall record of 58-42. That gave them the second-most wins of any expansion team in its first 100 games and the fourth-best winning percentage.
THE TEAL IS REAL . . . In the last five seasons, the Jaguars' record is the third best in the NFL, two-and-a-half games behind the Minnesota Vikings. The Jaguars have won 45 of their last 69 regular-season games (they also won their final five games in 1996).
JAGUARS HAVE THIRD-BEST HOME RECORD AND BEST ROAD RECORD SINCE 1996: The Jaguars went 7-1 at ALLTEL Stadium from 1996 to '99 and are 2-2 this season, giving them a 34-10 record that is tied for the third-best mark at home since the start of the 1996 season. On the road, the Jaguars have the best record and they are one of only five NFL teams with a better-than-.500 mark on the road dating back to November 24, 1996.
JAGUARS HAVE BALANCED OFFENSE ... Although the Jaguars are often referred to as a passing team, in reality they have a balanced attack that features the run. In the last four seasons, the Jaguars have rushed for 6,715 yards on the ground, the sixth most in the NFL, and they are the only team to have more than 2,000 yards rushing each of the three seasons from 1998 to 2000.
And, over the past six seasons, the Jaguars have the seventh-most passing yards in the NFL.
JAGUARS SCORE ON THE GROUND … In the last five seasons, the Jaguars have rushed for 78 touchdowns, second most in the NFL.
… AND STOP THEIR OPPONENTS: In the last five seasons, the Jaguars have allowed only 53 rushing TDs, the NFL's fourth-best mark.
SMITH IS NFL'S LEADING RECEIVER SINCE 1996 ... Since the start of the 1996 season, Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith has the most receptions in the NFL, and teammate Keenan McCardell is fifth. They are the only wide receiver tandem in NFL history to have 400 receptions each over a five-year span. The two receivers are close friends, with McCardell nicknamed "Thunder" and Smith called "Lightning." Smith was the NFL leader in 1999 with 116 receptions - the sixth most in a season in NFL history - and he easily broke the team record of 85 set in 1996 and '97 by McCardell. Last Sunday in Seattle, both players caught their 500th career pass. Smith has a total of 502 career receptions, while McCardell has 500.
... AND SMITH LEADS ALL RECEIVERS IN YARDAGE: Over the last six seasons, Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith has amassed more receiving yardage than any receiver in the NFL, and teammate Keenan McCardell is ninth.
SMITH HAS MORE RECEPTIONS THAN NINE OF 17 HALL OF FAME RECEIVERS: Even though he is in only his seventh season as a Jaguar, Jimmy Smith already has more receptions and receiving yards than nine of the 17 receivers who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
SMITH'S LAST FIVE SEASONS SURPASSED ONLY BY RICE: From 1996 through 2000, Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith caught 450 passes for 6,599 yards. No other receiver in NFL history - except for future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice - has caught more passes for more yards in any five-year period.
In three different five-year periods, Rice had more catches and more receiving yards than Smith's totals. In addition to Rice, only three other players ever caught more passes in a five-year period than Smith, but they always had fewer yards receiving. Similarly, one other player ever had more receiving yards but fewer receptions than Smith.
The three players who had more receptions but fewer yards in a five-year period were: Cris Carter (three times: 1993-1997, 515, 6,379; 1994-1998, 507, 5,870; and 1995-1999, 475, 5,858), Herman Moore (1994-1998, 487, 6,431), and Tim Brown (1995-1999, 454, 6,210). The only player who had more yards receiving but fewer receptions in a five-year period was Michael Irvin (1991-1995, 449, 7,093).
SMITH HAS FIVE STRAIGHT 1,000-YARD SEASONS: Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark receiving five straight seasons, a feat accomplished by only six other players in NFL history and which ties him for fifth all time behind Jerry Rice (11 straight 1,000-yard seasons), Tim Brown and Cris Carter (8 straight), and Lance Alworth (7 straight). Here's the list:
PLAYER YEARS TEAM 1,000+
Jerry Rice 1986-96 San Francisco 11
Tim Brown 1993-00 Oakland 8
Cris Carter 1993-00 Minnesota 8
Lance Alworth 1963-69 San Diego 7
Jimmy Smith 1996-00 Jacksonville 5
Michael Irvin 1991-95 Dallas 5
SMITH AND McCARDELL SET NFL RECORD: Jaguars WRs Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell set an NFL record on November 12, 2000 vs. Seattle when they both had 100 yards receiving in the same game for the eighth time (the record has since been tied by Minnesota's Cris Carter and Randy Moss). That broke the league mark they shared with Don Maynard and George Sauer of the New York Jets, who combined for 100-yard games seven times in the 1960s.
THE ORIGINAL THUNDER AND LIGHTNING: Jaguars WRs Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell are only the sixth tandem in NFL history to each have 1,000 yards receiving in the same season three different years.
TAYLOR TIED WITH THIRD-MOST TOUCHDOWNS LAST FOUR YEARS: Despite missing 13 full games and parts of nine others, Jaguars RB Fred Taylor is tied with the third-most touchdowns over the last four seasons.
HOLLIS IS NFL'S THIRD-MOST ACCURATE FIELD GOAL KICKER EVER: Jaguars PK Mike Hollis is the third-most-accurate field goal kicker in NFL history in the regular season (he is also the second-most accurate in the postseason). In 2001, Hollis is 6 for 10, giving him a career accuracy mark of 81.91.
HOLLIS IS 11TH-LEADING ACTIVE SCORER: Jaguars PK Mike Hollis has scored 706s career points in his seven seasons in the NFL, which ranks 12th among active players.
HOLLIS IS MOST ACCURATE 50-YARD KICKER: Jaguars PK Mike Hollis has connected on 10 of his 14 field goals over 50 yards in his six-year career, and his .714 percentage is the best among the NFL's active placekickers.
BRUNELL HAS SEVENTH-BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE: Jaguars QB Mark Brunell has the seventh-best career winning percentage of active quarterbacks (minimum 20 wins). Also, in the last seven seasons, Brunell has the most victories of any quarterback other than Green Bay's Brett Favre.
BRUNELL ON CENTRAL TIME: Jaguars QB Mark Brunell has the NFL's best division record as a starter among active quarterbacks. Since joining the Jaguars in 1995, Brunell has compiled a 32-15 (.681) record as a starter against the AFC Central. Following are the top four active quarterbacks in career division win percentage (minimum 25 starts):
Quarterback Record Pct.
Mark Brunell 32-15-0 .681
Steve McNair 23-12-0 .657
Brett Favre 48-26-0 .649
Randall Cunningham 42-25-1 .625
JAGUARS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: After five weeks, the Jaguars are 28th in the NFL in total offense (23rd rushing, 24th passing), and they are 17th in defense (18th rushing and 12th passing). … The Jaguars have scored 73 points, an average of 14.6 per game. That is their fewest points after five games since their inaugural season of 1995. … The Jaguars' offense is last in the AFC with 78 first downs. The Jaguars are also last in the AFC in third-down percentage (17 of 60, 28.3 percent). The defense, however, ranks fourth in allowing only 87 first downs and is ninth in the AFC in opponent's third-down conversions (26 of 72, 36.1 percent). … The Jaguars are plus-1 on the turnover table, tied for sixth in the AFC. … Jacksonville's 14 sacks is seventh in the AFC. … The Jaguars are 13th in the AFC with a 40.0 percent rate on scoring touchdowns inside the red zone (4 of 11). Defensively, the Jaguars lead the AFC, with opponents scoring touchdowns on only 30.8 percent of red zone opportunities (4 of 13). … PK Mike Hollis is 6th among AFC kickers in scoring with 25 points. … QB Mark Brunell is eighth in the AFC in passing with a 82.4 rating. … WR Jimmy Smith is third in the AFC with 36 receptions, and his 420 receiving yards is seventh. … Despite starting just three games, Stacey Mack is 15th in the AFC in rushing with 272 yards. … Chris Hanson is third in the AFC with a 46.3 gross punting average and ninth with a 36.1 net average. … Kevin Hardy is tied for sixth in the AFC with four sacks.
STATS AND SUCH: Mark Brunell is 53-36 as a starter in regular-season games, 57-40 overall. He has won more games under head coach Tom Coughlin than any current NFL quarterback under his head coach. … PK Mike Hollis has scored in 82 consecutive regular-season games in which he has played (and all eight in the playoffs). He has 706 points in his seven years with the Jaguars. … Of the Jaguars' 88 completed passes in 2001, 60 have been to wide receivers, 16 to tight ends and 12 to running backs. … The Jaguars are 0 for 5 on fourth-down conversions this season; their opponents are 2 for 7. … A total of 15 players (eight on offense and seven on defense) have started all five games this year. … The offense has used five different starting lineup combinations in four games, and the defense has had a different starting lineup in four of the five games. … The Jaguars have had only 2 plays of 30 or more yards this season. They had 26 plays of 30-plus yards in 2000, 23 in 1999, 29 in 1998, 22 in 1997, 26 in 1996 and 12 in 1995. … On 11 drives inside the opponent's 20, the Jaguars have scored 4 touchdowns and 2 field goals (and 5 drives with no points). Their opponents have had 13 trips inside the red zone and have come away with 4 touchdowns and 6 field goals. … Jaguars opponents have begun 10 possessions inside their own 20 and they scored on none of those drives. The Jaguars have begun 12 possessions inside their own 20 and have not scored. … The Jaguars have used turnovers to score 21 points, while their opponents have scored 16 points off Jaguars' turnovers. … In seven seasons, the Jaguars are 13 for 20 on two-point conversions (0 for 1 in 2001), while their opponents are 5 for 19 (0 for 0 in 2001). … In seven seasons, the Jaguars have a winning record in every month except October. They are 1-0 in August, 14-12 in September, 12-15 in October, 16-7 in November, 14-9 in December and 1-0 in January. … In 2001, the Jaguars have outscored their opponents in the second (35-28) and third quarters (27-7) and have been outscored in the first quarter (6-20) and fourth quarter (3-16).
The average age of the 53-man roster as of October 22 is 25.94 years old. There were 25 players 25 or younger, 23 players between 26 and 29 years old, and five players 30 or older. The youngest player is S Delvin Brown (22 years, 1 month); the oldest player is MLB Hardy Nickerson (36 years, 1 month). … There are 11 rookies on the 53-man roster, including five of the 10 draft choices (DT Marcus Stroud, OT Maurice Williams, LB Eric Westmoreland, S James Boyd and S Marlon McCree), as well as undrafted rookies S Delvin Brown, FB Patrick Washington, WR Randal Williams, RB Elvis Joseph, OT Patrick Venzke and OT Derrick Chambers (one other draft pick is on the practice squad). … More than half of the players (36) have four years or less of NFL experience, and five players are in their eighth season or more. … There are 19 players who are new to the team, and 34 who were with the team before the 2001 season. In addition to the 11 rookies, the other eight new players are: WR Sean Dawkins, WR Damon Gibson, P Chris Hanson and Joe Zelenka (veteran free agents); MLB Joseph Tuipala, (first-year free agent) and S Ainsley Battles, RB Frank Moreau and QB Phil Stambaugh (waivers). … The Jaguars have 10 players who were first-round selections in the college draft, including seven of their own picks: WR Sean Dawkins (1993, Indianapolis), OT Tony Boselli (1995, Jaguars), TE Kyle Brady (1995, N.Y. Jets), LB Kevin Hardy (1996, Jaguars), DT Renaldo Wynn (1997, Jaguars), RB Fred Taylor (1998, Jaguars), S Donovin Darius (1998, Jaguars), CB Fernando Bryant (1999, Jaguars) and DT Marcus Stroud (2001, Jaguars), as well as WR R. Jay Soward (2000, Jaguars, on reserve/suspended list).
WR Jimmy Smith has played in 100 of the 101 games in Jaguars history, and PK Mike Hollis is second with 97 games. … The longest streak of consecutive starts is held by WLB Kevin Hardy (team-record 54), followed by WR Keenan McCardell (32) and QB Mark Brunell and G Brad Meester (21 each) … Four players have played in 100 or more games during their careers: MLB Hardy Nickerson (198), WR Sean Dawkins (129), WR Keenan McCardell (121) and WR Jimmy Smith (107). … Nickerson leads with 174 career starts, followed by Dawkins (107). … OT Tony Boselli has started 90 games for the Jaguars, followed by QB Mark Brunell (89), WR Keenan McCardell (82) and WR Jimmy Smith and LB Kevin Hardy (79 each). Brunell can tie Boselli (on I.R.) this week for the most starts by a Jaguar.