Star running backs and receivers, but no championship glory on Jaguars all-time team
Star running backs and receivers, but no championship glory on Jaguars all-time team
Since they started to play as the National Football League’s 30th franchise in 1995, the Jacksonville Jaguars have had their share of great players roam the field where the Gator Bowl once stood. The Jaguars have made the postseason seven times, reaching the AFC Championship Game on three occasions, but they have never gone further. Here is a look at the players and coaches who make up Jacksonville’s all-time team.
Coach: Tom Coughlin was a coach on the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXV, and he was Jacksonville’s first head coach. The Jaguars reached the AFC Championship Game in just their second season in 1996 and went back a second time three years later. Overall, Coughlin went 68-60 in eight seasons, including a 14-2 mark in 1999. He led the team to a 4-4 record in four trips to the playoffs. Jack Del Rio led the team to a pair of postseason appearances in eight-plus years. Despite a 68-71 record, he only had a 1-2 mark in the playoffs, with both losses coming against New England. Current coach Doug Marrone has been at the helm for the club’s other postseason appearance, which resulted in a third trip to the AFC title game. Gus Bradley had a 14-48 record in nearly four years leading the club.
Quarterback: Mark Brunell is the franchise’s all-time leader with 25,698 passing yards and 144 touchdowns. He threw for 3,000 or more yards five times, including a league-leading 4,367 in 1996. The three-time Pro Bowler played in all eight postseason games under Coughlin, and he’s currently fourth on the team’s rushing list with 2,219 yards. Blake Bortles was inconsistent but is second with 17,646 yards and 103 scoring passes in five seasons. He set team records with 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2015 and helped the Jaguars get to the AFC Championship Game two years later. David Garrard was a two-time playoff participant and a Pro Bowler in 2009 when he threw for 3,597 yards and 15 touchdowns. Byron Leftwich took over for Brunell and made the All-Rookie Team in 2003. He led the team to the playoffs two years later.
Running Back: Fred Taylor has rushed for 11,271 yards, the most in team history, and his 62 touchdowns rank second. He was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1998, had seven seasons with 1,000 or more yards and was a Pro Bowler in 2007. Maurice Jones-Drew tops the franchise list with 68 scoring runs and is second with 8,071 yards. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2011 when he led the league and set a franchise record with 1,606 yards. Leonard Fournette, a first-round pick in 2017, has Jacksonville’s only other 1,000-yard season, rushing for 1,040 yards in his rookie year. James Stewart is third in team history with 2,951 yards and 33 touchdowns. His best season was in 1999 when he ran for 931 yards and 13 scores for a team that reached the AFC Championship Game. T.J. Yeldon has run for 1,872 yards in four years. Natrone Means had a team-leading 823 yards and nine scores in 1997.
Fullback: Stacey Mack had 1,498 yards and 19 touchdowns in four years with the Jaguars, including nine scores in 2001. Greg Jones spent eight years in Jacksonville, running for 575 yards in 2005. Daimon Shelton was the main backfield blocker for Taylor from 1997-2000.
Wide Receiver: Jimmy Smith holds franchise records with 862 receptions, 12,287 yards, and 67 touchdowns. He had nine seasons with 1,000 yards, led the league with 116 receptions in 1999 and made five Pro Bowls. Keenan McCardell is second with 499 catches, 6,393 yards and third with 30 scores. He went to the Pro Bowl in 1996 after an 85-catch, 1,129-yard season. He went over 1,000 yards four times. Allen Robinson went to the Pro Bowl in 2015 following a season in which he had 1,400 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. Allen Hurns had 1,031 yards and 10 scores in 2015. Matt Jones had 65 catches in his final season in Jacksonville in 2008. Cecil Shorts had 979 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012. Reggie Williams led the team with 629 yards and 10 scores in 2007. Ernest Wilford had 681 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the team in 2005. Marqise Lee had a career-high 851 yards in 2016.
Tight End: Marcedes Lewis is third in franchise history with 375 catches and 4,502 yards and his 33 touchdowns rank second. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2010 after setting career-highs with 58 receptions, 700 yards, and 10 scores. Kyle Brady spent eight seasons in Jacksonville, his best coming in 2000 when he had 729 yards. Original Jaguar Pete Mitchell had a career-best 575 yards in 1996.
Tackle: Tony Boselli was a member of the NFL’s All-Rookie Team in the 1995 expansion season, and he was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the following five years. However, the three-time All-Pro had his career cut short due to chronic shoulder issues. On the right side, Leon Searcy, another original Jaguar, only played four years with the team, but he made the Pro Bowl in 1999. Maurice Williams played 105 games and went to the playoffs twice in nine seasons. Khalif Barnes appeared in the postseason twice in four years. Eugene Monroe played in 65 games before getting traded in 2013.
Guard: Vince Manuwai was selected to the 2003 All-Rookie Team and was a seven-year starter at left guard. Uche Nwaneri started for six years on the right side and played in the postseason as a rookie. After coming over in a trade from Arizona early in the team’s inaugural season, Ben Coleman played 105 games in six years. Chris Naeole started for six seasons and made two playoff appearances. Brian DeMarco, a 1995 draft pick, spent four years in Jacksonville. A.J. Cann has started 59 games over four seasons.
Center: Brad Meester spent 14 seasons with the Jaguars, and he is the team’s all-time leader with 209 starts. He made the All-Rookie Team in 2000. Brandon Linder has started 54 games in five years, but he missed parts of two seasons due to injury. Original starter Dave Widell played in 47 games during the team’s first three seasons.
Defensive End: Yannick Ngakoue has had an excellent start to his career with 29½ sacks in his first three seasons, which is third in team history. He was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 2016 after amassing eight sacks, and he made the Pro Bowl with 12 sacks the following year. On the right side is Tony Brackens, who is the all-time franchise leader with 55 sacks. He was a Pro Bowler in 1999 after recording 12 sacks and added 11 more in 2001. Joel Smeenge was an original Jaguar who registered 34 sacks, which ranks second. He had five seasons with five or more sacks and appeared in the playoffs four times. Calais Campbell has made the Pro Bowl in both of his seasons in Jacksonville. The 2017 All-Pro already ranks seventh with 25 sacks. Paul Spicer recorded 28½ sacks in nine seasons. Bobby McCray had 22 sacks, including 10 in 2006. Renaldo Wynn was a member of the 1997 All-Rookie Team, and he had five sacks in 2001. Jeremy Mincey played six years with the Jaguars and had 20 sacks, eight coming in 2011.
Defensive Tackle: Marcus Stroud is the only Jacksonville defensive player to be selected to three Pro Bowls. He appeared in the playoffs twice and had 22 sacks in seven seasons on the left side. John Henderson was a two-time Pro Bowler who is fourth in team history with 29 sacks. He had 6½ in 2002 when he made the All-Rookie Team. Gary Walker had 10 sacks in 1999 and added 7½ in his 2001 Pro Bowl season. Tyson Alualu made the All-Rookie Team in 2010 and had 17½ sacks in seven seasons with the Jaguars. Malik Jackson made the Pro Bowl in 2017 after recording eight sacks. Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton made the All-Rookie Team in 2009.
Outside Linebacker: Kevin Hardy was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro after a 10½-sack season in 1999 and had 28½ sacks in six years. Daryl Smith had 21½ sacks in nine seasons, and he ranks second in club history with 678 tackles. Telvin Smith is a 2017 Pro Bowler who ranks fifth with 445 solo tackles. He also has nine interceptions, with three returned for scores. Akin Ayodele had 343 tackles in four seasons. Myles Jack has 219 tackles and five sacks in three years. Justin Durant had 272 tackles in four seasons.
Middle Linebacker: Paul Posluszny is the franchise leader with 815 tackles, registering 100 or more five times. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after recording 162 tackles, including a league-high 122 solo. Mike Peterson had 100 or more tackles in three of his six seasons in Jacksonville. He also totaled 15 sacks and eight interceptions. Original Jaguar Bryan Schwartz recorded a career-high 98 tackles in 1995.
Cornerback: Rashean Mathis is the team’s all-time leader with 30 interceptions, which is twice the total of anyone else on the list. He had eight picks in 2006, resulting in Pro Bowler and All-Pro selections. Mathis is also fourth with 459 solo tackles. Aaron Beasley is second with 15 interceptions, including six in 1999. He, like Mathis, returned two for touchdowns. Jalen Ramsey is a two-time Pro Bowler and a 2017 All-Pro. He has 193 tackles and nine interceptions in three seasons. A.J. Bouye had six picks and was one of six Jaguars Pro Bowlers in 2017. Derek Cox had 12 interceptions in four years.
Safety: Donovin Darius is third in team history with 14 interceptions and 470 solo tackles. The 1998 All-Rookie Team member made 70 or more combined tackles seven times. Reggie Nelson was the strong safety. He had five interceptions and made the All-Rookie Team in 2007. Jonathan Cyprien had 100 or more tackles in each of his four seasons in Jacksonville. Deon Grant had 191 tackles and seven interceptions in three years. Chris Hudson had eight picks in four years.
Kicker: Josh Scobee is the team's all-time leading scorer with 1,022 points in 11 seasons. He had more than 100 points three times. Mike Hollis, the team's first kicker, made the Pro Bowl in 1997 after leading the NFL with 134 points. He had five seasons with 100 or more points and 764 overall.
Punter: Bryan Barker, an original Jaguar, averaged 43.5 yards per punt over six seasons, and he was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 1997. Chris Hanson had a 42.9-yard average over six years and made the Pro Bowl in 2002. Bryan Anger, a 2012 All-Rookie Team member, had a 46.8-yard average in four seasons. He led the league in punt yards in 2013 and punt average the following year.
Returners: In addition to his accolades as a running back, Jones-Drew is the team's all-time leader with 2,054 kickoff return yards and two touchdowns. Reggie Barlow tops the franchise list with 1,581 punt return yards and two scores, and he's also fifth with 1,634 kick return yards. His best season was 1998 when he had 747 kick return yards and 555 yards on punt returns, which led the league and set a team record. In just two seasons, Brian Witherspoon had 1,818 kickoff return yards, third on the franchise list. The total includes a club-record 1,250 yards in 2008.
Special Teams: Montell Owens played in 111 games in seven years and made the Pro Bowl twice. Joe Zelenka appeared in 128 games during an eight-year run as the team's long snapper.
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-By: Kevin Rakas