jacksonville jaguars history
jacksonville jaguars history
Is there a more dangerous team in the NFL than the Jacksonville Jaguars? Head coach Jack Del Rio has put together an aggressive young defense filled with headhunters like safety Donovin Darius and Pro Bowl tackle Marcus Stroud. You can bet opposing offenses aren’t looking forward to heading to Alltel Stadium. And with the offense in the trustworthy hands of quarterback Byron Leftwich, Jacksonville Jaguars tickets could find their way onto the endangered species list soon. So don’t hesitate to secure your Jacksonville Jaguars tickets today – They might become extinct tomorrow.
Jacksonville fans have become accustomed to picking up Jaguars tickets, packing into Alltel Stadium and witnessing the improbable. Since their inception into the NFL in 1995, the Jaguars have been overachievers. The fact is first-year expansion franchises aren’t supposed to beat Super Bowl-bound teams. The Jags did, knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-16 for their first home victory. No other expansion franchise in its inaugural season had ever beaten a team headed for the Super Bowl. Jacksonville added to their remarkable first year with a season-ending victory over the Cleveland Browns, which broke the previous NFL record for wins by an expansion franchise. It was only the beginning.
In only their second year of existence, the Jaguars shocked the entire NFL by marching all the way to within one game of the Super Bowl. Led by scrambling quarterback Mark Brunell, a pair of bruising backs in James Stewart and Natrone Means and a prolific receiving corps highlighted by Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, the Jaguars overcame a slow start and finished the 1996 season on a roll. They won their last five games and finished at 9-7, becoming the first second-year franchise to ever reach the playoffs. But head coach Tom Coughlin’s group wasn’t satisfied with just qualifying for the postseason. First, Brunell and company picked off Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills. Then, the Jags stunned John Elway and the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Bill Parcells and the New England Patriots ended the Jags’ magical run, but Jacksonville had proved its point to the rest of the NFL – The Jaguars were no longer an expansion team. The Jacksonville Jaguars were a force to be reckoned with.
Coughlin took the Jaguars to the playoffs in four of their first five seasons in existence. In 1999, Jacksonville hung a record 62 points on the Miami Dolphins in the playoff opener. Brunell finished his nine-year tenure in Jacksonville as the franchise’s all-time leader in every major passing category. And first-round draft pick Byron Leftwich has shown signs of following in Brunell’s footsteps. A product of Marshall, Leftwich set the Jaguars’ rookie mark for passing with 2,819 yards.
Jacksonville Jaguars ticket holders are hungry for a return to the playoffs. Byron Leftwich, Fred Taylor and first-round draft pick Matt Jones are looking to oblige the Jaguar faithful. Toss in one of the NFL’s top young defenses, and the Jaguars have all the makings of a Super Bowl contender in 2005. So don’t miss out on another season full of the surprises – Get your Jacksonville Jaguars tickets today.
