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Troubleshooting Jags have laundry list of reasons for struggles with Titans
Posted: Thursday January 20, 2000 12:10 AM
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The rain. The flu. The tight ends. The injuries. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a long list of explanations for their losses to the Tennessee Titans. It's a streak that, of course, includes Jacksonville's only two losses this season. Dating to December of 1998, Tennessee has accounted for three of the Jaguars' last five defeats. Is it enough to say the Titans have their number? The Jaguars can't afford to think that way this week, with a meeting in the AFC championship game approaching. Still, that's one of a myriad of theories to consider as the teams prepare for another meeting Sunday. "They are an outstanding ballclub, and you have to give them credit," said receiver Jimmy Smith. "They come to play hard, and that's the key. They have played faster and harder than we have in the past." Breaking it down more specifically, Tennessee overcame a 10-0 deficit to defeat Jacksonville 16-13 in Week 14 last year. Al Del Greco won the game with a 41-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining. That game stunted Jacksonville's quest for a first-round bye, but almost everyone in Jacksonville wrote it off to injuries. Mark Brunell was out with a severely sprained ankle and backup Jamie Martin left at halftime with a torn knee ligament, leaving the game to third-string quarterback Jonathan Quinn. Quinn had a respectable game, finishing 12-for-18 for 107 yards, but he squandered Jacksonville's only second-half scoring threat by forcing an interception into coverage in the end zone. Tennessee held Fred Taylor to 42 yards on 20 carries. The Jaguars had a third-quarter touchdown nullified by a penalty. "There's no explanation for that one," said coach Tom Coughlin. "That was a truly frustrating game." This season's losses are fresher in everyone's minds. First, the rain-soaked 20-19 game in Jacksonville and then, the 41-14 blowout in Tennessee. "The first game could have gone either way," said defensive lineman Seth Payne. "The second game, they just beat us physically. You can't really blame it on Xs and Os when you turn on the film and see guys getting blocked, falling over their own feet and basically, getting beat physically." But the Xs and Os can't be completely ignored. Former Oiler Lonnie Marts says Tennessee's relatively simple offensive game plan -- pound Eddie George through the line, then throw short to tight ends Frank Wycheck and Jackie Harris -- has been effective against the Jaguars. "What they do is try to get to third down and short yardage," Marts said. "They're very patient about what they're doing. They're not going to push it unless they're behind. But most of time, their defense plays so well that they don't get behind. When that happens, they can dink and dunk and do it well for a long time." On defense, the Titans give opponents various looks at the line of scrimmage and force them to adjust. "They run some blitzes, they run some games up front, they have some different players running in and out of there,' said Jaguars center John Wade. "They take a different approach every time they play us." In the first game, a driving rainstorm and the Tennessee defense helped force four Jacksonville turnovers. The deciding play, Samari Rolle's end-zone interception late in the fourth quarter, was the combination of a bad play call by Coughlin, compounded by a bad decision by Brunell. "That's a game we should have won," Coughlin said. "We lost the game. I lost the game. It's just a bad memory." So was the 41-14 loss on Dec. 26. Several Jaguars had the flu that day, although Coughlin doesn't like using that as an excuse. He insists the Jaguars had a week's worth of good practices. He also says the coaching staff felt it had eliminated the Christmas holiday and the Pro Bowl announcements as distractions. So, why such a big flop in what was then considered the most important game of the season? "We didn't play with any intensity," Coughlin said. "They're human beings and whatever happened, happened. Hopefully, it's not going to happen again."
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