The Greatest Teams: 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the younger teams in the NFL, being founded in 1995. With recent rumors swirling that the team could soon be moving on to greener pastures, this once proud franchise is now reeling from a lack of success in the regular season and beyond. The peak of Jacksonville's prominence may very well be its 1999 campaign, in which the Jags came up just one win short of their first Super Bowl berth.

Pro Bowl quarterback Mark Brunell, in his fifth year with the team, managed to throw nearly 3,000 yards and 14 touchdowns. The receiving duo of Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell combined for nearly 2,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, even more impressive was the pair of rushers that Jacksonville had. The lethal rushing attack of James Stewart and Fred Taylor combined for over 1,500 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns on the ground, vaulting the rushing offense of the Jags to second in the league. Tight end Kyle Brady, drafted 9th overall in the same year the Jaguars were created, also contributed, as well as backup  Damon Jones. The offensive line was anchored by 3-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tony Boselli, Jacksonville's first ever draft pick (2nd overall in 1995). On the opposite side, veteran Leon Searcy made his first Pro Bowl protecting Brunell's blind side.

The Jaguars boasted one of the league's most elite defenses. Defensive linemen Renaldo Wynn, Joel Smeenge, Gary Walker, Seth Payne, and Tony Brackens combined for 29 sacks, with Walker and Brackens recording 10 or more sacks. At linebacker, Kevin Hardy was a perennial All-Pro, recording 10.5 more sacks on opposing quarterbacks. The secondary group was exceptional as well. Rookie Fernando Bryant recorded 2 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries, while his partner on the opposite side, Aaron Beasley, played like a stud, recording 1.5 sacks and 6 interceptions. Strong safety Donovin Darius was an interception machine (4 picks) while free safety Carnell Lake managed to cause enough havoc in the backfield for 3.5 sacks. On special teams, kicker Mike Hollis missed only 7 field goals on the season, while punter Bryan Barker consistently put the opposing team in bad field position.

The Jaguars got off to a strong start, demolishing the Steve Young led 49ers 41-3. They would follow up with 6 games on the season where their opponents would fail to score double digits. The dominant Jags, coached by Tom Coughlin, easily earned a first seed berth in the playoffs with a 14-2 record, where they would utterly destroy the Miami Dolphins in the Divisional Round, 62-7. Unfortunately, the Jaguars faced their division rivals in the Tennessee Titans in the Conference Championship Game. The Titans had previously defeated the Jaguars in both of their regular season divisional games, so the Jaguars were seeking revenge. Unfortunately, the Titans, who were also on a quest to make their first Super Bowl, defeated the Jags once again (33-14), ending one of the most successful seasons in franchise history (and making the Titans the only team to have beaten Jacksonville on the season). The Jaguars have not made it back to the AFC Championship since then, making this 1999 squad particularly impressive, and the best team in Jaguars history.