Jaguars reminded what winning feels like

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The excitement and riveting atmosphere that will permeate throughout EverBank Field when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday has been missing in recent years.

This is a franchise that had not won more than five games in any of the last six seasons. The last winning record came in 2007, which is also when the Jaguars made their last playoff appearance.

But that was just a one-time happening as the Jaguars were 8-8 and 5-11 in the seasons before and after, respectively.

The only time there was a sustained winning atmosphere came in the late 1990s when the Jaguars posted 9-7, 11-5, 11-5 and 14-2 records between 1996 and 1999. All four of those teams were coached by Tom Coughlin, currently the Jaguars vice-president of football operations.

Head coach Doug Marrone was asked if Coughlin had talked to the team about what the atmosphere was like in the ’90s when the Jaguars reached the playoffs four consecutive years, including playing for a spot in the Super Bowl in 1999 only to come up short against the Titans.

“We did. We had Coach (Coughlin) address the team in training camp,” Marrone said. “He addressed the team on it in training camp and told them all of those things just mentioned. I can’t speak for Tom. I can speak for myself. You can ask him. I think he said all the things, hey, how the fans were, what the town was like, how everything was going, how exciting things were and he was just trying to, again, I can’t speak for him. Just painting a picture of what it could be like and what it was like when the team was winning.”

–Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles says he has no idea when the Jaguars are going to run or pass from punt formation.

It’s worked three times for the Jaguars this year. Corey Grant took a direct snap as one of the blocking backs and turned in 56- and 58-yard runs. The 56-yarder ended in the end zone against the Los Angeles Chargers while the 58-yard run against Baltimore in London led to a Jaguars TD.

The Jaguars put a new wrinkle on their fake punt play this past week when punter Brad Nortman lofted a pass to tight end James O’Shaughnessy, who was all alone and turned the play into a 29-yard gain. Four plays later the Jaguars scored a touchdown.

Bortles said he’s never been told that the Jaguars were going to run the fake punt play and for good reason.

“You come off the field like you’re upset, obviously about not being able to convert on third down, you put your helmet down and you look up at the jumbotron and it’s like, ‘We get to go back out there,'” Bortles said. “I kind of wish they would tell us, but I think they don’t on purpose because if we all stand there with our helmets on they can see that from the other side. Every time it’s a surprise.”

Head coach Doug Marrone was asked if the fake punt play was called on a “feel” for such a play.

“I don’t know about feel. I wish I could say, yes, it is a feel,” Marrone said. “I think it is a little bit of that. I think it’s strategic. What are the percentages of us being able to make this play and all of the other stuff that goes into it?”

–The Jaguars can only look back and wonder how much of a difference Dede Westbrook might have made for the Jaguars had he been available the first 10 weeks of the season instead of spending that time on injured reserve.

Westbrook looked impressive during the Jaguars’ preseason games but a core muscle injury in the fourth game brought about surgery on Sept. 12, sending the former Oklahoma standout to the injured reserve list.

Westbrook has now appeared in three games and looks better with each outing. He caught three passes for 35 yards in his first action against Cleveland and followed that with a six-catch, 41-yard effort the following week. In last week’s game against the Colts he again grabbed six of the nine passes thrown his way, good for 78 yards. The numbers were one catch and 8 yards away from matching Marqise Lee’s team-leading totals.

He’s gaining the confidence of head coach Doug Marrone and will likely see even more action in the final four games of the regular season.

“He’s getting a lot of playing time, so I think all that stuff is important,” Marrone said. “I think that he’s getting out there, he’s playing, he’s getting a feel for it. I think everyone has their perception of what it’s going to be like once you start playing in the NFL and I think that through that experience, that you now have the ability to get better each week.”

NOTES: WR Allen Hurns did not practice on Wednesday, leading to speculation that Hurns will likely miss a third straight game due to an ankle sprain. … LB Telvin Smith is still in the team’s concussion protocol and did not practice on Wednesday. … DT Marcell Dareus is just a few pounds shy of 350. That’s the same weight of the 100 logs of bologna that were sent to the Jaguars earlier this week. Head coach Doug Marrone has left little doubt of his passion for a bologna and cheese sandwich, prompting the Beef Checkoff and National Hot Dog and Sausage Council to send such a large volume to the Jaguars. The team plans to donate it to a local charity. … QB Blake Bortles says it’s important for the Jaguars to get off to a fast start. The Jaguars have scored on their opening possession in seven of the team’s eight wins this year. … K Josh Lambo is on pace to set a Jaguars record for field-goal accuracy, but will need to average at least three more attempts per game in the team’s final four games. Lambo is 12-of-13 in his six weeks with the team. The 92.3 percent matches the franchise record set by Mike Hollis (24-of-26) in 2000. The Jaguars only recognize kickers with at least 25 attempts for the season.

–The excitement and riveting atmosphere that will permeate throughout EverBank Field when the Jaguars host the Seattle Seahawks has been but a distant memory for Jaguars faithful.

This is a franchise that had not won more than five games in any of the last six seasons. The last winning record came in 2007, which is also when the Jaguars made their last playoff appearance.

But that was just a one-time happening as the Jaguars were 8-8 and 5-11 in the seasons before and after, respectively.

The only time there was a sustained winning atmosphere came in the late 1990s when the Jaguars posted 9-7, 11-5, 11-5 and 14-2 records between 1996 and 1999. All four of those teams were coached by Tom Coughlin, currently the Jaguars vice-president of football operations.

Head coach Doug Marrone was asked if Coughlin had talked to the team about what the atmosphere was like in the ’90s when the Jaguars reached the playoffs four consecutive years, including playing for a spot in the Super Bowl in 1999 only to come up short against the Titans.

“We did. We had Coach (Coughlin) address the team in training camp,” Marrone said. “He addressed the team on it in training camp and told them all of those things just mentioned. I can’t speak for Tom. I can speak for myself. You can ask him. I think he said all the things, hey, how the fans were, what the town was like, how everything was going, how exciting things were and he was just trying to, again, I can’t speak for him. Just painting a picture of what it could be like and what it was like when the team was winning.”

–Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles says he has no idea when the Jaguars are going to run or pass from punt formation.

It’s worked three times for the Jaguars this year. Corey Grant took a direct snap as one of the blocking backs and turned in 56- and 58-yard runs. The 56-yarder ended in the end zone against the Los Angeles Chargers while the 58-yard run against Baltimore in London led to a Jaguars TD.

The Jaguars put a new wrinkle on their fake punt play this past week when punter Brad Nortman lofted a pass to tight end James O’Shaughnessy, who was all alone and turned the play into a 29-yard gain. Four plays later the Jaguars scored a touchdown.

Bortles said he’s never been told that the Jaguars were going to run the fake punt play and for good reason.

“You come off the field like you’re upset, obviously about not being able to convert on third down, you put your helmet down and you look up at the jumbotron and it’s like, ‘We get to go back out there,'” Bortles said. “I kind of wish they would tell us, but I think they don’t on purpose because if we all stand there with our helmets on they can see that from the other side. Every time it’s a surprise.”

Head coach Doug Marrone was asked if the fake punt play was called on a “feel” for such a play.

“I don’t know about feel. I wish I could say, yes, it is a feel,” Marrone said. “I think it is a little bit of that. I think it’s strategic. What are the percentages of us being able to make this play and all of the other stuff that goes into it?”

–The Jaguars can only look back and wonder how much of a difference Dede Westbrook might have made for the Jaguars had he been available the first 10 weeks of the season instead of spending that time on injured reserve.

Westbrook looked impressive during the Jaguars’ preseason games but a core muscle injury in the fourth game brought about surgery on Sept. 12, sending the former Oklahoma standout to the injured reserve list.

Westbrook has now appeared in three games and looks better with each outing. He caught three passes for 35 yards in his first action against Cleveland and followed that with a six-catch, 41-yard effort the following week. In last week’s game against the Colts he again grabbed six of the nine passes thrown his way, good for 78 yards. The numbers were one catch and 8 yards away from matching Marqise Lee’s team-leading totals.

He’s gaining the confidence of head coach Doug Marrone and will likely see even more action in the final four games of the regular season.

“He’s getting a lot of playing time, so I think all that stuff is important,” Marrone said. “I think that he’s getting out there, he’s playing, he’s getting a feel for it. I think everyone has their perception of what it’s going to be like once you start playing in the NFL and I think that through that experience, that you now have the ability to get better each week.”