Fans in Jacksonville and Charlotte had something to cheer about when the NFL decided to expand its roster of teams for the 1995 season. Of course, there were no expectations on either the Jaguars or the Panthers when that first season got underway, since expansion franchises are not something that get built overnight. Indeed, the quest for talent, sound coaching, and fan support are things that often take years for any new team to achieve. A quarterback choice made by the Jaguars prior to the first season turned out to shorten their time frame for initial success considerably.

Selecting a quarterback

After using their first selection in the draft of 1995 to bring in Steve Beurlein, the Jacksonville front office saw an opportunity to also acquire veteran backup quarterback Mark Brunell who was serving as Brett Favre’s second in Green Bay. For the cost of a few draft picks, the new franchise was able to trade for Brunell – who was understandably thrilled to go to a team where he would have a chance to play. Favre’s durability was evident even at that time. Almost as soon as he got off the plane in Jacksonville, Brunell was called to take Beurlein’s place as the starting quarterback.

A slow start

As the first year’s campaign winded down, the Jaguars broke the previous record for new expansion teams by winning four of their sixteen games. They were joined in the expansion success by the Panthers who won seven. The Bengals had previously set the expansion first-season mark with three victories nearly three decades before. Brunell’s cool leadership was already in evidence, however, as he compiled more than two thousand passing yards on the season, with another four hundred yards of rushing.

Finding success

Beginning in 1996, the Jaguars began four years of playoff appearances. During that run, they went to the AFC Championship in 1996, won divisional titles in ’98 and ’99, and then returned to the AFC title game at the end of that 1999 season. The Jaguars’ high point was during this four year period, and the results posted by Brunell and the Jacksonville squad were and are an expansion team mark that will stand for some time to come. In a stretch that was bookended by appearances in the AFC title game – one game away from the Super Bowl – the Jaguars had made a statement to others in the NFL that they wanted success now and were not going to “Wait their turn” for a championship.

Brunell’s legacy

As it turns out, Brunell’s arrival and stay in Jacksonville during the turbulent first few seasons was fortuitous indeed. He brought with him a cool demeanor and cooler head that enabled the new team to enjoy a level of success most new franchises require years and years of play to experience. His trade between the 2003 and 2004 seasons turned out to mark the end of Jacksonville’s attempts to dominate the AFC, and they have spent the last six seasons in search of an identity.

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Tagged with: Afc Championship • Afc Title Game • Backup Quarterback • Bengals • Brett Favre • Divisional Titles • Expansion Franchises • Expansion Teams • Fan Support • First Selection • Green Bay • Initial Success • Jacksonville Jaguars • NFL • Panthers • Playoff Appearances • Quarterback Choice • Quarterback Mark Brunell • Sixteen Games • Sports • Steve Beurlein • Three Decades

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