MVN - Most Valuable Network

Jaguars possible playoff run starting to feel awfully familiar

It has been two years since the Jaguars found themselves in a situation where they are almost a lock for a post-season berth.  But, it has been even longer since the buzz in Jacksonville has been as electric as it is currently.  Fans are starting to get excited, and they are starting to envision the possibilities.  Is a playoff win in New England possible?  Is Glendale on the agenda?

The feeling is certainly one that the city has enjoyed before, but it has been more than a decade since the electricity pumping through the Jaguars fan base has been as hot as it is right now. 

In 1996, the Jaguars made an unlikely playoff run that started with a relatively benign win over the Baltimore Ravens on a fumbled snap exchange when the Ravens were trying to run out the clock by taking a knee.  Vinnie Testaverde’s fumble started a sequence of events that culminated in the infamous missed field goal by Morten Andersen in the season finale, and two post-season victories on the road in Buffalo and Denver. 

On the day of the Denver playoff game, the Jaguars opened up the stadium so that fans could come down and watch the game on the jumbotrons.  Several thousand fans took advantage of the opportunity to see if their team could advance one step closer to the Super Bowl in their second year in the league.  I was sitting at home with some buddies watching the game when they flipped over to the stadium before the half.  Once halftime started, we hopped in the car and raced to the stadium, finding seats just as the ball was being kicked off in the second half.  As Brunell scrambled, and Jimmy Smith made his dramatic diving grab in the corner of the end zone, fans in Jacksonville erupted into a frenzy. 

Fans were looking for an opportunity to welcome the Jaguars back after their 30-27 win over the Denver Broncos. The week prior following the 30-27 win over Buffalo in Orchard Park, fans flocked to the airport to greet the team.  This caused massive traffic tie-ups at Jacksonville International as fans packed the parking lots, and lined the streets to catch a glimpse of their victorious team upon their return.  When they won in Denver, the Jaguars decided that they would open the stadium up for the fans to come greet the team, avoiding the same traffic nightmares that were endured the prior week.

At 1:00 in the morning, still riding high from a win several hours earlier, the Jaguar fans (me included) waited for the team to return to the stadium.  Shortly before the Jaguars team charter landed at Jacksonville International Airport, the plane took an alternate route to fly over the stadium so that the team could get a glimpse of what awaited them.  40,000 fans were sitting in the stadium in the early morning hours of January 5, 1997.  It was a party atmosphere. 

In the week leading up to the Jaguars game against the Broncos, Denver Post sports columnist, Woody Paige, had written an article dismissing the Jaguars as an afterthought that was only a minor speed bump for the Broncos on their way to the Super Bowl.  At one point in the article, he referred to the team as the Jagwads.  This comment served as great fodder for the Jaguars, and bulletin board material that provided them with all the motivation that they needed heading into the game.

On that early morning, fans walked around the stadium with banners that had Woody Paige’s home phone number, and other assorted comments about his “Jagwad” remark.  When the Jaguars finally made it back to the stadium, the players and coaching staff were clearly overwhelmed by what they saw.  This team, barely done with their second season in the league, was beloved by the fans.  The feeling was mutual.  From Tom Coughlin’s speech, to Aaaron Beasley’s response to the “Jagwad” comment, to Dave Widell’s “Do you believe in miracles?” comment, the Jaguar fans were on the hook and in love with their team.

That season began a process that truly spoiled the fan base in this town as the team was almost instantly successful.  So, when the Jaguars started to stumble in 2000, those fans that were riding high with the success abandoned the team when they were down.  This bandwagon mentality continued throughout the next several years as the team struggled with cap issues, and the process of rebuilding. 

With the Jaguars poised to make the playoffs, suddenly the feeling that was rampant in 1996 has started to reappear.  This time there is a difference as fans are more mature, and more appreciative of the success that the team is enjoying.  And once again, the fan base is ready and willing to embrace this team.

In years past, when the fans opened up their arms and showed some indication that they were ready to get on the bandwagon, the team would stumble leaving the fans empty handed and disappointed.  This year is different.  The Jaguars have played more consistently, and they have not allowed the same type of mental lapses that sparked skepticism from their fans previously.  This Jaguar team is playing up to their potential rather than playing down to the competition, and fans are starting to pay attention.

As the Jaguars completed their win in Pittsburgh, there was a palpable energy burst that sparked the Jaguars fan base.  The level of excitement in Jacksonville is back to where it was in 1996.  The team is starting to show signs that they believe in their ability to win anywhere, any time.  The fans are starting to believe this as well.  The bond between the fans and the team that has been missing for many years seems to be reinvigorated.  Nothing could be better for Wayne Weaver following the years of speculation that the team was losing their appeal, and potentially could relocate as a result.

If anything could help the Jaguars fortunes, this could be the key to their success in Jacksonville.  A magical playoff run similar to what they enjoyed in 1996 would make selling the naming rights at the stadium much easier to handle, and it would almost certainly assure that ticket sales would no longer be an issue.

It’s beginning to feel an awful lot like 1996 again.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 3:15 pm and is filed under Jaguars' Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.