Despite painful ending, 1999 squad is the best in Jacksonville Jaguars history
By Daniel Lago
While they fell short of expectations, the 1999 iteration of the Jacksonville Jaguars is the best in team history.
It has begun! The offseason fluff piece bonanza is finally here!
Unfortunately this time of year has come entirely too early for the Jaguars in the past decade or so, but it’s something that will hopefully change in the near future.
The first of the many offseason tropes popping up in the impending shadow of the Super Bowl is what team was the best for each franchise in their history.
The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have many candidates, but the few legitimate ones all came in the late 1990s.
Ultimately, this isn’t a tough choice if you’ve followed the Jaguars. Mike DiRocco explains the obvious selection below:
"Jacksonville JaguarsBest team: 1999The 1999 Jaguars went 14-2 during the regular season and embarrassed the Dolphins 62-7 in the playoffs in what would be the last game for quarterback Dan Marino and coach Jimmy Johnson. Wide receiver Jimmy Smith caught 116 passes for 1,636 yards, both single-season franchise records that still stand, and running backs Fred Taylor and James Stewart combined for 1,663 yards and 19 TDs. The Titans handed the Jaguars all three of their losses: twice during the regular season and in Jacksonville in the AFC title game."
It’s easy to forget just how good that Jaguars squad was and how heavily the team was favored to win the Super Bowl after they completely trounced the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round of the playoffs. Everything was going right for the Jaguars that year – Mark Burnell was on point most weeks, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell were in their prime, Fred Taylor was coming into his own as an explosive running back, Tony Brackens was one of the best edge rushers in the league, and Tom Coughlin was touted as one of the top coaches in the NFL.
Unfortunately, the Jaguars had t face the Titans in the playoffs and the mental hurdle was too tough to overcome.
The Jaguars have mostly floundered since that season and fans are yearning for another sustainable team like the ones that took the field in the late 90s.