Saints vs Jaguars Game Day Newsletter 5Oct13Saints_Digital | Page 42

In Their Own Words
The city of Jacksonville had waited for this
day for year. Brunell, like many other players
there that day, vividly recalled what was a
festive pregame atmosphere with Boyz II Men
singing the national anthem.
Brunell: “It was big at the time, and I
understood that. It was the fi rst game in
franchise history, so I knew the magnitude of
it. I wasn’t overwhelmed by it.”
Veteran defensive end Jeff Lageman, a
fi rst-round selection in the 1989 NFL Draft by
the New York Jets, was one of the premier
offseason acquisitions by the Jaguars in the
inaugural season.
Lageman: “It was a great atmosphere. It was
so good that you just didn’t want to disappoint
them.”
Wide receiver Jimmy Smith, like Brunell and
Boselli, would go on to defi ne the early years
of the franchise and was inducted into the
Pride of the Jaguars in 2016.
Smith: “I just remember it was very hot. I was
actually the fi rst Jaguar in a regular-season
game to touch the ball. It was a short kick,
but I was scared out of my mind. I was like,
‘Please, Lord … don’t let me drop this kick.’
I was able to fi eld the kick and gain a few
yards.”
The Jaguars’ loss in the opener was far
from their only loss in ’95. The Jaguars went
4-12, starting the season 3-4, then losing
seven consecutive games before winning the
regular-season fi nale. Still, for veterans such
as Lageman, memories of the fi rst season are
fond ones – and the team built a foundation
for what was to come.
Lageman: “There were games we went into
that if you were being realistic you were
going, ‘We don’t have a chance.’ But there
were games where you felt like, ‘OK, if
everything goes just right and we don’t make
mistakes, let the other team make mistakes
and be mentally tougher in the fourth
quarter…’ It was probably one of the toughest
teams I ever played for.”
“I remember walking out and thinking, ‘Man, this place is going crazy.’”
– OL Tony Boselli