“I don’t think I could have found Jacksonville on a map.” Jacksonville Jaguars fans will find it hard to believe that these words came from the mouth of one of their greatest players- Mark Brunell. Having spent two seasons in Green Bay behind Brett Favre in the pecking order, Brunell was desperate for a move. Despite the Eagles showing interest, it was the Jaguars who signed Brunell in the franchise’s first-ever trade.

These days it might not be easy being a Jaguars fan. But when they first broke into the NFL in 1995 as an expansion team, they had a nearly unprecedented run of success. The new franchise, led by their first Head Coach, Tom Coughlin, reached the playoffs four times in their first five years, including qualifying in two AFC Championship games. The franchise’s first-ever QB, Brunell, was a key component of that era.

On June 20, the NFL Throwback YouTube channel gave the Jaguars fans a time capsule of teal and gold, capturing an era when these cats clawed their way from expansion underdogs to AFC powerhouses in their early years.

One of the four names from the Jaguars included Brunell, who has since traded in his cleats for a headset and now prowls a different kind of sideline as the QB coach for the Detroit Lions. Back in n 2020, Brunell gave a glimpse into how he ended up in Florida for the Jaguars.

It was originally believed that the end of Brunell’s stint at the Green Bay Packers would see him end up with the Philadelphia Eagles, as former Packers assistant Jon Gruden was the new offensive coordinator at the franchise. But the move didn’t work out and the new boys swooped in to acquire his services.

“Honestly, I didn’t know a lot about Tom Coughlin. I don’t think I could have found Jacksonville on a map. All I knew was that it was a new team and it was in Florida,” Brunell said four years ago in an interview. Soon, Florida would know who Mark Brunell was.

In his first season with the newcomers in 1995, he started 13 games. Despite the Jaguars ending the season with a 4-12 record, Brunell completed 201-of-346 passes (58.1%) for 2,168 yards along with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. HC Coughlin had seen enough. He knew he had a player around whom a team could be built.

The confidence and shrewd improved and in 1996, they went 9-7, making the first postseason appearance in franchise history. Brunell completed 63.4% of his passes and threw for 4,367 yards, a career-high and the most in the league as they advanced to the AFC Championship game but fell short.

Between 1996 and 1999, the Jaguars went 45-19 and made four playoff appearances, along with two division championships and two trips to the AFC Championship. Brunell earned three Pro Bowl trips in the process and even led the league in passing yards in 1996 with 4,367 yards.

In his nine years with the franchise, Brunell threw for 25,698 yards and had 144 touchdown passes, making him as the NFL video narrated, “the greatest quarterback back in team history.” The left-handed star quarterbacked the Jags with precision that would make a surgeon jealous. His scrambling ability and pinpoint passes made him the perfect field general for Tom Coughlin’s smashmouth offense.

Of course, the Jaguars’ early success story had other heroes as well. These were the names that featured in the NFL Throwback video to complete the franchise’s Mount Rushmore.

While Brunell was the first trade that the Jaguars made, Tony Boselli was selected second overall in the 1995 NFL Draft as their first-ever draft pick. The original Jaguar anchored the offensive line with the tenacity of a Florida gator. “The only Jag in the Hall of Fame, left tackle Tony Boselli was one of the best at his position during his seven years in the league,” NFL Throwback noted.

Boselli’s five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro selections in just seven seasons speak volumes. He didn’t just protect quarterbacks; he made defensive ends question their career choices. Despite shoulder injuries cutting short his career, he ended up as one of the best tackles in NFL history. Boselli made the Pro Bowl every year from 1996-00 and was a First-Team All-Pro player from 1997-99. As the only Jaguars player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2022), his inclusion in the list isn’t up for debate.

Next up is wide receiver Jimmy Smith, the aerial acrobat, who went from Cowboys castoff to Jaguars legend. The fact that the NFL video narrates, “Jacksonville wouldn’t have had that early success without franchise leading receiver Jimmy Smith,” tells you all about his impact in franchise history.

After battling life-threatening health issues early in his career, Smith rose like a phoenix in teal. His nine 1,000-yard seasons weren’t just good; they were ‘so good, so good, so good’ that even Neil Diamond would’ve been impressed. Smith’s 116 catches in 1999 topped all NFL wideouts. Paired with Keenan McCardell, they formed the ‘Thunder and Lightning’ duo that electrified Jacksonville.

A five-time Pro Bowler, his 12,287 yards and 67 touchdown catches remain a franchise record. During his 11-year stint with the team from 1995-2005, Smith had nine 1,000-yard seasons, as he went down as one of the best receivers in all of football.

The last name on the list is Fred Taylor, aka ‘Fragile Fred’. A 1998 number 9 draft pick, this running back had more moves than a chess grandmaster and more yards than a football field. NFL Throwback reveals, “Taylor was sensational over his 11-year Jaguars career, gaining 1,000 yards on the ground in seven of those seasons.” Taylor didn’t just run; he galloped into the franchise record books.

Although injury plagued his NFL career with Taylor playing a full 16-game regular season just twice in 11 years, he still managed to amass 11,271 rushing yards and 62 touchdowns in his career. He remains the Jaguars’ all-time leading rusher by a wide margin and made one Pro Bowl appearance in 2007.

These four horsemen of the Jaguar apocalypse weren’t just good – they were ‘Duuuval’ good. They led Jacksonville on a rampage through the AFC, leaving opponents feeling like they’d been through a Florida hurricane.

Even though these names deserve to occupy their place at the Jaguars’ summit, there is one more name that could have given them the run for their money.

While NFL Throwback’s Mount Rushmore is set in stone, we can’t forget the honorable mention who nearly clawed his way to the top. Maurice Jones-Drew, the pocket rocket who followed in Fred Taylor’s footsteps, left his indelible mark on Jaguars history. As our source notes, “mjd was the 2011 NFL rushing leader and leads all Jaguars in career rushing scores.” This 5’7″ dynamo proved that in the jungle of the NFL, it’s not the size of the cat in the fight, but the size of the fight in the cat.

Meanwhile, away from the debate about who should and who shouldn’t have been on Mount Rushmore for the Jags, Mark Brunell is making his mark as a coach with the Detroit Lions.

Mark Brunell’s coaching prowess at the Lions

Brunell, once the maestro of Jacksonville’s offense, is now calling the plays from a different huddle. As the Detroit Lions‘ quarterbacks coach, he’s traded his helmet for a headset, molding the next generation of NFL gunslingers. But don’t think for a second that this Jaguar has lost his bite. Brunell’s bringing the same fierce competitiveness that made him a three-time Pro Bowler to his coaching gig.

Under Brunell’s tutelage, Lions quarterback Jared Goff is showing flashes of brilliance that would make even the most die-hard Jags fan nod in approval. As Brunell himself put it, “I don’t know what they say about Jared’s arm talent. I can tell you this: It’s the best I’ve ever been around, the best I’ve seen.” High praise from a man who once led the NFL in passing yards. Brunell’s not just blowing smoke either. He added, “He’s made some throws this spring that, the coaching staff, we’re looking and scratching our head like, ‘How did you do that?'”

Brunell’s journey from Jacksonville’s gridiron hero to Detroit’s QB guru is a testament to the lasting impact of those early Jaguars teams. The lessons learned in the teal trenches of TIAA Bank Field are now being passed on to a new pride in the Motor City.

So, while Brunell may no longer be threading passes through defenses, he’s threading knowledge through the minds of young quarterbacks. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see a Lions QB carve out their spot on Detroit’s Mount Rushmore, with a little help from a certain Jaguars legend.