NFL: Selecting the best player in each franchise’s history
By Brad Rowland
Jacksonville Jaguars – Jimmy Smith
The Jaguars are in a similar position to the Texans in that they just haven’t been around long enough to generate a ton of impressive player profiles. Jacksonville’s list is longer than the two athletes produced by the Texans, but names like Fred Taylor, Tony Boselli and Maurice Jones-Drew probably shouldn’t be getting recognition as franchise greats in an all-time sense.
Jimmy Smith is the best of the best, though, and he earned it despite relative obscurity. The star wide receiver surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on nine occasions in Jacksonville, and he is the runaway franchise record holder in both yards (12,287) and receptions (862). Smith’s 1999 season stands out above the rest, as he led the NFL in receptions with 116 while surpassing 1,600 yards receiving at the age of 30.
Smith barely missed the NFL’s passing explosion, which probably hurt his overall numbers, but the former Jaguars Pro Bowler still lands in the top 20 all-time in receiving yardage, and that is enough to get the nod for the often downtrodden franchise. Fans of the Jaguars can now begin praying for Blake Bortles to rise up and surpass Smith while leading the team to glory.
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