Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Brunell’s Injury Overshadows Jaguars’ Victory

From Wire Reports

For those who thought the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense would fall apart if Mark Brunell got hurt, guess again. At least for one exhibition game, Rob Johnson did the job.

Johnson took over after Brunell hurt his right knee in the second quarter and threw two long touchdown passes and set up a score with another long toss as the Jaguars defeated the New York Giants 38-16 Saturday night at East Rutherford, N.J.

Brunell’s injury marred the Jaguars’ second consecutive exhibition victory. He was hit low by Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead just as he released a pass with 6:54 to play in the second quarter and immediately fell to the artificial turf at Giants Stadium.

Brunell, who got a five-year, $31 million contract that included a $10 million bonus after leading the Jaguars to the AFC title game, was helped off the field by teammates. He was taken to the locker room on a golf cart.

There was no word on the extent of the injury. Coach Tom Coughlin said no further information would be available until Brunell underwent an MRI today.

Broncos 23, Panthers 13

At Charlotte, N.C., the Broncos converted two first-half turnovers into 10 points on the way to a victory in which Carolina lost quarterback Kerry Collins with a broken jaw. The team said he will be out indefinitely.

Tight end Wesley Walls, who like Collins ended his 1996 season in the Pro Bowl, suffered a bruised knee as the defending NFC West champions fell to 0-2 in a preseason in which they’ve been plagued by miscues.

Defending AFC West champion Denver (2-1) got a solid performance from second-year quarterback Jeff Lewis in place of John Elway, who earlier in the week suffered a ruptured right biceps tendon. Lewis completed 8 of 18 for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Saints 26, Chiefs 7

Doug Brien and John Becksvoort each kicked two field goals and second-string quarterback Doug Nussmeier threw two touchdown passes to lead New Orleans past visiting Kansas City.

Although the Saints did not score a touchdown with their first string, they showed signs of the ball-control offense coach Mike Ditka wants, holding the ball for 15:47 of the first half and outgaining Kansas City 202 yards to 96 while setting up field goals of 29 and 27 yards by Brien.

Overall, the Saints had 23 first downs and gained 375 yards, compared to 11 first downs and 190 yards for Kansas City.

Falcons 17, Buccaneers 12

At Atlanta, Chris Chandler engineered scoring drives on three of his four possessions to give Dan Reeves a victory in his first home game as Falcons coach.

The Bucs had a golden opportunity to win after Charles Mincy picked off Tony Graziani’s pass and returned it 19 yards to the Atlanta 17 with 3:36 remaining.

Scott Milanovich’s 13-yard pass to Willy Tate on third-and-9 gave the Bucs a first down at the Atlanta 3, but the Falcons made a six-play goal line stand.

Chargers 23, Colts 17

Stan Humphries threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Pro Bowl receiver Tony Martin and Gary Brown scored on a 62-yard run out of the shotgun formation to spark San Diego’s victory at San Diego.

Humphries’ TD pass also came out of the shotgun, a features of new coach Kevin Gilbride’s offense.

Culture shock

Folks in Houston probably chortled when they heard that the Oilers’ exhibition opener in Tennessee drew just a few more than 22,000 fans, about what they got for a half-dozen of their home games in the Astrodome last season.

Some of that was the late move from Houston to Nashville-Memphis; the Oilers only began marketing a month earlier.

But what Bud Adams may not have known was the hostility to the NFL in Memphis, where the Oilers will play for two years until their stadium in Nashville is finished. Memphis was a loser in the expansion sweepstakes after being an early leader, and the resentment lingers.

Nor does it help calling the team the “Tennessee Oilers.” For there are three distinct regions to the state - east, central and west - and three distinct cultures, even musically.

Nashville, in the middle, is the capital of country music. Memphis, on the Mississippi, is jazz and blues.

And east Tennessee was a bastion of Union loyalty during the Civil War, a fact that’s still not forgotten in the South.

So those who show up at the Liberty Bowl this season may be like the fan who said he’d show up every week - to root for the team that was playing the Oilers.

Still, the Oilers received a relatively warm welcome in Nashville for Saturday’s 17-12 preseason loss to Washington.

The Oilers attracted only a few thousand more fans than for last week’s exhibition opener at Memphis (24,722 to 22,811), but the fans were much more enthusiastic on a rainy night.

James Thrash returned a third-quarter kickoff 96 yards for a Redskins touchdown.

Tennessee’s first team continued struggling behind new starting quarterback Steve McNair. The first team with McNair still hasn’t scored a touchdown in limited action through a scrimmage and two exhibitions.

Great expectations

Robert Smith never has rushed for more than 700 yards in a season for the Minnesota Vikings. But coach Dennis Green expects him to double that this season.

“The objective for us is to be No. 1 in first downs and possessions,” Green said. Then he ticked off what the Vikings need for that to happen - 1,400 yards by Smith and 700 by his backup, Leroy Hoard, plus 100 catches by Cris Carter, 80 by Jake Reed, 65-70 by David Palmer and 55-60 by Chris Walsh.

“I’m serious when I say that,” Green said. “That is the only way we will be satisfied with our offense.”