NFL Notes: Jaguars control destiny

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

What a turnaround.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, who four weeks ago couldn't beat anybody on the road, now only have to beat the lowly Atlanta Falcons at home to reach the NFL playoffs.

"We knew going into this thing that if we kept on winning we'd have opportunities to stay alive, and that's the only thing we're going to continue to believe," coach Tom Coughlin said Monday afternoon. "We also knew all along we'd need help in other areas, and we still do."

Not anymore.

Based on Miami's 16-14 victory over Buffalo on Monday night, the Jaguars finally have significant control of their destiny.

Provided it beats the 3-12 Falcons, the only way Jacksonville would not get in the playoffs is if Kansas City and Buffalo play to a tie on Sunday. There hasn't been a tie in the NFL since 1989.

"This could be the biggest game in franchise history," receiver Keenan McCardell said.

The best an expansion team had ever done in its second year was a 5-9 record by the Seattle Seahawks in 1977. Now, both the second-year Jaguars and Carolina Panthers could be among the 12 teams still playing after next weekend.

Some of the Jaguars' veterans already are sounding a warning.

"If we don't win, we're not in," said Dana Hall, who won a Super Bowl ring with the San Francisco 49ers. "We've got to win the ballgame and let everything else take care of itself."

The Jaguars didn't figure to be in this position four weeks ago, let alone last week.

Their season turned around when Vinny Testaverde fumbled a snap, allowing the Jaguars to tie Baltimore and then win in overtime, their first road victory of the season. But even after adding victories against Cincinnati and Houston, they needed everything to fall into place.

And it did.

First, the Chargers, Oilers and Raiders lost Sunday afternoon. Then a pass from Mark Brunell that looked like a sure interception turned into a loose ball that Jimmy Smith grabbed for the go-ahead touchdown in a 20-13 victory over Seattle on Sunday night.

And then Miami beat Buffalo to make the playoff picture even sharper.

"You appreciate heaven a little bit more if you've spent some time in hell," Coughlin said. "And we've been there."

The turnaround is not hard to figure. Brunell, who became the 19th player to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season, has not had a turnover in three games.

* IRVIN DENIES RUMORS: Michael Irvin says he is clean of drugs, despite rumors to the contrary. The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver tried to squelch rumors Monday that he violated terms of his four-year probation on charges of drug possession. Irvin, suspended by the NFL for the first five games of the season, made a rare appearance in the dressing room during the Cowboys' daily media hour. Irvin had been speaking to the media only after games. For several weeks, rumors have swept the NFL that Irvin had a setback and was in danger of being sent to jail by state District Judge Manny Alvarez, who had warned him not to make even one slip. Alvarez's court coordinator, David Lozano, has affirmed Irvin's contention that the rumors are unsubstantiated.

* COSLET 6-2: It took Dave Shula roughly 4 1/2 years to win 19 games as the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach. Bruce Coslet has six wins in his first eight games. He has won over a team that spurned Shula and never played up to its potential. And he already is making changes in his coaching staff for next year. "We had Shula for so many years," offensive lineman Joe Walter said. "It's just a club that for some reason didn't respond to him and for whatever reason has responded to Coslet. We need to keep the guy around." President Mike Brown thinks the same way. He and Coslet have agreed on a four-year contract extension with an option for a fifth year that kicks in automatically if the Bengals go to the playoffs in 1999 or 2000. The extension, announced Sunday, removed the final major question looming over players as the season winds down.

* FONTES FED UP: Wayne Fontes has had just about enough. He says if he is fired by the Detroit Lions, he won't coach again. "Why would I want to go through it?" Fontes said Monday. "To be butchered every day, to be knocked down. No. I don't want to do it. But, I would coach here one more year." In the meantime, Fontes was doing his best Mark Twain imitation, suggesting that rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated. He denied published reports that he will be fired next week following the team's final game. It might happen, Fontes said. But that decision hasn't been made. And when it is made, he will be the first to know.

* REEVES ON WAY OUT: Dan Reeves isn't making plans for 1997, at least any involving the New York Giants. As far as Reeves is concerned, he's going to be fired as coach sometime after the season ends with a game against the New England Patriots on Saturday. "I don't think it's going to end on a good note," Reeves said Monday. "It's sort of like a lot of things in life. There are certain ways you'd like it to end, but I don't think it's going to end that way." Reeves, who took over the Giants in 1993 after his contract with Denver was not renewed after 12 seasons and three Super Bowl appearances, has a year left on the five-year, $5 million contract he signed in replacing Ray Handley.