Who is the Jags GOAT?

The first Jag to get a gold jacket must be involved in the GOAT conversation. The first pick in franchise history, Boselli’s career was short-lived but impactful.

Injuries cut short what should have been a 10+ year career, but when Boselli was out there, he was a dominant force. He earned three AP all-pro honors and was a rock at left tackle during the franchise’s heyday.

Before “Myles Jack wasn’t down,” the greatest “what if” in Jags history was “What if Boselli hadn’t torn his ACL in Week 17 of the ’99 season?” Do the Jags finally beat the Titans in the AFC title game with a healthy Boselli. Part of me believes so, while the other part believes it would have been hard to overcome thievin’ Gregg Williams.   

While his career was short, Boselli was a key part of the Jags’ success in the late 90s. He was a feared player who still lives rent-free in Bruce Smith’s head.

Jimmy Smith

Jags career: 1995-2004

Jimmy Smith is the best receiver in Jags history. He’s the leader in receiving yards (12,287), receptions (862) and receiving TDs (67). Not only does Smith hold only these franchise records, but he holds them by significant margins. Marcedes Lewis has the second most TDs for the franchise with 33. Keenan McCardell had the second-most receptions (499) and rec. yards (6393).

Smith was one part of the Thunder and Lightning duo with McCardell, the most dominant receiving duo Jacksonville has ever had.

To borrow from Shaq, there wasn’t a secondary that Smith couldn’t turn into BBQ chicken. It didn’t matter if they were the best defense ever or the league’s best defense that season. Smith was going to eat.

The 2000 Baltimore Ravens are the best defense in NFL history. They put the clamps on everyone on their way to their first Super Bowl. However, there was one player they struggled to contain, Jimmy Smith.

Smith had 15 receptions for 291 yards and three TDs in their Week 2 matchup in Baltimore. Then he went for 8 rec, for 95 yards in Week 5.

Throwback to Jags – Ravens 2000 when Jimmy Smith torched the dirty birds. pic.twitter.com/kdbo6PH8v1

— Jaguars United (@Jaguars_United) August 8, 2019

When going over the middle was still a hazard, Smith had the size and speed to catch the ball in the middle, bounce off a would-be tackler and hit the NOS as he cruised in for six. Like his teammate Fred Taylor, he was a big play waiting to happen.

John Henderson

Jags career: 2002-2009

Giving some of the Jags defense some love, John Henderson gets the nod. I considered Rashean Mathis for this spot but went with Henderson because he scared the hell out of Bill Belichick.

Leading up to their matchup in the wildcard round of the 2006 playoffs, it felt like there was story after story of Belichick talking about Henderson and his counterpart Marcus Stroud. Belichick was constantly getting on Brady for throwing the ball too low in practice. Having the NFL GOAT coach harp on the NFL QB GOAT because of Henderson counts for something.

Belichick’s fretting aside, Henderson was a remarkably consistent force in the middle for Jacksonville. It’s hard to quantify a defensive tackle’s impact on the game with stats, but Henderson was a problem for opposing offenses. 

Henderson made it difficult for offenses to run the ball with any consistency. When teams dropped back to pass, Henderson’s 6’7 frame was constantly disrupting throwing lanes for QBs.

He also had the craziest warm-up ritual that was brilliantly effective in firing up the team.

Fred Taylor

Jags career: 1998-2008

Boselli shouldn’t have been the first Jags player to get their bust in Canton. He should have been the third. Fred Taylor should already have been fitted for his gold jacket.

His 11,695 rush yards are the most in Jags history and 17th in NFL history. Yet, no knock on his door from David Baker.

Taylor was that rare blend of power, speed and agility with size. He was 6’1, 230 lbs and could cook defenders any number of ways. He unfairly got the “injury-prone” tag early in his career but was largely dependable.

For his Jags career, Taylor had 62 rush TDs, 286 receptions, 2361 rec. yards and eight rec. TDs. He ran for over 1000 yards in seven of his 11 seasons in Jacksonville.

With his size, Taylor had no problem running in between the tackles. He was a big play waiting to happen, and once he got past that second level, it was game over. He was underrated during his playing days, and people outside of Jacksonville are finally starting to realize what a special player he was.

His 90-yard TD run against the Dolphins in the 2000 AFC divisional game should be played on a loop at the Louvre.

MJD might be considered a dark horse in the running for Jags GOAT, but the man put in work while wearing the black and teal. His peak season came in 2011 when he led the league in rushing with 1606 yards with eight rushing touchdowns. He also had 43 receptions for 374 yards and three TDs. He also earned first-team AP All-Pro honors.

For his career with the Jags, MJD totaled 8071 rush yards, 68 rush TDs, 335 receptions, 2873 rec. yards and 11 rec. TDs. His 68 rush TDs are the most in franchise history, and he’s second in team history in rush yards.

Some might overlook MJD’s contributions because of his 49-65 record with the Jags. Or that he only made the playoffs once. However, let’s not hold the front office failings against MJD. He played his role to the highest level, whether it was the 1-2 punch with Fred Taylor or when he was THE guy.

When MJD became THE guy, the Jags ran him into the ground because without him, the offense would have gone completely bust. From ’09 to ’11, MJD had 1084 touches. Granted, he was splitting time with Taylor, but in the three previous seasons, he had 678 touches. No wonder he started breaking down after that ’11 season.

MJD carried the Jags like an NBA superstar and he did that as a running back which is all the more impressive. He was also the first NFL star to publicly embrace fantasy football. Not that it would count toward his case as the Jag GOAT, but it’s dope because it further mainstreamed fantasy football.

The verdict

You can’t go wrong with either of these guys. Each player has a solid case and made an impact on the Jags franchise, but only one can be the GOAT.

So without further ado, the Jags GOAT is…

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Jimmy Smith!

The man still holds all the major receiving records in Jags history, even with today’s current pass-heavy NFL. (More of an indictment on the Jags drafting, but you get the point.) It was a close race between the five players, but Smith has it all with the records, dominance, consistency and highlights to give him the edge.

He should be a hall of famer and, hopefully, his enshrinement is coming soon.