JACKSONVILLE -- Here are five observations on the Jacksonville Jaguars, gleaned from Friday night's 20-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

1. Here's hoping Fred Taylor can finally stay healthy for a full season because, even in a typical preseason cameo appearance against the Bucs, the fifth-year veteran flashed the kind of power and elusiveness that makes him one of the NFL's top tailbacks when he isn't sporting crutches. Taylor had 25 yards on just four carries and, on a first-quarter rush, he demonstrated his tremendous skills. Taylor blasted through a hole at right guard, then made a subtle move to the left, ripped through the grasp of Tampa Bay free safety Dexter Jackson and finished the run hard. Alas, those kinds of runs have too often been the stuff of memories for Taylor and the Jags. The former Florida star missed all but two contests in 2001 when he sustained a serious groin injury and, in four years, he has been sidelined 24 of 64 games. That means that, in four seasons, he has missed exactly 1½ season's worth of outings. Taylor has averaged an admirable 4.7 yards per carry and one touchdown every 23.3 rushes, so if he got the requisite 300 rushes per year, he'd probably have about 6,000 yards and over 50 scores, some of the highest totals over for a player in his first four years. Instead, the injuries mean he goes into the 2002 campaign with just 3,470 yards and with 32 touchdowns. Few backs have the long speed, and ability to score from any point on the field Taylor possesses. But you can only score from anywhere on the field when you're actually on the field. Taylor is loathe to discuss the myriad injuries that have held him back since the Jaguars made him their first-round choice in the 1998 draft. "I can't think to myself, 'Oh, man, what if I get hurt again?' because that's (counterproductive)," Taylor said. "All I can do is keep running hard and keep getting up after the whistle."

	Jimmy Smith caught 112 passes last season for the Jaguars.

2. OK, here's a positive. Well, kind of, we guess. If end Tony Brackens can get back anytime soon from rehabbing after knee surgery, the Jaguars could have a solid defensive front. Left end Marco Coleman is on the wrong side of 30 and is in decline, but is still effective against the run, and he remains a terrific locker room presence. Jacksonville spent each of its last two first-round draft choices on tackles, Marcus Stroud in 2001 and John Henderson this year, and the former SEC standouts could in time become one of the NFL's most dominant interior tandems. But there is no consistent upfield sack threat like Brackens, who has averaged eight quarterback kills a year over the course of his career. Stroud and Henderson are a couple of beasts, both 6-feet-6 or better and each in the 320-pound range. Notable, though, is that the two first-rounders need to mature on and off the field. Stroud took a silly personal foul penalty for roughing the passer and, while he played pretty stout against the run, played with a lack of passion. Henderson looked to be confused at times, often asking teammates where he was supposed to be, and he also was winded after any kind of exertion. Again, they could be a nifty pairing, since Stroud is the classic run-stuffer and Henderson possesses the ability to hit the gap and get to the quarterback.

3. Jacksonville ownership seems adamant about not caving in to the contract demands of holdout wide receiver Jimmy Smith, the NFL's most prolific pass catcher over the past six seasons, but currently boycotting camp and preseason in hopes of pressuring the Jags into upgrading his existing deal. Certainly no one can knock owner Wayne Weaver, whose franchise is now paying a steep price for past salary cap excesses, for expecting Smith to live up to his contract and for not wanting to make the same spending mistakes again. But this is for certain: Jacksonville better soon figure out some way to get Smith into uniform. The team already lost one of its dynamic wideout duo when Keenan McCardell was released is early June for cap reasons. The departure of McCardell, coupled with Smith's holdout leaves the Jaguars with a bunch of backup-type players at the position. The starters on Friday night were Patrick Johnson and Bobby Shaw, two veteran free agents signed under the new austerity program, but who have only 15 starts between them in eight combined seasons. That's not to knock the two, but neither has ever caught more than 40 passes in a year and Johnson posted zero receptions in two of his four seasons in the league. The one wideout with experience, added late last month, is former Bengals star Darnay Scott, but he has been injured and coaches are beginning to privately question his toughness, just as their Cincinnati counterparts did. Mark Brunell completed his first six passes Friday, but five of the balls went to running backs or tight ends, and just one to a wide receiver. There were times Brunell didn't even look up the field. Sometimes that's because he was running for his life, and other times it was because the wide receivers could not shake the Tampa Bay coverage. Brunell joked earlier this week that he would "cry (himself) to sleep every night" if Smith isn't around for the regular season. Indeed, there will be lots of tears in the St. John's River if Smith remains absent.

4. Speaking of Brunell, or more accurately the state of the Jacksonville quarterback situation, it's time for the team to find a veteran backup. The current No. 2 quarterback is rookie David Garrard, a fourth-round choice from East Carolina, and a youngster who simply isn't ready yet to compete at this level. Garrard is a big kid (6-feet-2 and 235 pounds) who likes to get out of the pocket, and runs with power, but quarterbacks don't earn their keep in the NFL with their feet. In fact, after Brunell, none of the other three quarterbacks on the roster has ever played in a regular-season contest. The Jaguars earlier in the spring demonstrated some interest in Tony Banks, but then he dropped a weight on his wrist and, as of a couple weeks ago, still could not grip a football. The situation, quite frankly, is perilous. Brunell might not hold up physically playing behind a suspect offensive line, and anyone who has seen the nine-year veteran the past few seasons realizes he isn't nearly as reckless as earlier in his career, because he has taken a tough beating. Officials from both teams denied rumors this spring that the Jags were interested in acquiring Shaun King from the Bucs and, indeed, there was no substance to the whispers. But the Jaguars would have done well on Friday night to strike a deal for King, who is wilting on the vine as the No. 3 guy in Tampa Bay. This has got to be a tough deal for Tom Coughlin, who is still an excellent coach, but who is going to have to suffer through what figures to be two- or three-year rebuilding process. It's going to be a whole lot more difficult, though, if Brunell goes down and he has to turn to the inexperienced Garrard.

5. The Jacksonville secondary was plenty porous on Friday, and part of that could be the lack of a pass rush, but there is some young talent in the unit. The elder member of the secondary is strong safety Donovan Darius, a former first-round pick in his fifth season, but he is currently out with an injury. That leaves a pair of second-year veterans, Marlon McCree and James Boyd, as the starters. Neither runs particularly well, and both play best when near the line of scrimmage, but both look solid at times. Boyd has been one of the team's most improved players. Once Darius returns, Jacksonville should have a pretty nice threesome, one with some versatility. That said, Darius still isn't as good, league personnel guys insist, as the Jags make him out to be. The corners are Jason Craft and Fernando Bryant, both young, both with better technique than speed. Bryant is coming off a disappointing season but is said to have rededicated himself in 2002. The Jaguars thought enough of Craft to match a restricted free agent offer sheet he signed with the Saints, and feel he is an emerging player. So with a decent group in the back end, why were the Jaguars so inept at times on Friday night, and what will it take to get the defensive backs to step it up? That's a question the Jacksonville coaches need to answer.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.