Still struggling with a left knee that was surgically repaired in the offseason, and effective only over short stretches, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Tony Brackens was placed on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon.

The move, not totally unexpected given Brackens' uneven play in the first five games of the year, by rule means the team's best outside pass rusher cannot play again until 2003. In five contests, Brackens had 11 tackles and just one sack, and he was able to get in just one full practice per week.

The team's first-round choice in the 1996 draft, Brackens was confident the offseason arthroscopic knee surgery would solve his problems, and so he eschewed a more extensive procedure. He termed the surgery a "clean up" but it clearly did not have the desired results. Coach Tom Coughlin said an MRI exam on Monday revealed what team physician Dr. Carolos Tandron termed "articular cartilage wear" in the knee.

Coughlin said that Brackens will now undergo further surgery. He said the defensive end had demonstrated "patience and perseverence" in playing this year, but that the prudent approach now was to perform the sugery, and have Brackens ready to go for the 2003 campaign. The surgery has not yet been scheduled.

Brackens, 27, was forced to sit out the opening of training camp while he continued to rehabilitate the knee.

Even though his play has been sporadic, the loss of Brackens is a major one for a Jaguars team that has performed surprisingly well to this point, with a 3-2 record going into Sunday's game at Baltimore. Brackens still presents an upfield pass rush threat that will be difficult to replace.

In his seventh season, he has appeared in 92 games and started 60 of them. The former University of Texas star has 322 tackles, 49 sacks, 27 forced fumbles, four interceptions and 46 passes defensed. He led the Jaguars in sacks in each of the last three seasons. It is likley that Paul Spicer, with whom Brackens split playing time the first five games, will now assume the starting job.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.