Mark Brunell and the Jacksonville Jaguars came into the NFL season with high expectations. Some even predicted their first week victory over the San Francisco 49ers. But nobody expected exactly what happened - total domination.

"Well, if you would have told me that score beforehand, I wouldn't believe that," said Brunell in a recent appearance on Up Close with host Gary Miller.

Their decisive victory has only increased the speculation of Jacksonville playing its way into the Super Bowl. But for Brunell and rest of his Jaguar teammates, it's far too early for that kind of talk.

"I think it is smart that we don't talk about the Super Bowl. I think it is smart that we take it one game at a time. If we've got too many guys looking down the road in January, I think that would be very foolish for us to do."

The following is an edited transcript of Brunell's interview.

Miller: It was the game that everyone marked as the marquee matchup. The two lefty quarterbacks, number 8's. How shocked were you at blowing out the 49ers?

	Mark Brunell hands off to running back Fred Taylor in their 41-3 drubbing of the 49ers.

Brunell: Well, if you would have told me that score beforehand, I wouldn't believe that. Anytime you go against the 49ers, you expect a close game. And it was a big win for us.

Miller: Your timing was off in the first half, how do you explain this?

Brunell: Well, the first half we were dealing with the conditions, the rain was coming down pretty hard, it was tough on both sides of the ball to get it going and it just seemed to go back and forth, and you are right, we weren't clicking. They really made an effort to shut down our run, brought the safeties up, and brought eight guys up there, so it was difficult to run. At half-time we made the adjustment, I knew that we were going to have to throw the ball, fortunately the conditions got better and we were able to throw the ball a little bit.

Miller: What does it mean to you to open with a game like this?

Brunell: It was a big opening for us and being at home was certainly an advantage, you always want to start off on the right foot and it was a big challenge in facing the 49ers, knowing the strength of their offense and how aggressive their defense was going to be, so it was just a great start, hopefully we can take it on to the remainder of the season.

Miller: Do you feel like this is the best team that you have had to work with?

Brunell: I do. I think that this is the most talent that we've had on any Jaguar team, which is good, we've added the Kyle Brady, Jimmy Smith, Keenan McCardell, two of the top receivers in the league, and then you put Fred Taylor back there and you've got some guys that can play football.

Miller: Vinny Testaverde has been a challenge for you in the past, what did you think when you heard the news that he is out for the season?

Brunell: That was tough to see, and knowing Vinny and what a great guy he is, certainly a guy that has done a lot for his football team, a lot for this league, it's unfortunate. I feel bad for him and his family, I'm sure he was looking forward a fine season; it is a tough loss for the Jets.

Miller: You play the Jets on Monday Night Football on October 11th, how will this change the balance of power in the AFC, with the Jets losing a quarterback of that stature?

Brunell: Well, they are certainly in a difficult position, I mean anytime you lose your starter, particularly when your starter is as talented as Vinny is, that is going to be tough. But Bill Parcells is a great coach, he has a good coaching staff and they will find a way to get the team going; I am sure by the time that Monday night comes around, that their team will be ready.

Miller: What is your assessment of (head coach) Tom Coughlin? Has he softened a bit?

Brunell: Well, I don't think that Tom has softened, he still is the same man that he was in '95, he expects the most out of his players. He is going to work us hard, he runs a very disciplined program around here, and the only changes that have taken place are that we don't hit as much as we used to, we aren't in pads everyday like we used to be, but he is very fiery, very much in control of this football team and expects us to work hard. And we do work hard, so I don't see many differences other than we just lighten up a little bit in practice.

Miller: Is Coughlin tighter because he has pressure on him to win the Super Bowl?

Brunell: Well, there are a lot of expectations around here, and I think that is on every guy. It is getting a little tight around here because we feel that we've got a lot of talent and we've improved over the course of our history, and each year we are a better football team. Now is the time to start showing how good we are. We have some work to do, it is early in the season, the expectations are high and we feel that we have a very good shot in being there at the end, but there is a lot of football to be played. As far as Tom is concerned, he just wants to win and I think when you do want to win, you are going to drive your players harder and that is the way it should be.

Miller: Is Super Bowl a banned word, can you not use this word around Tom?

Brunell: I think it is smart that we don't talk about the Super Bowl. I think it is smart that we take it one game at a time. If we've got too many guys looking down the road in January, I think that would be very foolish for us to do. There is a lot of football to be played, a lot can happen and we are a good football team, but how good remains to be seen, like I said, we have a long road ahead of us.

Miller: How does it feel to have Cleveland in your division and to have (former Jaguars offensive coordinator) Chris Palmer leave, who was a very big fan of yours?

Brunell: I tell you, it will be interesting, we certainly miss coach Palmer, he did some great things for our offense, he is a bright coach and I'm sure the Cleveland Browns are very pleased to have him. They've got a good guy over there, and they struggled a little bit last night, but it is just the beginning.

Miller: A little? (the Browns lost to the Steelers 43-0)

Brunell: (Laughing) Well, just give them a little bit of leeway, but they will be all right.

Miller: How shocking is it to hear that a Chris Palmer team got 40 yards of offense?

Brunell: Well, things are pretty new up there, but they will be all right, they will bounce back, and if any guy can get them going it is Chris Palmer.

Miller: Does that frighten you at all about the Steelers?

Brunell: Well, I tell you, they looked sharp. Anytime you face the Steelers, regardless of what happened to them last year and the struggles they've had recently, they are going to be ready to play. They've got a good football team, coach Cower is a great coach, we face them in week four and they are going to be ready for us.

Miller: One of the things with Palmer leaving, is that Tom Coughlin has taken over the play-calling, how is that working out?

Brunell: That has been a little different. You know, we have got to get used to each other, and there are a couple of things that we are focusing on this year that we haven't done in the past. We want to get the ball out, we need to improve on our play action and be more efficient on third down, and so those are a big focus of ours this year and Tom is really working on that, think you will feel a little different style offense that you have in the past, but we are very pleased with Couch Coughlin calling the plays and it seemed to work yesterday.

Miller: How does it work when the head coach is involved and you are calling audibles?

Brunell: Well, it is interesting, it is a little different, certainly him being in the meetings. There is not a lot of levity, it is serious business, we get right to work and if we make a mistake we hear about it. But that is the way it should be, guys are working hard and it has been great so far.

Miller: Is there anyone on the team that dares to have levity with coach Coughlin?

Brunell: You would be surprised at how much levity there is, we have a good time here and we have a great working atmosphere, with the players and the coaches. We have a lot of fun, which is very important.

Miller: You used to have a seven step drop, now you have a three to five step drop, how much better is that suited to you?

Brunell: It is great, I think the linemen love it even more than I do. The ball is gone, we are focusing on getting it into the hands of the receivers, which is real smart for us to do. We just need to cut down on our sacks and if we can do that, we will be a much better football team, but I think the three and five step drops are going to help us this year.

Miller: A hundred and fifty sacks over the past four years, can you still feel a lot of those?

Brunell: I'm starting to, I'm starting to feel them a little bit, but hopefully these next few years I'll cut down on that quite a bit.

Miller: In '95 and '96 you ran quite a bit, almost like a Steve Young, have we seen the end of the mad running Mark Brunell because of the knee injury?

Brunell: Well, I don't know if it is because of the knee injury as much, there was a lot of the mad running around because I didn't know what the heck I was doing back there in 1995. Just learning the offense, getting use to receivers that you have never played with before, it was just new back then. But now I have solid protection in front of me, I've got some great receivers, we've got a running game, so I don't have to run all over the place to keep things going. I think I am a smarter quarterback now, I go through my reads and find the guys who are open, instead of just trying to do things with my legs.