New England at Jacksonville


Breaking down the Pats and Jags


Focal Point: Taylor vs. Edwards


Pats will go without Bledsoe in wild-card game


AFC: Four on the floor


Scouting report


Jags follow blueprint for building


Jags tired of getting Jurk-ed around




Tom Coughlin says many factors will decide if Mark Brunell will play on Sunday.
 145k wav
 RealAudio

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell took about one-third of the snaps at practice Wednesday and said he would do everything he could to play Sunday when Jaguars face the New England Patriots in an AFC wild-card playoff game.

	Mark Brunell says his mobility will be limited if he plays Sunday.

Brunell has progressed slowly since suffering a high-ankle sprain four weeks ago. He took part in a 7-on-7 scout-team drill last week and returned for the first practice of this week on a "limited" basis.

"I'm going to give it my best shot," said Brunell, who was listed as questionable on the injury report. "It will be interesting, but I think as it goes on this week, it should get better and better."

Wednesday and Thursday are considered the most important practice days for the Jaguars. Coach Tom Coughlin said he'll wait until later in the week to determine whether Brunell or rookie Jonathan Quinn would get the start in Jacksonville's first-ever home playoff game.

"I want to come back after he has worked, see whether he has soreness," Coughlin said. "I want to see what effect one day's work has on the next day's work."

Coughlin said New England's decision to list Drew Bledsoe as out for the game won't affect his decision on Brunell.

But he acknowledged it could be difficult to keep Brunell out if the quarterback thinks he has a chance to be effective.

"Last week, you watched him on the sideline," Coughlin said of the 21-3 victory over the Steelers. "We had to tell him two, three times to get back. He's out there. He's jawing with people. He wants to express himself. He wants to play in the worst way. Everyone knows he wants to play in the worst way."

Before being injured on the second play of a Dec. 6 victory over the Detroit Lions, Brunell had an 89.9 passer rating and had thrown for 2,601 yards and 20 touchdowns with just nine interceptions.

He built a reputation as a scrambler in the 1996 playoffs, when his ability to move around the pocket and take off for positive yardage produced a pair of 30-27 upsets over the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.

That scrambling ability would be hindered if he comes back this week, but players know his return -- whether he's fully healthy or not -- is crucial to their playoff hopes.

"It's that time of year, and for us to take the next step, we know No. 8 needs to be back there," said receiver Keenan McCardell.

Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tony Boselli agreed.

"Obviously, it gives us more firepower," he said. "The leadership and experience Mark has is valuable. If he comes back, we just have to do a good job of protecting him and make sure he takes as few hits as possible."

Brunell said he's most concerned with footwork and his ability to get back into a rhythm with the rest of the offense. He said those will be his biggest concerns, not whether the ankle hurts come gametime.

"I don't think pain is the issue," he said. "Guys play with pain. There's no guy on this team not playing with a measure of pain right now. If I don't play, I don't think that would be the reason."