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Hardy effort keys Jags' stifling defense
Posted: Sunday January 03, 1999 06:30 PM
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (AP) -- The New England Patriots finally made a first down as the first quarter was winding down Sunday. Then rookie running back Robert Edwards took a handoff and came face-to-face with Jacksonville linebacker Kevin Hardy. It became a familiar sight the rest of the game. Stung by two critical losses to the Patriots in his first two years in the league, Hardy was bent on making the kind of plays expected of a first-round draft pick. In the Jaguars' 25-10 victory Sunday, he delivered. "If this team wants to go anywhere in the playoffs, we're going to have to keep teams from getting in the end zone," Hardy said. Hardy certainly did his part. Along with deflecting a punt on the first possession of the game, Hardy wound up with eight tackles in what might have been his best game of the year. While Fred Taylor helped take the load off a hobbled Mark Brunell by rushing for 162 yards, the Patriots needed the same kind of contribution from Edwards with Scott Zolak starting for Drew Bledsoe. Thanks to Hardy, they didn't get it. "He's really been a key ingredient for us defensively," coach Tom Coughlin said. "I thought today, knowing full well what they would try to do with Robert Edwards, he and our defensive front seven did a real fine job." Edwards, who rushed for 1,115 yards this year, managed only 28 yards on 17 carries. If Hardy wasn't making the tackle himself -- Edwards was stopped for no gain or worse four times by the third-year linebacker -- he was forcing the play into a swarm of Jaguars. Edwards' longest run of the game went for 7 yards. "We knew we had to shut him down," said middle linebacker Bryan Schwartz. "Kevin played very well. He was making plays all over the field, and he's done that all year." Hardy thanked a change in position for that. He struggled through his second season with Jaguars at strongside linebacker, but moved over to the weak side when the Jaguars signed Bryce Paup as a free agent. Paup, an All-Pro with the Buffalo Bills, has been somewhat of a disappointment this year. Hardy hasn't. He led the Jaguars with 178 tackles, recovered two fumbles and had two interceptions. "He's performed very, very well for us," Coughlin said. "By having him back in that spot, he goes sideline to sideline." And as Hardy showed Sunday, he makes plays. About the only thing Hardy was kicking himself over was a punt he deflected after the Patriots' first possession of the game. Hardy broke free inside the line, but Tom Tupa barely managed to get the ball off. "I couldn't believe I was free, but when I got in there I was trying to think: Is he a left-footed or a right-footed punter?" Hardy said. "I just tried to lay out, but he got it off and I was kicking myself. I got a deflection, but it should have been a touchdown or a safety. That would have been a big play." Hardy didn't come up with a highlights play the rest of the game, but made a lot of solid plays that kept New England out of sync. The Patriots had only one first down and 54 yards at halftime, although the Jaguars failed to run up a score better than 12-0. Zolak gave up on the run and the Patriots worked their way down the field on a 17-play, 85-yard touchdown drive behind short passes -- only three plays longer than 10 yards, none longer than 21. After another similar drive led to a field goal that cut the lead to 12-10, Jimmy Smith gave the Jaguars a 19-10 lead and the defense finally got the stop it needed. "On the sidelines, guys were getting a little antsy," Hardy said. "We just had to stay calm and play our game, and we did that. We lost to New England in a couple of big games, the biggest being the AFC championship game, and that's still a sore spot. "To avenge that loss was a big thing to do, especially in the playoffs."
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