ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 3, 1997 TAG: 9701030054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICH CIMIN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
FORMER VIRGINIA STANDOUT Jeff Lageman has found happiness in Jacksonville.
When a coveted free agent makes a recruiting visit to an NFL team, he usually receives the red-carpet treatment - unless, of course, the carpet is covered by dirt and gravel.
That's what happened to former New York Jets defensive end Jeff Lageman two years ago when he first met with the expansion Jaguars, whose officials worked out of trailers while their stadium was renovated.
Lageman, a former University of Virginia standout looking for a new team after six taxing seasons in New York, walked out of a disaster area - the Jets - and into a construction site. And that's no cock-and-bulldozer story.
``I remember sitting with Tom Coughlin in his office in that... trailer,'' Lageman said after Jacksonville's stunning 30-27 wild-card victory over the Bills on Saturday at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. ``He was trying to convince me they were going to win there, and that it wasn't going to take long. I believed in him. I believed in his vision.''
Coughlin, the Jaguars' coach/visionary, was right. It took the Jaguars only two years to do what Lageman's former team hasn't done since 1986 - win a playoff game.
``This is why I play the game, and why I came to Jacksonville - to win football games,'' said Lageman, whose team will face the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium on Saturday in the divisional round.
The Jaguars, 4-12 in their first season, improved to 9-7, earning a wild-card berth with five straight wins at the end of the season. At Rich Stadium, where no visiting team had ever won a playoff game, the Jaguars punished the aging Bills in crunch time.
``They played like we used to play,'' Bills center Kent Hull said - a statement that spoke volumes about the direction of the two franchises.
``Call it what you want,'' said Lageman. ``All I know is we're winning.''
Lageman, who never experienced a winning season with the Jets, relished the victory. So did linemate Paul Frase, another player who fled the Jets.
Do you think they're glad they moved to Jacksonville? Silly question. That's like asking Bill Gates if he's happy that he started his computer software company.
``To be honest, I never considered going back,'' said Lageman, the Jets' first-round pick in 1989.
When Lageman visited the Jaguars, he saw the trailers and the dump trucks and the cranes. Some players would've been turned off. Not Lageman.
``I felt expansion teams had a great opportunity,'' he said. ``I took a chance, but I thought it would be special to be part of the building process.''
From dirt and gravel to the playoffs.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Lagemanby CNB