PRO FOOTBALL ’95 : Oilers Have Enough To Defeat Jaguars : AFC: Jacksonville has quarterback problems in losing franchise’s first game, 10-3, to Houston.

The wait wasn’t worth it.

Jacksonville, which first sought an NFL team in 1979 when Bob Irsay decided to move the Colts out of Baltimore, finally had a team to call its own Sunday. But the Jaguars, even with a better talent pool to choose from because of free agency and the salary cap, showed they aren’t going to be much different than past expansion teams.

Houston, the worst team in the NFL last season, ruined the Jaguars’ coming-out party, scoring the game’s only touchdown on its first possession and making it stand for a 10-3 victory.

After watching the Jaguars manage only 151 yards despite a quarterback change in the third quarter, the crowd of 72,363 must have wondered why it craved an NFL team for so many years.

“As disappointing as it is for everyone out in the stands, it’s more disappointing for the team,” said Steve Beuerlein, who completed only seven of 17 passes for 60 yards before he was replaced by Mark Brunell. “We felt if we went out and played well, we had a shot to win.”

Instead, the Jaguars found they have a long way to go, especially on offense. Brunell opened up some holes with his scrambling, but it’s not good when a quarterback ends up as the leading rusher with 36 yards. As for passing, Brunell was only three of nine for 15 yards, and he had an interception in the final minute to seal the victory for the Oilers.

“It gets frustrating,” said Jaguar defensive end Jeff Lageman, one of the players picked up through free agency. “I thought we did everything we could possibly do on defense except get turnovers. We’ve got no reason to hang our heads.”

The Oilers will take any victory, even one over an expansion team. After all, Houston was 2-14 last year and endured a tumultuous preseason that included highly publicized talks about a possible move to Nashville, Tenn., and the cancellation of an exhibition game because of a poor playing surface.

“In a lot of ways, this is our fourth preseason game,” Houston Coach Jeff Fisher said. “I don’t mean any disrespect to Jacksonville, but this is our fourth game of the year.”

Gary Brown rushed for 45 of his 101 yards on the only touchdown drive of the day, which was capped by a four-yard pass from Chris Chandler to Haywood Jeffires.

Chandler sustained a bruised left shoulder in the first half and didn’t play in the second. Will Furrer replaced him.

There was nothing physically wrong with Beuerlein, but Tom Coughlin fueled talk of a quarterback controversy by benching the man who worked with the first team all through training camp.

“I didn’t agree with it,” said Beuerlein, who was acquired in the expansion draft. “I don’t think anyone would. But I didn’t give Coach Coughlin a reason to stick with me.”

Coughlin did little to silence the talk he might turn to Brunell next week against Cincinnati.

“The changing of the quarterbacks doesn’t mean anything more than just that,” he said. “I’ll have more to say on the quarterback situation later in the week.”