Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashean Mathis will be wearing all black, but the Jaguars are officially encouraging their fans to wear teal next Monday.
Jones-Drew and Mathis created somewhat of a stir on their Monday night TV shows when they suggested that fans wear all black, as the team will next Monday night when it hosts the defending Super Bowl-champion Indianapolis Colts. Fans immediately asked: So which is it, black or teal?
Jaguars special events manager Kerri Solomon made it official on Tuesday morning. "It's teal," she said. "We're trying to carry on the tradition we started last season with the two Monday night games. Teal is our unique color. Any team can do black."
The Jaguars asked fans to wear teal to last year's Monday night game against visiting Pittsburgh in week two, and fans complied by turning Jacksonville Municipal Stadium into a sea of teal. The Jaguars also attempted to wash away towel-waving Steelers fans by distributing "Jags sticks" to fans attending the game. The teal shirts and white sticks created the most stunning visual in Jaguars history.
"Last year was a huge hit at the Steelers game. They were all in teal and had their 'Jags sticks,' which we're going to do again this year. They're going to get them at the game," Solomon said.
"It's all day, all night, all teal," she added. "We'd like (fans) to wear teal to work, to school and to the game; wherever they are in the community to show their support of the team."
What about Jones-Drew's and Mathis' appeals for black? Will they cause confusion?
"Fans will know by the end of the week what the message is. We're going to be running ads in 'The Times-Union' and we'll have an e-mail broadcast sent out to all of our season ticket holders. We're also doing a lot of grassroots work, such as contacting schools and local businesses and encouraging them to allow their students and employees to wear teal," Solomon added.
