by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
It’s all about the cardio this week for the Jacksonville Jaguars and their fans.
With rumors of an agreement between NFL owners and players, there is a pulse to the NFL season.
The pulse includes the mailing of the Teal Deals books today to Jaguars season ticket holders. The books feature about $3,000 in savings at local businesses through the program.
Then the pulse of the Jaguars ticket sales department will reach overdrive as it tries to sell about 17,000 tickets, consisting of 10,000 season tickets and 7,000 group sales, in four weeks to avoid television blackouts.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” said Macky Weaver, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Jaguars.
“We are going to have about four weeks to sell the same amount of tickets that we sold in five months prior to last season. But we can’t lose that momentum that we had last season,” he said.
The Jaguars improved from having nine of 10 home games blacked out in 2009 to a schedule free of blackouts in 2010.
The fans were paid back with some wins that featured a 59-yard field goal and a Hail Mary pass. Both plays happened in the closing seconds of the games and both were against conference rivals.
“We don’t know how we are going to top last season with the exciting wins fans were able to enjoy, but we have a great schedule this year,” said Weaver.
“We’ve got two Monday night games and a Thursday night game. When the NFL gives you a national schedule like that, they believe you are an ascending team,” he said
The 2011 Teal Deals coupon book will be mailed today to season ticket holders. It offers discounts to area businesses and its value increased from about $2,500 last year to $3,000 this year.
The deadline to qualify for the book was July 1, but the Jaguars will extend the program for a short time after the lockout ends.
Training camp is tentatively scheduled to start July 28, and the Jaguars plan to continue their test-drive promotions for fans to visit the stadium and “try” their seats before they buy them.
The events will be announced when the lockout ends.
356-2466