In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette wrote the Jaguars have "no indisputable face of the franchise," which is "not necessarily a good problem for a team starving to make a name for itself." Frenette asked 10 returning Jaguars who the face of the franchise is and "only one consensus was reached ... it’s either owner Shad Khan or coach Gus Bradley." Not one player "named a teammate as the face of the franchise, and that’s a function of where the Jaguars stand at the moment" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 8/24).
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: In Buffalo, Lisa Khoury reported fan group Bills Fan Thunder is "asking its 13,000 members to send personal emails" to Jon Bon Jovi’s PR team, "giving their personal testimonies of why it means so much to keep their team in Buffalo" (BUFFALONEWS.com, 8/22). Also in Buffalo, Jerry Zremski wrote even after $130M in renovations this year, Ralph Wilson Stadium "is not -- and probably can never be -- the moneymaking machine that the NFL now favors." Some NFL owners are "so keen on a new venue for the Bills that they're even recommending a site for it: downtown Buffalo." But sources said that some owners believe the "new home should be closer to Toronto and Rochester to cash in on those markets" (BUFFALO NEWS, 8/24).
LEAVING ON A JET PLANE: On Long Island, Bob Glauber noted many Jets fans Thursday "sent the strongest possible message" that the club "ought to re-connect with their Long Island roots and return to the heart of their fan base for their summer-long training camp." An estimated 11,000 fans "streamed into Shuart Stadium" at Hofstra Univ. to watch the Jets' final practice session. The team has held training camp in Cortland, N.Y., the past seven years after previously holding camp at Hofstra for more than four decades. Glauber: "It is time to re-create the memories that lasted nearly half a century on Long Island. It is time for the Jets to move back home for training camp" (NEWSDAY, 8/24).
SHARING IS CARING: The Seahawks and Boeing on Friday announced a community program -- Legion of Youth Powered by Boeing -- will give out 100 tickets for each Seahawks home game to a group or organization. Twenty-five youth will each receive four game tickets, breakfast with a special message from a Seahawks alum, concession vouchers, and a Legion of Youth Powered by Boeing sweatshirt (Seahawks).
