Jacksonville Jaguars Don't Expect Any 2009 Sellouts

Fans in Jacksonville will not be able to see any Jaguars home games without buying a ticket this season, as the team has already said it doesn't expect any sellouts, which means all home games will be blacked out on local television.

The Jacksonville Times-Union reports that the team has already announced all 10 games -- two preseason and eight regular season -- will be blacked out. Although the Jaguars have always had trouble selling tickets, this season will be the first in team history without any local TV presence for home games.

Obviously, the economy is playing a huge part in this: Fans have less disposable income, and that means they're less likely to plunk down the cash for Jaguars home games. But the Jaguars have never had much drawing power in Jacksonville, and the fact that the Jaguars have already capitulated and aren't even holding out hope that a big start to the season could energize the local fan base doesn't speak well for the long-term viability of the franchise in Jacksonville.

As for the players, they don't seem too concerned. quarterback David Garrard told the Times-Union:

"It doesn't matter. It's still game night. If it's game night and there's another team out there ready to play, then that's all the excitement we need. We love our fans, and we love to have them out there, so I know whoever is out there is going to be excited and will be cheering as loud as they can."

That's the right attitude for the players to have. For the franchise as a whole, however, it's a very troubling sign that the team is saying in August that it knows for sure it won't be able to sell out any games in December.

What do you think? Can the Jaguars sell out any games? Should they move out of Jacksonville? Tell me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.