"When put in a dilemma that you're usually not put in as a business owner where it's a function of having enough cash to compete and carry your business in the future, you make decisions a lot differently than you normally do," Jacksonville's Fifth-Third Bank president Nathaniel Herring says, explaining why his business decided to forego its usual season ticket purchase this year. "Many people were in survival mode situations. Businesses and individuals. People were backed in a corner."

Herring hopes those days are behind him. His 2010 business plan calls for a renewal of season ticket purchases as a great way to drum up new clients and customers.

"It is something that really can help cement and foster relationships," Herring said. "Everyone in the country loves football and loves the energy of a team."

Gary Chartrand, an executive with Acosta Sales and Marketing also plans to make the Jaguars a bigger part of his business plan next season.

"We're so fortunate to have the team here," he says. "We need to do everything we possibly can to boost attendance and make sure the team doesn't leave Jacksonville."

Chartrand purchased nearly 200 tickets for his staff for tonight's game. He resold the $40 tickets to employees for half the price then donated that money to a local food bank. He hopes Touchdown Jacksonville organizers and the Jaguars front office brainstorm ideas to make tickets easier for employers and employees to buy, perhaps by offering payroll deductions for tickets.

"I don't think there's any question as a business leader in town that it would a horrible day to lose the Jaguars," Chartrand said.

Losing the franchise is a reality Herring won't even think about.

"As a city we will not lose this team," he said. "I can assure you that."