Jersey strategy: For the second consecutive season, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio will try to use Jacksonville’s heat and humidity to his advantage in the home opener.

Del Rio said Monday he would make the Dallas Cowboys wear their blue jerseys Sunday, hoping the dark shirts will cause more sweat for players unaccustomed to dealing with the sweltering Florida sun.

“I just like Dallas’ dark jerseys,” Del Rio said sarcastically. “I like those white helmets they wear with those dark jerseys. I think they’re pretty classy. We’ll let them wear them here.”

All three Florida teams – Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Miami – typically wear white jerseys at home during the first month of the season and make opponents wear dark jerseys.

When Del Rio took over in Jacksonville in 2003, he had Buffalo wear dark jerseys for the home opener. But the Bills routed Jacksonville 38-17, and Del Rio didn’t force the jersey swap the following year. He went back to it last season against Seattle, and although temperatures were relatively mild, the Jaguars won 26-14.

Del Rio believes the jerseys can make a difference.

“It can if it’s a scorcher,” he said. “If it’s really hot I guess it could. But I think the jersey thing is a little overdone. The team that plays well is not going to feel the heat. If you’re not playing well, it’s going to be hot … I don’t put a lot of credence into it. You make a decision and do what you feel comfortable with and go.”

The NFL allows home teams to choose their jerseys, and the road teams must wear the opposite color.

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Friendly competition: Rookie quarterback Jay Cutler pays close attention to how Tennessee’s Vince Young and Arizona’s Matt Leinart – his fellow draft class quarterbacks – are doing.

“I watch SportsCenter just like everyone else,” Cutler said. “I catch them from time to time.”

Cutler said there’s a friendly rivalry brewing.

“We’re competitors and we want to be the best,” Cutler said. “I’m sure all three of us feel the same.”

Although Cutler played plenty in the preseason, he knows now it’s back to the sideline.

“I’m not going to be disappointed by it,” Cutler said. “Hopefully we win a lot of games this year, Jake (Plummer) stays healthy and we go deep into the playoffs. I get to sit there and soak it all up and learn from it. You never know what’s going to happen. I’m one play away from getting in there, so I’m always going to be prepared.”

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Hanging on: Carolina running back Eric Shelton knew his job was on the line the entire preseason, and did everything in his power to make sure he landed a spot on the roster.

Still, he was a bit taken aback when he survived the final round of cuts. Had he not made it, he would have become the highest Carolina draft pick to never see action in a regular-season game.

“I was a little surprised, but at the same time I really didn’t know,” Shelton said.

Shelton was expected to be cut because he’s buried on Carolina’s depth chart. He missed his entire rookie season last year with a foot injury, and the Panthers used their first-round pick this year on DeAngelo Williams. He’ll back up DeShaun Foster, and Carolina also has solid options in Nick Goings and fullback Brad Hoover.

So with his job in jeopardy heading into the final preseason game, Shelton delivered 44 yards on 10 carries to surpass his total of 24 yards in the first three games. He thinks that performance against the Steelers showed he can be the bruising runner in the NFL that he was at Louisville.

“When you get out there, it’s a resume, whether it’s going to be here or somewhere else,” he said. “It worked out for me to be here, and it’s a blessing. I’m going to keep doing what I did last week once I get out there.

“That’s the type of player I am. The more you get … it’s tough when you only get a couple of carries to try to do something with it. But the more I get the ball, the more I get into the game and feel better with it.”