Artifact of the Month: October

10/18/11 11:00 AM

Practice jerseys have specific meaning. If a Patriots player is seen on the practice field prancing around in a white jersey, he plays offense. Blue means defense.

Then there is red, which means ... DO NOT TOUCH!

The red jerseys are reserved for the quarterback and any player returning from injury who cannot participate in contact drills.

But what about the black practice jersey? That one has special meaning because it is awarded by the coaches each week to players who have best helped the team prepare for the coming opponent. The show team, or scout team player who excels in practie is awarded the black jersey the following week as recogniztion for helping his team. This could be awarded to a practice squad player, a backup quarterback running the opponent's offens in practice or just a special teams contributor who runs scout looks in practice.

The black jersey here is one of many artifacts on display as part of The Hall's new Behind the Scenes exhibit.