- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Goodell won't handicap LA situation
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_5aea8409-9080-5e7e-8fbd-25378bc797e9.html
On Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings in New York, Houston Texans owner Robert McNair told the Los Angeles Times that there are “a number of considerations there (for a team in Los Angles), but we’re far away from any resolutions ... still optimistic something might happen.”
That prompted reporter Sam Farmer of the Times to ask NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell if LA was any closer to landing a team than it was a decade ago, particularly in light of a speculative report last week saying the league wanted to have a team (or teams) in LA following the 2015 or 2016 seasons.
“I’ve always been reluctant until we have a solution to project where we are,” Goodell replied. “There are reasons for optimism, but that can change quickly also. So until we have a solution that we’re all confident with and the ownership’s voted on it, I’m not going to really make any comment about whether that’s realistic or that’s a high probability or not.
“I think what we want to do is make sure we’re doing the work to evaluate the alternatives, understand those alternatives, and if there’s an alternative that makes sense, bring that to the membership.
“But until we do that, I couldn’t make any projections about whether we’re close or we’re not. To me at the end of the day, it’s not about whether we’re closer, it’s about whether we get there. So we either are gonna get there and do it successfully, or we’re not.”
In the absence of a stadium plan agreed upon by owner Stan Kroenke and St. Louis area civic and business leaders, the Rams could be one of those “alternatives.” The Rams are free to break their lease this offseason in the absence of a stadium agreement, with no strings attached.
When asked if now would be the time for the league to be working on practice sites and a temporary venue if a move to LA was imminent, Goodell replied: “I think that’s sort of the point. I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve said all along we have to find a solution, a long-term solution on the stadium front.
“Until that happens we’re not spending an awful lot of time talking about temporary facilities. We’re looking for a long-term facility — something that’s gonna allow the team or teams to be successful over the long term.”
League owners received an update on the Los Angeles situation at the meetings, which concluded Wednesday.
RAMS SIGN HERRING
The Rams have signed linebacker Will Herring, who played most recently with the New Orleans Saints, filling the spot created when linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong was released Monday.
Herring, 31, was a fifth-round draft pick by Seattle out of Auburn in 2007. He spent his first four seasons with the Seahawks, before joining the Saints in 2011. He was with Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams that season in New Orleans and continued with the Saints in 2012 and ’13.
Herring has appeared in 97 career regular-season games with 12 starts, playing both inside and outside linebacker, and was the Saints’ special teams captain last season.
The Rams also added linebacker Marshall McFadden, most recently with the Oakland Raiders, to their practice squad.
RED OCTOBER
Monday is a travel day in the National League championship series between the Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, so there will be no conflict with the Rams’ Monday night contest with the visiting San Francisco 49ers at the Edward Jones Dome.
However, if the Cards-Giants series goes the distance, Game 7 would be in St. Louis with a 6:37 p.m. start on Sunday, Oct. 19. The Rams play host to the Seahawks that day in a noon kickoff, which means the Rams-Seahawks contest would be over about 3½ hours before first pitch at Busch Stadium.
THE NOMINEES ARE ...
After throwing for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-28 loss in Philadelphia, quarterback Austin Davis is a nominee for the FedEx Air & Ground players of the week. Fan voting at www.NFL.com/FedEx concludes today at 2 p.m.
Cornerback E.J. Gaines has been nominated for the Pepsi NFL rookie of the week award. The University of Missouri product had an interception and recovered a fumble against the Eagles. Fan voting at www.NFL.com/rookies concludes Friday at 2 p.m.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_5aea8409-9080-5e7e-8fbd-25378bc797e9.html
On Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings in New York, Houston Texans owner Robert McNair told the Los Angeles Times that there are “a number of considerations there (for a team in Los Angles), but we’re far away from any resolutions ... still optimistic something might happen.”
That prompted reporter Sam Farmer of the Times to ask NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell if LA was any closer to landing a team than it was a decade ago, particularly in light of a speculative report last week saying the league wanted to have a team (or teams) in LA following the 2015 or 2016 seasons.
“I’ve always been reluctant until we have a solution to project where we are,” Goodell replied. “There are reasons for optimism, but that can change quickly also. So until we have a solution that we’re all confident with and the ownership’s voted on it, I’m not going to really make any comment about whether that’s realistic or that’s a high probability or not.
“I think what we want to do is make sure we’re doing the work to evaluate the alternatives, understand those alternatives, and if there’s an alternative that makes sense, bring that to the membership.
“But until we do that, I couldn’t make any projections about whether we’re close or we’re not. To me at the end of the day, it’s not about whether we’re closer, it’s about whether we get there. So we either are gonna get there and do it successfully, or we’re not.”
In the absence of a stadium plan agreed upon by owner Stan Kroenke and St. Louis area civic and business leaders, the Rams could be one of those “alternatives.” The Rams are free to break their lease this offseason in the absence of a stadium agreement, with no strings attached.
When asked if now would be the time for the league to be working on practice sites and a temporary venue if a move to LA was imminent, Goodell replied: “I think that’s sort of the point. I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve said all along we have to find a solution, a long-term solution on the stadium front.
“Until that happens we’re not spending an awful lot of time talking about temporary facilities. We’re looking for a long-term facility — something that’s gonna allow the team or teams to be successful over the long term.”
League owners received an update on the Los Angeles situation at the meetings, which concluded Wednesday.
RAMS SIGN HERRING
The Rams have signed linebacker Will Herring, who played most recently with the New Orleans Saints, filling the spot created when linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong was released Monday.
Herring, 31, was a fifth-round draft pick by Seattle out of Auburn in 2007. He spent his first four seasons with the Seahawks, before joining the Saints in 2011. He was with Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams that season in New Orleans and continued with the Saints in 2012 and ’13.
Herring has appeared in 97 career regular-season games with 12 starts, playing both inside and outside linebacker, and was the Saints’ special teams captain last season.
The Rams also added linebacker Marshall McFadden, most recently with the Oakland Raiders, to their practice squad.
RED OCTOBER
Monday is a travel day in the National League championship series between the Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, so there will be no conflict with the Rams’ Monday night contest with the visiting San Francisco 49ers at the Edward Jones Dome.
However, if the Cards-Giants series goes the distance, Game 7 would be in St. Louis with a 6:37 p.m. start on Sunday, Oct. 19. The Rams play host to the Seahawks that day in a noon kickoff, which means the Rams-Seahawks contest would be over about 3½ hours before first pitch at Busch Stadium.
THE NOMINEES ARE ...
After throwing for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-28 loss in Philadelphia, quarterback Austin Davis is a nominee for the FedEx Air & Ground players of the week. Fan voting at www.NFL.com/FedEx concludes today at 2 p.m.
Cornerback E.J. Gaines has been nominated for the Pepsi NFL rookie of the week award. The University of Missouri product had an interception and recovered a fumble against the Eagles. Fan voting at www.NFL.com/rookies concludes Friday at 2 p.m.