Jaguars Owner Says Team Might Play Games In Orlando In Future

Weaver Says Jaguars Keeping An Eye On Orlando

Jaguars Owner Wayne Weaver "can envision a day not too far down the road when Orlando could become his team's second home," according to Mike Bianchi of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. Weaver said that the NFL is "likely to add two games and go to an 18-game regular season within the next three years." If that happens, Weaver, "whose team is already struggling mightily to sell tickets in Jacksonville, is keeping a watchful eye on football-starved Orlando as a place where he could play games and grow his fan base." Weaver: "There's certainly the possibility that we would play some out-of-market games. If it happened, Orlando would be the best option and most reasonable location. In the past, we have reached out to try and cultivate that market and haven't had as much success as we would have liked. We probably need to do a better job. That's a given. We are looking at a long-term strategy and thinking out of the box on how we can build a fan base in Orlando." Bianchi writes this "should be the impetus city leaders need to somehow find a way to expedite the process of imploding the embarrassingly dilapidated Citrus Bowl and building an NFL-ready football stadium" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 9/30). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio writes the Buccaneers would likely "have something to say about this, since Orlando is roughly 90 minutes away from Raymond James Stadium." Florio: "Like the Bills, the Jags are exploring the possibility of becoming a regional team in order to increase their overall financial viability in their current home. Unlike the Bills, the Jags have picked a city that would brush up against the extended market of another NFL team" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 9/30).

DOLLARS & SENSE: In Jacksonville, Matt Galnor reports the city of Jacksonville has "identified about $5[M] a year that can be used to pay for needed maintenance at the Sports Complex -- primarily Jacksonville Municipal Stadium." City Council President Richard Clark yesterday said that he is "planning on introducing a bill that will redirect bed tax money now going to the Prime Osborn Convention Center to the city's three major sports and entertainment venues" -- the stadium, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and Veterans Memorial Arena. Jaguars Senior VP/Stadium Operations & CFO Bill Prescott: "This shows their commitment to having this team here for the long term" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 9/30).