Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones on Thursday said the organization would "very much like to have a team in London," noting the city has "cachet," according to Kevin Sherrington of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Jones, appearing at a press conference in London to promote this weekend's Cowboys-Jaguars game at Wembley Stadium, said, "London is probably one of two or three cities outside the United States that really does have all of the criteria that I would look at for having an NFL team. I certainly know that one of the reasons we’re here this week and playing Sunday is to help encourage interest and increase the interest and awareness of our game. So I think it would work. I think timing-wise, schedule-wise, logistics-wise, all of those things in this day and time are tantamount to something that is practical and workable as far as the NFL is concerned. So I’m a big proponent of having a team in London." Sherrington writes fans should "never doubt Jerry when it comes to making money," and if he "says a team in London is 'attractive,' what he’s really saying is it’ll make money." Opportunities in Europe are "virtually untapped" and every pro sport "wants to take advantage, but the NFL is uniquely suited." Its 16-game schedule makes travel "infinitely less burdensome." The NFL on Thursday "creeped a little bit closer to the reality" of putting a team in London by announcing another three games scheduled for Wembley in '15, and holding Bills-Jaguars and Lions-Chiefs "on back-to-back dates ... will demonstrate how London handles the strain, not to mention how it sells tickets" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/7). However, ESPN's Keith Olbermann said of Jones' endorsement of putting a team in London, "Translation: Games in London would be televised at 9:30 or 10:00am Eastern. We could sell tripleheaders to Fox and CBS!" He added, "It all continues to ignore the fact that the only thing the games in London have proved is that you can get people to show up there for a couple stunts every year, not that they would support an actual franchise” (“Olbermann,” ESPN2, 11/6).
SUPER CONCESSION: ESPN.com's Todd Archer noted if the Cowboys "want to host another Super Bowl at AT&T Stadium, then they might have to give up a home game," as the league "will require teams to play a home game as part of the NFL's International Series." Jones said, "That may be a consideration, but I haven’t seen it. And keep in mind, when you’re asked to bid for a Super Bowl, they give you a ‘proposed’ criteria. You don’t have to follow that criteria. You still may get a vote, and it still may get the vote. And so you usually see suggested criteria, and they will point out to the owners that you didn’t adhere to that criteria, but they could still put your city up for a vote" (ESPN.com, 11/6).
LOGISTICAL LIMITS: In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette writes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "and his kingdom should know any plan to globalize the game has limitations." Bringing the Jaguars and five other teams "across the Atlantic for a three-pack of games to London each year is one thing." But having an NFL team "set up permanent shop in the United Kingdom -- something the league appears fixated on doing in the next decade -- is a terribly flawed idea." The NFL "has a good thing going with its rapidly growing U.K. fan base." Frenette: "Give them a small sampling of games without imposing a logistical nightmare on the players" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 11/7).
