NFL execs in recent weeks "have been scouting the 172-acre Victoria Regional Park and golf course" in Carson, Calf., as a "possible location for a stadium and related entertainment complex," according to the SAN FERNANDO VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL. The park is "just east of the interchange of the 405 and 110 freeways, and right next to the landmark Goodyear blimp field." Execs with two of the teams "widely considered to be looking to move have approached a local developer who is in escrow to become a major partner in the company that operates the golf course." These execs "made queries about the site." California-based developer Jeffrey Klein said, “Yes, I have been approached by two separate groups with NFL contacts. And yes, there’s no question it’s an attractive place for a stadium" (SFVBJ.com, 12/5).
CHARGING INTO POSITION? Fox’ Jay Glazer reported officials throughout the NFL "think resoundingly that the Rams are going to be the team to move" to L.A., followed by the Raiders. Glazer: "Expect two teams to move out to Los Angeles, but the other team that's really been laying under the radar here and is still very much involved is the San Diego Chargers." While acknowledging that "every single story that has been done on this has been incorrect" over the past 20 years, Glazer said he does thing "we're closer than ever to getting a franchise out here in L.A.” (“Fox NFL Sunday,” Fox, 12/7). Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said there is a "thinking in league circles because the Chargers have been trying so long -- over a decade -- to get a new stadium in San Diego, they are in better position to satisfy the relocation policy than the other two teams would be." Florio: "Also, the owners would be inclined to allow a team to move just a fairly short distance, more inclined to do that than have a team move across the country" ("Football Night In America," NBC, 12/7). Meanwhile, CBS Sports Network's Amy Trask said she is "not convinced that the league should place two teams" in L.A. Trask: "Go ahead and build a stadium that can accommodate two teams, that makes all the sense in the world. I don't necessarily think two teams should be placed in this market at least at the outset. The league cannot afford to fail in Los Angeles. It's got to do it right” (“That Other Pregame Show,” CBS Sports Network, 12/7).
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? In San Jose, Mark Purdy reported The Renaissance Companies Chair Floyd Kephart, Oakland and Alameda County's "new hope for assembling a development proposal on the Coliseum property that would satisfy the Raiders and/or A's," met with Raiders officials last Tuesday. Kephart was "granted an exclusive 90-day negotiating agreement on Oct. 21 by the Oakland City Council." As of Friday, he has 45 days remaining to "sign up at least one team for his vision of the 'Coliseum City' project that Oakland and Alameda County representatives seek to build on the acreage that includes the current stadium and arena property, the Coliseum parking lots and land across the Nimitz Freeway." Raiders Owner Mark Davis said of getting a deal done to keep the club in Oakland, "We're trying like hell to get something done. ... That Thursday night game against Kansas City shows you the kind of fan loyalty we have here. You can't buy that anywhere." Purdy: "I believe Oakland must eventually choose between keeping either the Raiders or the A's. I don't see how both franchises can be accommodated in any Coliseum City plan" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 12/6).
