There is "little movement" expected on the NFL-to-L.A. front ahead of next week's owners meeting on the issue, as neither Rams Owner Stan Kroenke's Inglewood project nor the Carson project backed by Chargers Chair Dean Spanos and Raiders Owner Mark Davis have "sufficient support to carry a vote," according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSPORTS.com. At least 24 of the league's 32 teams "must vote in favor of a franchise in order for the transaction to be authorized," and there are "still more questions than answers" about which teams will be playing in L.A. in '16, and where precisely they will be located. The NFL "will not bring the matter to a formal vote among the owners until enough straw polling has been conducted to ensure one of these projects has at least 24 votes in the affirmative" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/27).
SPIRIT FOR ST. LOUIS: PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio cited sources as saying that a group of influential NFL team owners "strongly opposes the relocation of the Rams" to L.A. That group includes the Panthers' Jerry Richardson, who is "emerging as a leader of the NFL’s L.A. committee." One source said that Richardson and other owners "view the Chargers and Raiders as more eligible to move under the league’s relocation policy, especially since it appears that St. Louis has cobbled together a viable plan for building a new stadium." Richardson said, "We have every reason to believe that re-entry of the NFL into the Los Angeles market will be successful." He added of potential timing of a vote on relocation, "Additional work needs to be done before we move forward, but we are confident in our process" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 9/27). Meanwhile, in San Diego, Nick Canepa wrote people are "starting to strongly speculate there will be, for now, just one NFL team moving" to the L.A. market, and if that is so, it "will be the Rams." The Chargers "aren’t moving" to the Kroenke's proposed Inglewood stadium "as boarders." In the end, Kroenke "may have to pay off the other L.A. suitors, because there simply are not going to be two stadiums and three teams in L.A." Kroenke at the last owners meetings said that he "wanted a 'tenant' with him in Inglewood." Canepa wrote that "did not sit well with the Chargers" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/27).
ONE IDEA TO APPEASE EVERYONE: CBS Sports Network’s Amy Trask suggested with the prospect that only one team will move to L.A., the NFL should say, "One of you is moving and we're going to give each of the other two teams an additional $300 million over and above the $200 million we normally give to a team." Trask: "Team one and team two, we would normally give you $200 million. We're going to give you $500 million each and help you solve your problems in your existing market. That combined $600 million increment is less than $20 million per club, amortized over time. It's affordable and it solves the home team problem for two teams and you only move one into Los Angeles, which is the smartest thing to do" (“That Other Pregame Show,” CBS Sports Network, 9/27).
