In Nashville, Jim Wyatt noted Titans President & CEO Tommy Smith on Sunday attended his third straight game at LP Field since taking over for the late Bud Adams. Smith said that team Owner the Adams family "has no plans to sell the team." Smith said that he will "make a decision" on coach Mike Munchak's fate "after this season." He added that he is "happy" with the work done by Exec VP & GM Ruston Webster (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 12/16).
MISSING IN ACTION? In DC, Mike Wise writes of Redskins Exec VP & GM Bruce Allen's decision to not make any recent public comments in light of the turmoil surrounding the team, "Bruce Allen, come out, come out, wherever you are." Allen, who is the "principal negotiator between the helpless" Owner Dan Snyder and the "off the rails coach [Mike Shanahan] has not been seen or heard from." Wise: "If you’ve ever wondered exactly what Allen does in his capacity as the team’s general manager ... the answer is clear now: nothing" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/18).
PERKING UP: In S.F., Eric Young noted Raiders execs "are ramping up efforts to give their business new spark," as the team "will spend this off season creating hospitality packages and game-day experiences to entice more corporate sponsors and groups." The team "plans to allow groups to watch games from dugouts used by the Athletics during the baseball season," as the dugouts "can accommodate several people and put fans closer to the action than anywhere else in the stadium." The club also might "put together a package that allows fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at players on game days at home" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/17).
HOW THE WEST WAS WON: In San Jose, Matt Walks noted 49ers fans, in a "direct response to the Seahawks' collective fan base the 12th Man, which paid a Bay Area plane to trail a Seahawks banner over the teams' game in Candlestick Park last Sunday ... have raised enough money to erect a billboard less than a mile [from] the Seahawks' CenturyLink Field." The proposed billboard "features a photo of 'The Catch,' Dwight Clark's legendary game-winning grab" in the '82 NFC Championship game against the Cowboys, "hidden behind the five Lombardi Trophies the Niners have won as a franchise" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 12/16). The group of 49ers fans on its website said it has "'contacted companies in Seattle with multiple billboard ad locations' and [wants] to keep the ad visible 'for at least 1 month, all during December and some of January for their playoff games'" (ESPN.com, 12/17).
