CBSSPORTS.com's Jason La Canfora noted NFL Exec VP & Chief Strategy & Growth Officer Chris Halpin is "viewed by many within the league office as a frontrunner to take over as commissioner when Roger Goodell moves on." It remains to be seen "how much say Goodell will have in the process," as his "own popularity with owners has waned in recent years, and overall frustration with the NFL office has grown among teams in general" (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/23).
LET'S TALK: The CP's Dan Ralph noted CBA talks between the CFL and the CFLPA are expected to "heat up in the new year," as the current deal is "scheduled to expire" on May 15. When talks formally begin, CFLPA Exec Dir Brian Ramsay said that "everything will be on the table." However, Ramsay "admits long-term player care and money will be the union's top priorities." Labor negotiations were "tumultuous" in '14, as they "broke down several times and there was a threat of a players' strike before the sides hammered out a five-year deal" (CP, 12/27).
LEARNING FROM THE PAST: In St. Louis, Ben Frederickson writes as more details come out about Vince McMahon’s XFL plan, the "more you realize how little this edition of the XFL has in common with its failed predecessor." There is the "name, and that’s about it." This version has "pulled the wrestling elements from the equation, pushed McMahon out of the spotlight and added legitimate football minds at the control panel," like Commissioner & CEO Oliver Luck. This version is "playing the long game" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/28).
