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http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/article_1683d7d6-ddf1-545f-9c95-5f5b6d6a4ff4.html#.VLhIe6KaFz4.twitter
NFL exec: St. Louis must build new stadium to keep NFL
35 minutes ago • By David HunnST. LOUIS • Local planners must build a new football stadium here, or St. Louis will not hold onto its franchise, a key National Football League executive said on Thursday.
NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman, who is in charge of stadium development as well as developing the Los Angeles market, came to St. Louis on Thursday to meet with Gov. Jay Nixon’s two-man stadium team.
He confirmed, for the first time ever by a league official, that St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is indeed “looking” elsewhere.
“I’m not going to get into specifics, other than he’s said he’s going to keep his options open and he’s looking,” Grubman said.
But he also said Kroenke has not made it clear to the league if he wants to move to Los Angeles, as has long been discussed since Kroenke purchased land there last year.
And league officials are not even considering such a move, Grubman said.
“We’re looking for a solution to the St. Louis Rams to be the St. Louis Rams, not for some other team to be the St. Louis Rams,” he said.
Grubman said he came to St. Louis to offer the NFL’s help in development of a new stadium, with hopes the team will make progress on the plan announced last week.
Is a stadium necessary to keep the Rams?
“Yes,” Grubman responded. “But I don’t know what kind of stadium. A team healthy in its market is the prescription,” he continued.
“The way that was pursued over the past couple years has failed,” he said. “The probability that it will be resurrected is zero.
“Therefore we need to look at a new solution. There’s no other stadium to be renovated or retrofitted. Ergo, the solution set involves a new stadium.”
AgamemnonThe Amy Trask interview… was…um…interesting: Cool-Corporate-shark vs Emotional-celebrity-Homer.
w
vShe seems to be the most intelligent of the people who have talked about Kroenke and the Rams. imo
AgamemnonAgamemnon wrote:
You are getting pretty good at this posting stuff, with links and videos and stuff. What is next? Algebra?DEVLIN: That’s right. Arithmetic with letters is still arithmetic. Algebra’s is actually a very different way of thinking. With arithmetic, you actually take some numbers and you calculate a new number. With algebra, you think about numbers. You end up naming an unknown number – you called it X or Y – and then you reason, not arithmetically so much as logically. So, algebra is really logical thinking about numbers as opposed to arithmetic, which is calculating with numbers. And, in fact, it’s because people, I think, when kids don’t realize it’s a different way of thinking that they find algebra was so hard ’cause they try to solve algebra problems using arithmetic and it doesn’t work.
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/24/144219472/to-make-algebra-fun-rethink-the-problem
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AgamemnonSports Business Journal’s Dan Kaplan Talks Latest on Kroenke, Rams’ Future
Brendan Marks posted on January 13, 2015 10:30Sports Business Journal’s Daniel Kaplan, who recently wrote the San Diego Chargers plan to “actively oppose the potential relocation to the Los Angeles area of the St. Louis Rams,” joined The Ryan Kelley Morning After on Tuesday to talk about the St. Louis stadium proposal.
Here are some highlights of the interview. Listen to the whole thing below:
On Los Angeles situation: This is becoming a bigger and bigger issue within the NFL. Owners are going to have to take sides. The Chargers do not want another team in LA. They are going to activiely oppose whatever the Rams do. I’ve even hears suggestions that the Missouri Congressional delegation will get involved and say the proposed Los Angeles stadium is to near LAX and Homeland Security and the FAA should get involved. There’s a lot of stuff going on that hasn’t come out.
Seahawks tried to move in 1996, but the NFL stopped them: There is precedent for that. Everyone is pointing to the Raiders. The relocation bylaws now in existence was in response to an appeals court decision in the late 1990s. It was crafted with those legal decisions in mind. That’s why it says the team has to make a good-faith effort to get a deal done in the local market.
On Stan Kroenke ignoring NFL and moving anyways: Jerry Jones is quoted in the New York Times today saying he can do that. That was stunning to me. I understand Jerry Jones has in the past taken on the NFL, he wants a team in LA. He is not a fan of some of the smaller markets. To out and out say it doesn’t matter what the NFL says…who cares about that bylaw, I was astonished.
What’s your sense on the Rams’ chances of moving to LA: I don’t think there’s any doubt that Kroenke wishes to go. He didn’t send a representative to the stadium unveiling. The question really becomes, what does the NFL do. Does the NFL say, ‘whoa slow down Stan?’
More on Chargers: You have a team in San Diego that feels LA is its market now. They have actively tried to get a new stadium in San Diego in 10 to 15 years to no avail. They’ve done a lot more in San Diego than the Rams have done in St. Louis to try to get a new stadium. And the Rams have already relocated out of LA. The Chargers point is the Rams don’t deserve first crack at the LA market. They already were there and left
Has Kroenke gone rogue? There was talk out there that Kroenke hadn’t even told the NFL (he was going to unveil the Inglewood stadium proposal). It’s in the eye of the beholder whether he went rogue, but I’m sure this wasn’t the NFL’s preference. The opinion (on whether the NFL has final say) will be tested here.
AgamemnonYou are getting pretty good at this posting stuff, with links and videos and stuff. What is next? Algebra? 😉
AgamemnonI would have liked Stanley.
So,
the whole draft is Ruined now.w
v
“I have no interest at all in food and drink,
but only in slaughter and blood and the agonized groans of mangled men”
― HomerNah, but he was the one true franchise LT. Most of the other OTs are like Saffold. They can play LT, but might be better suited at another position. But, until Robinson reaches his potential, they could play LT as good as he or Saffold could. imo
AgamemnonJust read about Ronnie Stanley returning to ND…He was the best OT I studied this year.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 13, 2015
I really like FSU CB P.J. Williams. Smooth movement skills, great awareness and very physical in run game.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 14, 2015
I would have liked Stanley. Snead mentioned Williams in one of his interviews.
AgamemnonTodd McShay, Mel Kiper Jr candidly discuss value of mock drafts
May 15, 2014 By paulmbanks 1 Comment
http://www.thesportsbank.net/nfl-mock-drafts/todd-mcshay-mel-kiper-jr/
todd-mcshay-espnBoth Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr, the NFL Draftniks of all NFL Draftniks do multiple conference calls with the media previewing the NFL Draft. The attendance for these calls is RIDICULOUS. These calls often last up to two hours, and many journalists don’t even get their questions in. ESPN doesn’t transcribe them because they would end up being like 40 pages long.
Mike Mayock of NFL Network does one as well, which took three hours and clocked in at 30 pages on the transcript. That’s how insane the media appetite is for Todd McShay and company. Safe to say this was the most over-hyped and pointlessly over-analyzed NFL Draft in history. The extra weeks of wait and the presence of Johnny Manziel had a lot to do ti.
michael-irvin-seven-round-nfl-mock-draft-todd-mcshay
NFL mock drafts are fine pieces of journalism. If every journalism class you took was taught by Rex Chapman and Jalen Rose. All mock drafts are extremely inaccurate, nearly all the time. They’re not based on any type of actual inside information. No one is an “insider.” That’s just a B.S. term that networks through out to market themselves. Why do you think NFL teams call them “war rooms?”
Because, it’s all classified. They guard the secrets like CentComm. Look at how Jacksonville protected the the Blake Bortles smokescreen the whole time? No journalists are giving up those secrets. However, mock drafts are a ton of fun and they always gets an insane amount of traffic, because you just can’t help but click on them. That’s why I do so many of them.
You. Have. To.
Click and see who your team has mocked to them. Where that kid from alma mater is slotted to go. On Monday, both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. gave media conference calls, and since this was post draft, the media horde was much smaller and way more manageable. Some dude asked both men the same question about the value of mock drafts.
espn-booger-mcfarland-todd-mcshay
Having been on several of these calls, with both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, I can tell you that Kiper comes off as the guy you’d rather have a beer with. By a long shot. He’s friendlier and more down to Earth about it all than Todd McShay. Maybe it’s just the way he is, his personality. Kiper really seems to be into this stuff. You can tell from his enthusiasm for this material that he truly eats, sleeps and breathes this content. So we’ll start with him.
Kiper said it’s more about trying to get as many picks in the first round as possible than it is getting the picks exactly right. He said he got six this year, and his all time high one year was eight.
mel-kiper
“The only thing I care about it how many kids I get in the first round, you try to get anywhere between 24-28 and this year I got 26,” Kiper said, before mentioning that 28 was his all time high.
“You’re talking about a very difficult process, with trades and you always have, you try to give a range of where they’re going to go. You might be one or two picks off, but at least you give people an idea of where they might come off the board and also track the progression of the player through the process, his his perception changes, is the perception reality.”
mel-kiper-jr
“That’s what the NFL Draft is, it’s great reality TV, no one knows what’s going to happen because we can’t get inside those war rooms.”
I totally agree, it is reality television, and this was the Jersey Shore of all NFL Drafts. This draft unfolded PERFECTLY on Thursday and Sunday for the NFL, NFL Network and ESPN. It was the exact scrip they hoped for: drama about when Johnny Manziel and AJ McCarron would go, would Michael Sam get picked? It was all there.
Now on to Todd McShay.
todd-mcshay
He said that he hadn’t even looked at how he did. By Monday. I don’t believe that for one second and neither should you.
“I assume that no one did all that well, the bottom line is I want to get as many guys as possible, 25-26-27 as first rounders in that range. There’s always going to be trades, surprises, I’ve always said mock drafts are more for people like Adam Schefter, Chris Mortensen, guys that get information, than they are for guys who are evaluating tape,” Todd McShay said.
“Someone said we had 80 guys who landed in the top 100, I don’t even care about that. I want to know that 80-90% of the guys that we evaluated ended up having the careers that we predicted they would.”
Todd McShay sounded a little like Jay Cutler there with some insouciance and aloofness, but in the end I totally see eye to eye with him, in that NFL mock drafts are all about business.
“I know they get a lot of hits, they’re a lot of fun, and it’s a driving force in what we do because they get so much attention. And it makes money. But for me it’s probably the least important part of my job.”
AgamemnonIt appears the PSLs can pay for any kind of stadium you want, in some cases anyway. But, how much of Kroneke’s LA stadium is really his. How much will he benefit from it, remains a question for me.
AgamemnonRams Staying or Leaving? The Arguments for Both Sides
Last week provided quite a five days of news on the stadium front for the Rams. On Monday, we learned from the Los Angeles Times that Rams owner Stan Kroenke had partnered with Stockbridge Capital group to develop the land and build a stadium on the old Hollywood Park race track plot he purchased in Inglewood, California, about five miles from Los Angeles International Airport.
Then on Friday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s task force of former Anheuser-Busch President David Peacock and local attorney Bob Blitz unveiled their plans for a new 64,000 seat stadium on the St. Louis riverfront. Both Rams fan bases, in L.A. and St. Louis, have reason to feel good about their chances to be driving to home games in 2016. Here are some of those reasons…
For Los Angeles:
Rams owner Stan KroenkeKroenke’s actions have made it clear he’s not interested in having his team in St. Louis.
-Kroenke’s actions over the course of the last year clearly showed a desire to move his franchise to L.A. Not talking to the customers who support his team in St. Louis, refusing to talk to anyone in a position to help him build a stadium in St. Louis, and initially purchasing the land at Hollywood Park were all clear indicators that he doesn’t want to run his business in St. Louis.
-The NFL clearly wants a team in the USA’s second largest market. Several owners have made it a point to tell people that the Rams were going to move. Commissioner Roger Goodell has frequently talked about getting the league back in L.A. The NFL has its television network based in L.A., and has made no secret of its desire to half a west coast wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
-From a media standpoint, Fox Sports is based in Los Angeles, and ESPN has developed a major presence there. L.A. is the entertainment capital of the world, and provides media coverage for a franchise there that isn’t available in St. Louis.
-There are a lot of incredibly rich businesses and people in Los Angeles. When the NFL sent out a questionnaire to potential fans in the area, the league asked about their willingness to pay $50,000 for lower level club PSL’s, and $25,000 for upper level. Kroenke is planning an 80,000 seat stadium that will likely cost $1.5 billion. Combine that with a relocation fee of $500 million, and it’s a $2 billion move. An average PSL price of $25,000 for 80,000 seats would give Kroenke $2 billion, allowing him to pay off his stadium without affecting his personal fortune. As we all know, you don’t make $5.6 billion by spending wildly on what someone else will pay for.
-Visiting teams would realize a windfall if the Rams would charge a minimum of $100 per ticket, as was suggested in the NFL questionnaire. There’s a 60/40 split of non-premium ticket proceeds for each game. So the teams in the NFC West, from a financial perspective, would certainly prefer 40% of the take of 80,000 really expensive seats in L.A. to 40% of the 64,000 pretty expensive seats in St. Louis.
-That rich fan base is passionate about bringing the Rams back. The Rams welcomed those fans to a tailgate get together in San Diego when the Rams visited there in December. The passion for the Rams is greater in the Southland than their passion for the Chargers or the Raiders, teams that also could in theory relocate.
-It’s far from a guarantee that St. Louis and Missouri government leaders will approve an extension of the bonds that currently are applied to the Edward Jones Dome. Even if it is simply an extension of what people are already paying, there are people in our country, as we know, that don’t want the government to get or spend any additional dollars for any more time.
-The NFL has already bent their rules to accommodate Kroenke. They agreed to allow him to skirt their cross ownership rules by continuing to own the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche until December of 2014. When he decided he needed more than three and a half years to comply, they gave him a one year extension. If they’re going to allow Kroenke to skirt those rules, why not the relocation guidelines?
For St. Louis
-St. Louis has detailed plans for a new stadium. As Jay Nixon’s stadium task force, attorney Bob Blitz and former Anheuser-Busch President David Peacock unveiled details on Friday. They provided knowledge of where the facility will be, how it will fit, where parking will be, how it will be financed and what level of support taxpayers and fans will have to provide.
dave peacock-2Dave Peacock has been in close contact with the NFL regarding stadium plans for St. Louis.
-The NFL is aware of the St. Louis plan. Multiple reports suggested that the NFL was blindsided by Kroenke’s plan, but Peacock met with NFL Vice President-Stadium Development Eric Grubman, and has been in constant contact with the league about his plans.
-The franchise is already based in St. Louis, and the NFL’s own relocation guidelines say “Because League policy favors stable team-community relations, clubs are obligated to work diligently and in good faith to obtain and to maintain suitable stadium facilities in their home territories, and to operate in a manner that maximizes fan support in their current home community.” These guidelines, ironically, are a result of the Raiders moving to Los Angeles in 1982 without league approval to do so.
-St. Louis and Missouri have displayed enough alacrity in terms of providing the Rams a proposal, especially considering that Kroenke won’t communicate with them. Red McCombs purchased the Vikings in 1998 and approached new governor Jesse Ventura about a new stadium, and Ventura told him he wouldn’t even consider it.
Then McCombs met with new Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty in 2003, and Pawlenty said he would provide no help. McCombs sold the team to the family of Zygi Wilf in 2005, and they worked with the state until reaching a stadium deal in 2012. The Vikings will start play in their new stadium in 2016, eighteen years after their first request. The 49ers wanted to build on the site of Candlestick Park starting in 2006 and were rebuffed. They worked out their deal with Santa Clara in 2010, and started play at their privately financed Levis Stadium in 2014, eight years after their first try. Jim Irsay of the Colts declared that he needed a new stadium in 2002, and reached agreement for the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium in August of 2005. The Colts moved into their new facility six years after their first request, in 2008. The Chargers first asked for a new stadium in San Diego in 2000, and are still trying, with their seventh mayor since their initial request. In Atlanta, Falcons owner Arthur Blank requested a new stadium in April of 2010, and reached agreement to fund most of the new facility more than three years later, in May of 2013. With Blank footing 70%-80% of the bill, that stadium will open in 2017, seven years after the initial request.
bob blitzBob Blitz, another member of Nixon’s task force, has indicated corporate support is strong for an NFL team in St. Louis.
So while the narrative from the Rams may be that the region didn’t act quickly enough for their liking, the fact is that the Rams beat the CVC in their arbitration on February 2 of 2013, not even two years ago. Until then, nobody knew if there would be a need for a new facility. Relative to the rest of the league, if the team’s owner doesn’t participate, how can a proposal within two years that would have the team in a new stadium eight seasons later be too little, too late?
-St. Louis, despite the departure of at least ten Fortune 500 companies since the franchise arrived in St. Louis, has enough corporate support to make an NFL team more than competitive. On Friday, Peacock said “I like to deal in fact and data. The facts are half of the NFL teams play in cities with less Fortune 1000 companies than St. Louis has. We have seven of the top 200 private companies in the country. From just an economic standpoint, about 13 teams play in cities with a smaller GDP, if you will, or economy, than St. Louis. So it’s hard for me to say we don’t have the business support or the capability of business support.” The Rams seem to think that those companies should spend money with them simply because they’re in the NFL. If the Rams compete on the field at a higher level, they’ll be able to utilize those companies for their financial gain.
-The financial consequences of trying to move a franchise without approval could be enormous. In August of 2010, Kroenke joined a club of 31 other owners and agreed to abide by their rules. Of course, that includes relocation guidelines. The league will determine any relocation fee. And in 1996 when Ken Behring moved the Seahawks to Anaheim for a week, the NFL threatened to fine him $500,000 a day for every day he was there. $500,000 a day would wipe out Kroenke’s fortune in less than three years.
-With a new TV contract that started this year and runs through 2021, the league won’t see much immediate financial impact from a move of any team to Los Angeles. Certainly that market will contribute more to NFL properties with merchandise sales, but having those eyes on televisions for a team in L.A. won’t benefit the league until the next TV deal. Financially, the only major beneficiary of a move in 2016 would be Kroenke, and as those pesky guidelines say, “no club has an “entitlement” to relocate simply because it perceives an opportunity for enhanced club revenues in another location. Indeed, League traditions disfavor relocations if a club has been well-supported and financially successful and is expected to remain so.” The Rams traditionally have been well supported in St. Louis, relative to their on-field success, and indeed had their highest attendance since 2008 this past season.
Ultimately, the owners own the L.A. market and will make this decision, and it may not please St. Louis fans when all is said and done. But after Friday’s announcement, it would seem as if St. Louis is able to pull this stadium proposal off, the NFL would have to throw its rules out the window to allow a Rams transfer back to Los Angeles.
http://www.101sports.com/2015/01/12/rams-staying-leaving-arguments-sides/
Agamemnonvery interesting. wow.
I could post stuff the bernie wrote, but who wants to post stuff by bernie. 😉
AgamemnonJerry Jones “The Rams can move” from the NY Times. See the linc
JONES SAYS RAMS CAN MOVE When the St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced plans last week to build an 80,000-seat football stadium near downtown Los Angeles, it raised the specter that he might unilaterally move his team to Southern California.After his announcement, the N.F.L. reiterated that any team relocation must be approved by at least 24 out of the league’s 32 owners. The N.F.L. controls the Los Angeles market, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that any move there must be done in an orderly way.
But in an interview last week, the Dallas Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, said that while he prefers that the owners approve any team moving to Los Angeles, a team could possibly move there without league approval.
Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story
Continue reading the main story
“As it would turn out now, apart from the league saying no, you can move there,” he said. “Keep in mind that teams have moved without the permission of the league. They just have.”
Asked if Kroenke could move on his own, Jones said: “He can if the league says he can’t.”
Asked if the N.F.L. preferred to coordinate any relocation, Jones said: “Again, there are just certain things that clubs can do.”
Jones’s comments are bound to stir interest in a murky and emotional process because he is one of the N.F.L.’s most powerful and unconventional owners.
The league said last month that the Rams, the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders would not move to Los Angeles in 2015. But Kroenke has the ability to shift to a year-to-year lease at the Edward Jones Dome, where the Rams play.That would give him the flexibility to leave St. Louis in the coming years.
“The idea of Stan going ahead and making his announcement was driven by all of the right things,” said Jones, who cited Kroenke’s having a deal for a location and his owning a team with “a great legacy.”
Jones added, “All of that is to me a very positive thing for Los Angeles and for the N.F.L.”
Last week, civic leaders in Missouri unveiled plans to build a new 64,000-seat outdoor stadium in downtown St. Louis to persuade Kroenke to stay. KEN BELSON
Grits
http://theramshuddle.com/topic/relocation-thread-3-starting-with-charges-stirring-up-a-fight/#post-16413
I already posted that, grits. Agamemnonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8b0HnC4d_A
@ 39 seconds in. The Broncos might be for sale in 2015. That could add an interesting twist to the drama. 😉 AgamemnonJONES SAYS RAMS CAN MOVE When the St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced plans last week to build an 80,000-seat football stadium near downtown Los Angeles, it raised the specter that he might unilaterally move his team to Southern California.
After his announcement, the N.F.L. reiterated that any team relocation must be approved by at least 24 out of the league’s 32 owners. The N.F.L. controls the Los Angeles market, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that any move there must be done in an orderly way.
But in an interview last week, the Dallas Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, said that while he prefers that the owners approve any team moving to Los Angeles, a team could possibly move there without league approval.
“As it would turn out now, apart from the league saying no, you can move there,” he said. “Keep in mind that teams have moved without the permission of the league. They just have.”
Asked if Kroenke could move on his own, Jones said: “He can if the league says he can’t.”
Asked if the N.F.L. preferred to coordinate any relocation, Jones said: “Again, there are just certain things that clubs can do.”
Jones’s comments are bound to stir interest in a murky and emotional process because he is one of the N.F.L.’s most powerful and unconventional owners.
The league said last month that the Rams, the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders would not move to Los Angeles in 2015. But Kroenke has the ability to shift to a year-to-year lease at the Edward Jones Dome, where the Rams play.
That would give him the flexibility to leave St. Louis in the coming years.
“The idea of Stan going ahead and making his announcement was driven by all of the right things,” said Jones, who cited Kroenke’s having a deal for a location and his owning a team with “a great legacy.”
Jones added, “All of that is to me a very positive thing for Los Angeles and for the N.F.L.”
Last week, civic leaders in Missouri unveiled plans to build a new 64,000-seat outdoor stadium in downtown St. Louis to persuade Kroenke to stay. KEN BELSON
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/sports/football/buffalo-bills-make-it-official-rex-ryan-is-their-coach.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=1&referrer= AgamemnonAnybody think Fox is a better coach
than Fisher? Just curious.w
vNo. I think it is all about the players. I think the best coaches can have a 20% positive increase on performance. The worst coaches can have a much more negative effect on performance, but then they wouldn’t be in the NFL. imo
AgamemnonI can’t believe someone is posting that Shane Gray crap here.
It is me, grits. I will have to look for some more. 😉 In the mean time, all I have is this.
NFL
Find this article at: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000169306/article/minnesota-vikings-unveil-images-of-new-downtown-stadium
Minnesota Vikings unveil images of new downtown stadiumAssociated Press
Published: May 13, 2013 at 09:17 p.m.
Updated: May 14, 2013 at 03:35 p.m.MINNEAPOLIS — Opening the roof over the new home of the Minnesota Vikings would have forced planners of the $975 million project to eliminate some of the fancy features.
So the team, the public agency in charge of the stadium and the architects designing it literally saw the light. The yet-to-be-named multipurpose facility will have a translucent roof and moveable front windows.
Bryan Trubey, the lead architect for the project for the Dallas-based HKS Sports and Entertainment Group, presented images to a crowd of fans, public officials and members of the Vikings organization Monday night. The event took place at the Guthrie Theater, a few blocks from where the stadium will be built in downtown Minneapolis.
It will replace the 31-year-old Metrodome, which the Vikings will vacate after the 2013 season. They’ll play outside at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium for two years while the new venue is under construction.
In 2016, the Vikings will move back indoors. From the look of the new 65,000-seat building, though, they’ll feel a little like they’re playing in the elements, albeit with a controlled climate and protection from the rain, wind and snow.
“It’s a beautiful building,” center John Sullivan said after the unveiling.
The steeply pitched roof will let natural light stream in, making the covered, glass-centric stadium seem more like it’s outside. Trubey said the covering will be the world’s largest transparent roof.
“Clear is the new retractable,” he said.
Like the aquatics center in Beijing built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the southern half of the stadium’s roof will be built with a material known as ETFE, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene. The solar power generated from the sun that streams in will help make the building more energy-efficient.
The slope of the roof will also allow for easier snow removal. The Metrodome’s Teflon roof infamously collapsed during a storm in December 2010, forcing the Vikings to play their last two home games that season elsewhere.
The Vikings have also focused on creating a fan experience that can’t be replicated elsewhere, from special lounges for following fantasy football results to intimate sightlines to the sidelines. Two giant scoreboards will measure more than 50 feet by 120 feet each.
Dozens of purple-jersey-clad fans snatched up the limited amount of free tickets available to the public, singing a couple of bars of the team fight song, “Skol Vikings,” before the program began.
They cheered the handful of key officials who helped shepherd the project to approval through the tricky channels of state and city politics. One of the luminaries who appeared on stage to tout the design was former Vikings head coach Bud Grant, who took the team to four Super Bowls.
“I’ve always been an advocate of outdoor football,” Grant said. “Not anymore.”
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority unanimously approved the design, forwarding it on to the city of Minneapolis for review. Minnesota lawmakers hoped they could pay for the stadium without new taxes, relying instead on electronic gambling devices in bars and restaurants to cover $348 million in state debt.
But establishments and their patrons have been slow to embrace the new games, and the money has been barely trickling in. The law gave state officials the power to launch a new scratch-off lottery game and impose suite taxes to cover any gaps, but there has been no indication they will.
Instead, Gov. Mark Dayton and top legislators are working over various options, including a new sports memorabilia tax, to make up the difference. Bonds to pay for stadium construction are supposed to be sold in August, but the state might alter the process to keep costs down. They’ve insisted that construction will proceed as scheduled.
The Vikings and the NFL are on the hook for $477 million, including a $200 million loan from the league. The city of Minneapolis will contribute $150 million, through redirection of existing hospitality sales taxes.
“We’re using public money, but at the same time it’s going to benefit the public,” Sullivan said. “In my mind, as a taxpaying resident of the state of Minnesota, that seems like a good way to spend our tax dollars.”
View more photos of the new stadium design here.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press
AgamemnonLatest Thoughts on Stan Kroenke, the Rams and the NFL in St. Louis
Shane Gray posted on January 08, 2015 11:12By now, most everyone is aware of Sam Farmer’s Los Angeles Times report that broke the news of St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s plans to team up with Stockbridge Capital Group to construct an NFL stadium and multifaceted development at Hollywood Park — a location that has been rumored as a potential league venue site since the mid 1990s.
As Farmer points out, there have been more than a dozen L.A. area stadium proposals that have come and gone over the last 20 years. Will the aforementioned Kroenke plan, however, finally be the one that goes from conceptualization to reality and ultimately bring the NFL back to L.A.? At this point at least, the answer to that question would appear to be a yes.
With that said, I would like to touch on a multitude of topics in response to the prospective Kroenke/Stockbridge Capital Group stadium development:
-As I have pointed out previously, there has never been a team relocate with a state of the art venue plan approved in its current market, even prior to the introduction of the NFL’s relocation guidelines and certainly not since they were tweaked and tightened following the moving mayhem that took place in the 1990s. When considering how the NFL controls the L.A. market, that specific league guidelines are in place related to potential relocation and the above-mentioned historical precedence that no team has moved with an approved stadium plan in place at home, local fans have reason to maintain hopes of keeping the Rams in St. Louis.
-In spite of the thinking of a vast many observers, the Rams future is a long way from being decided.
For one, As Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times emphasized here with supportive evidence, both the pro Rams to L.A. crowd and the keep the Rams in St. Louis contingent should take a wait-and-see approach in regard to anything NFL to L.A. related. Those who are suggesting the Rams to L.A. is somehow a done deal need a reality check.
As I detailed in this feature a few months back and as was covered this week by Farmer and Nathan Fenno of the L.A. Times, the league and its franchises have extensively used the nation’s number two market to help spur deals in other cities. In fact, the Farmer/Fenno column linked above reports that 18 teams have been connected to L.A. at some point in recent years.
For whatever reason(s) — in spite of lessons that should have easily been learned by the history shared above — people are completely convinced that this time it just has to be different. Inexplicably, people in the media and other interested observers alike have already decided that there is no chance that any of this could be leverage related.
But why in the world is that stance taken? Aren’t these people looking at this from a very close-minded and limited perspective?
How come people assume that there has to be a limit to a leverage play, rather than understanding that the bigger the play the bigger the possible reward? Short of loading up the moving vans and driving out of town, there is no official leverage limit that actually exists. Even then — as was evidenced with the Seahawks fiasco in 1996 — that doesn’t guarantee a move.
In short, the bigger the play the bigger the potential response in terms of getting a larger and better deal from a city and state. To think otherwise is foolish.
I guess the fact that The Kroenke Group voluntarily released this information days before the local proposal was to come out — and yes we are talking about “Silent Stan” here — could not have possibly involved other motivations other than the ones that people assume that it did. Apparently, it is inconceivable that this news broke intentionally for the reason of upping the ante for a better offer from Peacock/Blitz just before the proposal was submitted to Nixon and released to the public. Nixon, by the way, will get to recommend changes that he sees fit upon viewing the plan.
I mean, I know it is just beyond absurd to consider, but what if the potential L.A. project indeed was made known at this time to help ensure that the St. Louis proposal was pressured to the utmost at the last second to entice the very best offer possible in the next few days? Nah, that couldn’t possibly be something that a shrewd businessman would even consider doing. Impossible.
Sorry for the overly thick use of sarcasm, but it is as if people just assume there is some imaginary line in the sand that says if you cross this point then what is occurring just cannot possibly involve an effort to extract a more beneficial deal. It’s as if the thinking is that if it looks a little real and a little threatening then that could indeed be leverage, but when something is done that actually creates an even greater position of power and positioning and looks even realer, well, then that somehow eliminates the possibility of leverage.
Sorry, but just as it is silly to dismiss the potential that Kroenke could ultimately make a strong attempt to both build a venue in L.A. and move the Rams, it is also just as silly to assume that there is no chance that any of this is possibly related to coercing an optimal offer.
On that point, Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today and Woody Paige of the Denver Post are among many who have suggested the possibility of a very powerful leverage play being at work here in an attempt to get the very best deal conceivable in Missouri.
Secondly, even if a move is ultimately attempted, its approval is far from a lock. The league tightened and altered the moving guidelines since the musical chairs of relocation that occurred during the 1990s, as former Raiders CEO Amy Trask told Jim Thomas in this report. A team would have to prove it has exhausted all options in its current market and meet a plethora of requirements as detailed in the NFL’s rules for relocation — many of which the Rams have not yet met.
Let me be clear: the Rams did not meet relocation guideline requirements during the arbitration process, in spite what some desperately want to believe. They have certainly not “exhausted all options in the current market”, among other prerequisites which have not been met.
Yes, the Rams would be free to go due to the arbitration ruling if St. Louis was not trying to put together a viable new stadium plan. If that were the case, then yes, the arbitration process would have went a lot further towards placing the Rams in position of fulfilling the league’s relocation criteria. But with St. Louis working on other options and a stadium plan that the league is said to like, the arbitration process was not anything close to the be all/end all related to the Rams future in the STL.
In addition, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reports that Chargers owner Dean Spanos believes he has at least nine votes in place to block an attempted move even if Kroenke were to attempt to uproot the Rams.
Thirdly, even if Kroenke attempts to move without approval, an unapproved move could cost a rogue franchise their share of league-wide TV revenues, among other possible penalties. Obviously, such financial losses would be significant as each NFL team took in nearly $200 million in TV revenues a year ago.
With all that said, there are a plethora of possible outcomes regarding this situation, including but not limited to:
-The possibility of Kroenke developing and profiting from the land around the proposed new edifice and then leasing the football facilities out to another team or team(s) — even if done in the name of Stockbridge — and profiting from both the stadium and surrounding development while keeping the Rams in St. Louis in a new venue with added revenue streams that would significantly increase the value of his franchise while avoiding a relocation fee and other costs associated with a move. That would be quite the coup, but would anyone put it past him at this point?
As for Governor Nixon’s Dave Peacock/Bob Blitz stadium task force and their coming proposal, they will and should forge forward with the retention of the Rams being the first priority of their effort to secure a multidimensional development that would include a new stadium, the retention of the NFL, the prospects of an MLS franchise as well as extensive ancillary development surrounding the facility.
Rather than throwing their hands up and crawling into the fetal position due to the news of Kroenke’s L.A. interest, the Peacock/Blitz team should be all the more determined to fight for the Rams by continuing to work directly with the NFL to bring about a solution that makes it virtually impossible for the organization to relocate.
Some have said, why try to keep them if they want to go?
First, far too many are assuming the appearance of wanting to move equates to a fact that Kroenke indeed desires to move. In spite of the strong indications that this is the case, it is not necessarily so.
Secondly, there are but 31 cities in the world who play host to the National Football League, and hosting one of the franchises is a big deal. If the Rams leave, there are no guarantees that another team will ever again call the Gateway City home.
Thirdly, for those who are justifiably upset at Kroenke, why let him have what many believe he wants without fighting tooth and nail to keep the Rams? Why make it easy on him? Why not work with the NFL to do everything possible to stop him from removing the Rams from Missouri? For those angry with the Rams owner, what better way to get back at him than for the city and state to come up with a plan that prevents him from getting what many have decided he desires elsewhere?
Finally, if the NFL blocks a move of the Rams and Kroenke is dead set on getting to L.A., he might then decide to sell the franchise and buy another team to perhaps attempt to move to California rather than keeping ownership of the Rams in St. Louis. At that point, he could either be stuck in the Lou or sell the club to another ownership group.
With all that and more considered, leaders should clench their jaws and move ahead with steadfast determination to see this through and come away with their stated goals achieved. Now is not the time to quit, it is the time to start fighting with enhanced fervor.
While focusing on the Rams, it is wise that the Peacock/Blitz team continue to look into other alternatives (hello Raiders or Jags) and do what is reasonable to retain the NFL and move forward with a project that could do at least four things:
1: If done correctly, it will retain an NFL presence in some way shape or form — preferably with the Rams. After all, starting with a new fanbase for a third time would be far from an ideal outcome.
2: A new venue would free up the dome to add dates from August through January and increase revenues there substantially. At last report, the dome/convention center was bringing in north of $150 million per year. With the facility enhanced and adapted, it is possible that eventually those revenues could double (and certainly create a net gain annually over what new venue costs would be per year).
3: This project would facilitate development of blighted land and bring year round jobs to a region of St. Louis that could use them, as well as enhance tourist activity which also generates more revenue.
4: A new venue could also bring the MLS to the Gateway City, something that would generate added revenues at the stadium and in the city while making a whole lot of soccer lovers very happy.
–As for the possibility of adding another NFL team if the Rams indeed attempt a move and get away, a new venue could accomplish that feat with the increases in franchise value and revenue streams it would bring considered.
An educated guess would suggest that both the Raiders and Jaguars could be in play under that scenario.
The Raiders would bring a natural rivalry with the cross-state Chiefs (assuming they remained in the AFC West), and the Jaguars would bring owner Shad Khan and top executive Mark Lamping — among others — home to the St. Louis region.
–At this stage, the best thing for fans in both St. Louis and L.A. to do is to let the dust settle just a bit.
There are a lot of variables at play here, and this saga in St. Louis — and in L.A. — is far from over. In fact, there will be several more twists and turns before things are ultimately resolved.
AgamemnonSo much for Greg Roman. Per @NFLonFOX, Roman has finalized deal to become Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) January 12, 2015
AgamemnonIf I call it a catch, then I can enjoy Dallas getting jobbed. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_115N5BTKw
Agamemnonhttp://fox2now.com/2015/01/11/david-peacock-discusses-stadium-proposal-with-fox2/
(KTVI) – The proposal for a new downtown St. Louis riverfront stadium brought with it many questions. Why downtown? Why no retractable roof? Will the public vote on the funding?
FOX 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne sits down with Dave Peacock, the co-chair of the St. Louis Stadium Task Force.
Watch video at webpage.
AgamemnonAgamemnon wrote:
A poster that works hard on scouting, from Ram Stalk. They use blue font.Except there, blue font is code for “while I am mildly puzzled, I am also a bit intrigued.”
I think.
Designer blue?
AgamemnonA poster that works hard on scouting, from Ram Stalk. They use blue font. 😉
thehammer
Post
my early top 100 prospects list
Posted: 11 Jan 2015 12:00 pmjust some draft talk…CH stands for character give some players a +/- score
1. Marcus Mariota QB Oregon
2. Williams DE/DT USC 6’5 298
3. Jameis Winston
4. Ronnie Staley OT Notre Dame soph 6’6 320 dancers feet with long arm LOT lacks anger
Randy Gregory DE/LB Nebraska fluid/smooth
5.Shane Ray 6’3 245 DE/LB elite burst
6.Amarai Cooper WR Alabama elite speed, very strong. Lacks some quickness out of his breaks drops catch able balls breaks CH+++
7.Shaq Thompson LB
8. Danny Shelton NT/DT 6’2 332 Washington massive0/1 tech works his butt off with great vision production
9. Andrus Peat LT Stanford LT 6’7 320 long arms noticeable difference power in run vs. pass
10. Landon Collins SS Alabama
11. Vic Beasley LB Clemson 6’2 235 33 career sacks not as good as Von Miller but close
12 Brandon Scherff OT/G 6’5 310 Iowa very strong lacks quickness to be elite lt
13 TJ Clemmings OT Pittsburgh 6’5 310 RT/LT physical and fast plays rt but could easily play left
14.Kevin White WR 6’4 215 West Virginia JC guy a natural..huge hands fluid
15 Dorial Green Beckham WR Oklahoma 6’5 225 CH– fast…similar to Green
Lael Collins OT/G LSU mean spirited road grader..might be athletic enough to stay at LT
16 Todd Gurley RB 6’1 226 Georgia elite rb speed power/hands might miss some time coming of ACL
17 Ereck Flowers OT Miami 6’6 325 powerful with enough quickness to play LT
18 Dante Fowler DE/LB 6’1 260 Florida junior elite burst
19. DeVante Parker WR Louisville
20 PJ Williams CB Florida st 6’0 200 runs like a deer hits like a truck
21 Marcus Peters CB Washington 6’0 198 CH— suspended in 2014 11 career int 35 pd drag down, indifferent tackler but fast talented shutdown cb
22 Sammie Coates WR Auburn very strong..runs through arm tackles good speed below avg hands routes 4.37 speed junior???
23 Michael Bennett DT Ohio St 6’2 290 quick feet hard worker productive best as 3 tech but can anchor
24 DeForest Buckner DE/DT perfect 3-4 de 6’6 286 NFL body nice burst long arms
25 Melvin Gordon RB Wisconsin 6’1 207 scary burst/speed quick feet /zero yards after contact hard worker/team player
26 CB Trae Waynes, Michigan State 6’1 185 fast good instincts good not great hips tackler
27 Jaelen Strong WR Arizona at 6’3 220 75 1062 14.2 10
Similar to Floyd lacks elite separation but huge hands/strong body
28 Malcolm Brown DT Texas 6’4 320 productive junior season bull rush only players very strong big bear good vision finds the ball
Benardrick McKinney top athlete little stiff made for a 3-4
29 Hundley QB UCLA Brain/talent zero instincts
30 Alvin Dupree DE Kentucky 6’4 270 lde lacks elite burst smart good athlete hard worker similar to mizzou de 40 vertical jump broad jump at 10-foot-7
31 Cedric Ogbuehi OT Texas A&M 6’5 300 LT lacks power/weak hands athletic quick drop in pass pro
32. David Cobb RB Minnesota 5’11 230 2800+ yards in last 2 years quick feet sub 4.5 speed major yards after contact
33. Denzil Perryman MLB Miami CH++ 5’11 240 squat mlber takes on blocks instinctive smart, productive
34.Nate Orchard DE Utah 6’4 255 CH+++ econ major … 24 career sacks 37.5 career tfl … seven career ff9 career pass breakups hard worker good motor speed lacks some strength 17.5 sacks 20 tfl as a senior
35. Gerod Holliman FS Louisville CH— 6’0 200 15 int 17 pd elite instincts indifferent tackler
36 Eric Kendricks OLB UCLA 6’0 230 wil only type but mega instincts/productions
37 Jake Fisher OT Oregon 6’6 300 RT really nice player..combative light feet
38 Grayson Colorado St QB 6’2 220 great pocket awareness/mobile acg arm/size
39.Marcus Golden DE Mizzou
40..Nelson Agholor USC WR/PR 6’1 190 junior elite slot wr..very productive 8 career td on pr t. The junior had 104 receptions for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014
41 Paul Dawson LB TCU scary production as a senior..major playmaker whether vs run or in coverage
42. Maxx Williams TE Minnesota 6’4 250 16.4 top athlete elite blocker soft hands good speed classic Y tad short
43 Danielle Hunter DE LSU 6’6 240 junior 8 tfl 3 sacks very lanky struggles to run a small arc..lacks strong hand supper body stength good at knocking passes down and straight line speed
44.Arik Armstead Oregon 6’7 305 DE junior 37 tackles 5.5 tfl for loss as junior passes the eyeball test but where’s the anger/passion?
45 Rashad Greene WR Florida st ..just gets open elite slot wr
46 Kevin Fuchness TE/WR Michigan 6’5 230 lacks quickness /speed more a te similar to Cook but better hands less speed
47. AJ Cann G Auburn l CH++ lacks elite power/quickness passes the eyeball test nice kid
48 .Lorenzo Mauldin DE/LB Louisville 6’4 250 25 tfl 16 sacks last 2 years fluid fast good player
49.Quentin Rollins CB Miami of Ohio 6’0 203 1 year starter former point guard elite production
50. Ty Sambrailo Colorado St T/G 6’5 315 LT elite athlete lacks upper body strength great job of sliding picking up blitzers/2nd
51. Ty Montgomery WR/KR /PR Stanford 6’2 215 poor mans Cordarrelle Patterson.. very good after the catch..avg before
52 Cameron Erving C/G/OT Florida 6’6 300
53. Jeff Heuerman TE Ohio St 6’5 260 4.68 CH+++ good not great hands solid blocker..long strider extrovert senior bowl
54 Cody Prewitt FS Mississippi 6’2 217 CH+++ aca rangy, instinctive fs with sideline speed career 12 int 25 pd
Chris Hackett FS TCU junior 6’2 195 1st Big 12 7 int as a junior very good tackler and coverage safety
54 Charles Gaines CB Louisville 5’10 5 180 junior graduated super fast/fluid great hips trash talker avg tackler
55 Ifo Ekpre-Olomu CB Oregon heady productive cb without elite measurables
56 D’Joun Smith CB 5’10 190 Florida International 9 career int 41 career pd senior bowl…elite vision/hands good not great athlete
57 Hauoli Kikaha LB/DE 6’3 246 CH+++ x judo/wrestler champion 33 career sacks 51 tfl elite burst crazy upper body strength
58 Devin Smith WR Ohio St 6’1 190 4.38 speed a burner senior bowl
59 Ameer Abdullah RB Nebraska 5’9 195 CH+++ fast outside runner type
60 Eli Harold 6’4 250 36.5 career tfl 17.5 sacks long strider athletic lacks power stiff hips
59 Josue Matias G Florida St
60. Reese Dismukes C mister smooth..does everthing well day 1 starter
61 Justin Hardy WR Eastern Carolina CH+++
62 Laken Tomlinson G Duke CH+++ long arms very good in pass pro solid vs. run but not a road grader and avg in 2nd level
63. Jordan Phillips dt Oklahoma 6’5 334 NT/1 tech junior athletic NT 39 tackles 7 tfl
64 Owamagbe Odighizuwa DE UCLA CH+++ 13-13 41 20 61 11.5 6.0 sacks 5 pd junior 1st year starter bull rush, smart lde type of player
65 Hroniss Grasu C Oregon Ch+++
66 Derron Smith FS Fresno St 5’11 197 CH+++ leadership brainy/productive
67 Duke Johnson RB 5’9 206 junior very good 3rd down back skinny legs fast
68.Trey Flowers DE Arkansas 6’3 270 CH+++ looks lazy at times little anger..decent numbers 2nd SEC 34 34 68 15.5 6.0
69. Arie Kouandjio G Alabama 6’5 320 CH++ ACA econ major powerful player does a solid job in pass pro lacks some flexibility knee injuries a concern
70 Mike Davis RB South Carolina 5’9 223 tough downhill runner
71 Senquez Golson CB 5’9 176 Mississippi 16 career int 10 senior season All American small nickle back only good not great speed
72 Clive Walford TE Miami 6’4 260 junior 121career rec 14 td senior bowl
73 Danielle Hunter DE LSU 6’6 240 junior 8 tfl 3 sacks very lanky struggles to run a small arc..lacks strong hands/ upper body strength good at knocking passes down and straight line speed
74 Tyler Lockett WR/PR Kansas St CH+++ elite slot wr/pr
75 Christian Covington dt Rice 6’3 300 junior 1st team Conf USA as a soph injured junior season 59 ytackkles 4 sacks `14 tfl and 3 pd as a soph
76 Mike Davis RB
77 Mario Edwards Jr.DE Florida St 6’3 294
78 Tony Washington lb Oregon 6’3 250 CH+++ 23 tfl 13 sacks and 8 forced fumbles last 2 years hard hitter..3-4 teams will love him
79 Bryce Petty QB Baylor 6’3 220 CH+++ smart spread decent arm
weight lifter productive
80 Ramik Wilson MLB Georgia. 6’2 240 CH+++ Hits like a tank 140 tackles 22 tfl last 2 years
82 Anthony Harris FS/SS Virginia 6’1 190 19 career pd 11 int 270+ tackles
83 Tyler Kroft TE Rutgers junior 6’5 ½ 240 lanky te with very good speed/body control tries to block
84 Preston Smith DE Mississippi St 6’4 ½ 270 strong at poa slightly above avg quickness 48 tackles 15 tfl 9 sacks senior
85 Tre’ Jackson G 6’3 325 lacks quickness strong vs. run
86 Kevin Johnson CB Wake Forest 6’ 175 better in off but can press good eyes forward burst skinny struggles to tackle 35 pd 7 career int 2nd ACC
87 Jamil Douglas G Arizona St 6’4 300 CH+++ ACA leadership 1st team Pac 10 at LT…athletic plays angry Douglas is a long-time reliable starter, a ridiculous physical specimen who can power clean 385 pounds, squat 565, run a sub-5 second forty, and has a body fat measurement in the teens
88 Ronald Darby cb Florida St 5’11 195 looks smaller fast not instinctive
89 TJ Yeldon RB Alabama
90. Damarious Randall FS Arizona St 83-18-101 tackles cb burst elite tackler former JC kid senior bowl 3 int 11 pd as a senior
91. Nick Oleary TE Florida St 6’3 247 very smooth rt runner with solid hands
92 Sean Mannion QB Oregon St 6’5 220 CH+++ accurate pocket passer battles/lacks mobility
93 Max Garcia C/G/OT Florida 6’4 300 CH+++ senior bowl 2nd team SEC at center as a senior very light feet/long arms functional strength to hold poa
94 Jordan Hicks LB Texas 6th year senior very good player
95 Hayes Pullard LB USC CH+++
96 Imoan Claiborne CB Northwestern LA 5’10 190 All American senior bowl tough kid solid tackler with speed /fast hips
97 Karlos Williams RB Florida St CH— 6’1 225 downhill runner with burst/long speed soft hands some shake and bake
98 Robert Myers OG/OT Tennesee St 6’5 310 Senior bowl invite
99 Andy Gallik C Boston College 6’2 300 bulldog type of player good quickness
98 Dres Anderson WR Utah 6’2 190 injured 2014 son of Flipper explosive speed 4.4 needs more strength
99. JaCorey Shepherd cb 5’11 190 CH+++ ACA 31 pd in 2 years former wr
100 Daryl Williams OT Oklahoma 6’6 320 RT not as bulky but similar to Loadholt AgamemnonUPDATED: Projecting Russell Wilson’s Extension
By: Michael GinnittiPublished: December 18, 2014UPDATED: Projecting Russell Wilson’s Extension
In just a few short weeks, Russell Wilson will finally become eligible for a greatly-earned contract extension. Arguably no other player currently active in the league is more deserving of a pay raise, and the Seahawks seems inclined to financially appease their franchise QB.
We’ll re-address a forecast compiled earlier this year, putting Wilson through our projection formula, pressing him up against four variable quarterbacks of similar skill and age to compare his statistical production both in the passing and rushing game over the past two seasons. In terms of Wilson, we’ll use statistics from the 2012 & 2013 season, while also projecting out his current 2014 figures for a full 16 games. The result will be a large, but doable forecast for Russell Wilson’s next contract in Seattle.
Notable NotesTo date, Russell Wilson has earned approximately $2.2M in his 3 NFL seasons. 496 NFL players (37 QBs) are earning more than that this year alone.
Wilson is earning $662,434 in 2014 cash for his efforts. 15 QBs are earning more than that per WEEK this season.
33 Seattle Seahawks are earning morning in 2014 than their starting QB.Comparable Quarterbacks
To generate a prediction the Spotrac team determined that the following quarterbacks were viable targets to use in comparing with Wilson. The key was to locate players with similar numbers, who signed their second contract around the age of 26, the age Wilson will be come the offseason. To determine a more likely starting point for our numbers, we’ll perform a linear regression of each contract listed below.
Player Length Value Avg. Salary Guaranteed Age When Signed
Aaron Rodgers 4 $110,000,000.00 $20,000,000 $20,000,000.00 30
Colin Kaepernick 6 $114,000,000 $19,000,000 $61,000,000 26
Alex Smith 4 $68,000,000 $17,000,000 $45,000,000 30
Andy Dalton 6 $96,000,000 $16,000,00 $17,000,000 26
Averages 5.25 $97,000,000 $18,500,000.00 $44,250,000.00 27
At 26 years old, Wilson should sign this deal at the same age that Kaepernick and Dalton did. However Rodgers and Smith were both older at the time of their deals. We’ll adjust their contracts up to reflect each as if it were signed at the age of 26 to provide a better scope for our base prediction.Related: View the list of Top Average Paid Quarterbacks in the NFL
Length Value Avg. Salary (slope)
6 $112,680,000 $18,780,000Passing Statistical Comparisons
We’ll first assess Wilson as a Passing QB only, comparing him to our variable QBs in terms of Games Played, Passing Yards per Season, Passing Yards per Game, Passing Touchdowns per Seasons, Interceptions per Season, and Completion % per Season.
Passing Statistics
Player G/YR YDS/YR YDs/G TDs/YR INT/YR Comp %/YR
Andy Dalton (2012-13, CIN) 16 3981 298.8 30 318 62.1
Alex Smith (2012-13, KC) 12.5 2525 202 18 6 63.5
Colin Kaepernick (2012-13, SF) 14.5 2506 172.8 16.5 5.5 59.8
Aaron Rodgers (2011-12, GB) 15.5 4469 288.3 42 7 67.6
AVERAGES 14.625 3370.25 240.4 26.625 9.125 63.25
Russell Wilson (2012-14, SEA) 16 3274 204.6 23 8 63.1
% Change 9.40% -2.86% -14.92% -13.62% 12.33% -.2
MEDIAN PRIME PERCENTAGE: -1.55%
Average PRIME PErcentage: -1.65%
When comparing these numbers to our previous analysis of Wilson, he’s actually dipped a bit in terms of the passing game in 2014. To be fair, his receiving core (including the tight end position) isn’t what it used to be in terms of experience and talent.RushingStatistical Comparisons
Now let’s take a look at how these quarterbacks rate in terms of rushing statistics. We’ll compare Rushing Attempts per Season, Rushing Yards per Season, Rushing Yards per Attempt, and Rushing Touchdowns per Season.
Rushing Statistics
Player Att. YDS/YR YDS/ATT. TDS/YR
Andy Dalton (2012-13, CIN) 54 152 2.81 3
Alex Smith (2012-13, KC) 53.5 282 5.27 .5
Colin Kaepernick (2012-13, SF) 78 470 6.02 4.5
Aaron Rodgers (2011-12, GB) 57 306 5.36 3.5
AVERAGES 60.625 302.5 4.87 2.875
Russell Wilson (2012-14, SEA) 108 687.5 6.25 5
% Change 78.14% 127.27% 28.34% 30.43%
MEDIAN PRIME PERCENTAGE: 54.29%
Average PRIME PErcentage: 66.05%As expected, Wilson absolutely dominates this comparison. He attempts 40% more rushes, accounting for more than double the yardage with the ball in his hands. While he’s fairly inline with our variable quarterbacks in the passing game, he’s FAR ahead of them in terms of these statistics. Furthermore he’s been asked to use his legs far more in 2014 than in previous years.
ResultsLength of the Contract
At 26 years old, and having already instantiated himself as the long-term franchise quarterback solution in Seattle, it’s perfectly likely the the Seahawks will choose to extend Wilson through the year 2021. As most of the recent quarterback extensions are adding 6 new years on, we’ll follow suit here.Value of the Contract
In terms of mathematics, and in the general role of the quarterback position across the league, it doesn’t make sense to weigh the passing analysis and the rushing analysis evenly. With that being said, we’ll apply our prime pecentages at a 70/30 ratio between the two categories respectively. This means we’ll assess Wilson at a + 16.29 Median Prime Percentage, and a +19.80 Average Prime Percentage. Our initial base contract provided an average salary of nearly $18.8M per year, a figure that would place him 7th among active quarterbacks.Final Thoughts
As far as contract extensions go, this one should be a no-brainer. The Seahawks struck gold when drafting Wilson when they did, and they’ve been getting maximum value from it for almost 3 complete seasons now. The time to reward the face of their franchise is now, and there’s really no questioning that notion.Financially speaking, the Seahawks currently have $105.6M allocated to their 2015 salary cap (estimated to be $138.6M in total based on league projections). While they have a few notable free agents to resign or replace this offseason, they appear to be in great shape to structure a deal that pays Wilson a handsome amount of upfront cash over the next three seasons (the name of the game).
When factoring in and averaging out our two Prime Percentages, we’re given the following forecast for Russell Wilson’s extension:
Spotrac’s Prediction: 6 years, $131,750,000
Average annual salary $21,958,333, estimated $64,000,000 guaranteed
– See more at: http://www.spotrac.com/research/nfl/updated-projecting-russell-wilsons-extension-489/#sthash.TpWIkQPL.dpuf AgamemnonBills expected to hire former 49ers OC Greg Roman as new OC to go along with Rex Ryan, per sources. The two worked together in Baltimore.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 11, 2015
Agamemnon -
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