Tipsheet: Rams give Chargers some stadium leverage

By Jeff Gordon

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/tipsheet-rams-give-chargers-some-stadium-leverage/article_0b169521-e3eb-596e-9e3a-7c1bbc5934e5.html

The San Diego Chargers have tried and tried and tried to get a new stadium built. Now Rams owner Stan Kroenke has given the franchise the leverage it has lacked to make that happen.

Chargers attorney Mark Fabiani made that abundantly clear while meeting with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s nine-member stadium advisory group this week. He claimed the Rams and/or Raiders returning to Los Angeles could cost the Chargers 25 percent of its current fan base.

“It would not be fair to the Chargers — a team that has worked for 14 years to find a stadium solution in San Diego County — to allow other teams that themselves abandoned the L.A. market to now return and gut the Chargers’ local revenue stream,” Fabiani said, according to a statement released to media members.

Qualcomm Stadium is 48 years old. A new stadium will be expensive — perhaps more than the $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion projected by city officials.

Gaining approval for public support of this project would be very difficult. Any proposal requiring two-thirds approval would have little hope of passing.

Like St. Louis, San Diego needs to find an answer that doesn’t rely on a successful vote.

Fabiani called on the panel to devise a real stadium solution, not a doomed proposal that would merely alleviate political pressure on those involved.

“The Chargers do not intend to waste years of time and millions of dollars on a proposal that city leaders simply do not have the capacity to actually implement,” he said. “In short, a proposal that looks good on paper should not be sufficient. What we all need is a proposal that our city government has the capacity to actually implement.”

Fabiani said the Chargers “have no intention of quietly participating in any effort to provide political cover for elected officials . . . Simply put, we have no intention of allowing the Chargers franchise to be manipulated for political cover — and we will call out any elected official who tries to do so.”

So the fun has begun. As long as St. Louis can devise a workable plan while San Diego and Oakland fail to do the same, this market has at a chance to remain in the NFL.

BUT also (Tavon aside) a lot of people, me included, like what they saw in Quick last year.

I also like the fact that Britt wore his jersey in all practices once he went out.

Quick could be something. Though it was a bad, bad injury…it may take him a while to come back.

zn note added via edit–there’s another fat active draft thread here: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/mock-draft-roundup-third-edition-posted-14-hours-ago-myles-simmons/

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Countdown to Combine: St. Louis Rams OG/C

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16175/countdown-to-combine-st-louis-rams-3

A closer look at the areas the St. Louis Rams could address in the draft. We’ll wrap it up today with a look at the interior offensive linemen, which are scheduled to work out Thursday in Indianapolis.

Position of need: Interior offensive line. At minimum, the Rams are going to need at least one new starter on the interior of the line with veteran Davin Joseph set to hit free agency after another rough season. They could also look to replace veteran Scott Wells, who struggled mightily in 2014. And some depth wouldn’t hurt either given the injury history of the only player on the interior with a settled situation moving forward, Rodger Saffold. The Rams gave up a sack on 8.7 percent of drop backs against four or fewer pass-rushers last season, the highest percentage in the NFL. They also allowed pressure (sack or duress) on 33 percent of their drop backs last season, third highest in the NFL.

Three players the Rams could target in the draft:

Cameron Erving, Florida State: One of the most intriguing prospects in the entire class, Erving will remind Rams fans of Barrett Jones in terms of his extensive history of versatility. Erving actually started his career as a defensive tackle before moving to left tackle in 2012 and 2013. He moved to center in 2014 and looked his most comfortable in the middle. At a shade over 6-foot-5, 298 pounds, Erving probably projects best as a center or guard in the NFL but figuring out his fit will be a mission for any team, including the Rams this week. Likewise, they’ll need to do some further medical research on Erving, who sat out in 2010 because of a back injury.

Laken Tomlinson, Duke: Tomlinson was one of the brightest spots of the Senior Bowl and has inched his way toward being one of the better true guards in the draft. A team captain who is a sturdy 6-3, 323 pounds, Tomlinson started all 52 games in his career and comes with no questions about his durability or injury history. Looks to have all the tools to be a dominant run-blocker but scouts wonder why he wasn’t more consistent in that area. That’s a question he’ll have to answer in Indy but if he does that and performs well in the workouts, he could solidify his spot as one of the top guards in the draft and be a potentially appealing option for the Rams.

A.J. Cann, South Carolina: Depending on which position you peg for LSU’s La’el Collins, Cann is generally regarded as the best true guard in the draft. He’s 6’3, 315 pounds and comes with a nearly impeccable record of production and intangibles. Not a mauler, per se, but proved a solid run-blocker with his footwork and understanding of angles. Keep an eye on how he measures and how he fares in the bench press because teams have some questions about his power and size.

wv wrote:

Seahawks 23

Rams 22

So. The Rams have had this one subtle disadvantage against the Hawkz. That one little Decider has been the fraction of difference.

Yet still, the Rams somehow went 1-1 against them last year with Davis n Hill at qb.

wv wrote:

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/12340408/new-england-patriots-employee-gave-unapproved-ball-official-lines-reports?addata=module-b

Deflate-gate Up-date

w
v

A locker room attendant for the New England Patriots tried to introduce an unapproved special teams football into last month’s AFC Championship Game, the same game at the center of the “Deflategate” allegations, four sources familiar with the investigation told “Outside the Lines.”

One source said that the attendant assigned to the officials’ locker room, identified as 48-year-old Jim McNally, has been interviewed by investigators for Ted Wells, the attorney the NFL hired last month to lead an investigation into allegations the Patriots intentionally used underinflated footballs on offensive plays in the first half of that game against the Indianapolis Colts, which New England won 45-7.

Three sources said that McNally has worked Patriots games for a decade, and has been in charge of the officials’ locker room at Gillette Stadium since at least 2008. In the first half of the AFC Championship Game, the sources said, McNally tried to give the unapproved football to an alternate official who was in charge of the special-teams footballs. Those footballs are known as “kicking balls” or “K balls.”

Before every NFL game, footballs are inspected and measured by NFL officials in their locker room before they can be approved for in-game use. The “K balls” are used for special teams, and not by the offenses of either team.

[+] EnlargeMcNally
Outside The LinesJim McNally, highlighted in upper left, attempted to give an unapproved football to an alternate official who was in charge of the special-teams footballs for the AFC Championship Game.

NFL officials put a special mark or stamp on each ball approved for use on offensive possessions, as well as the “K balls” used on special teams, to ensure only properly inspected and approved footballs are used in that game. Walt Anderson, the referee for the AFC title game, had personally inspected and marked each of the footballs that were approved for use in that game.

The alternate official, Greg Yette, became suspicious when he noticed that the football McNally handed him did not have the proper markings on it, three sources said. One of those sources added that Yette found it surprising that the officials’ locker room attendant was on the field, trying to hand him a ball, because officials’ locker room attendants don’t typically have ballhandling responsibilities during NFL games. Once McNally tried to introduce the unapproved football into the game, the source said, Yette notified the NFL’s vice president of game operations, Mike Kensil, who was at the game in the press box.

Sources said they are not sure at what point during the first half McNally tried to introduce the impermissible football to Yette. They didn’t know his motivation for doing so, either. Yette, when reached by “Outside the Lines,” declined to comment.

An “Outside the Lines” reporter approached McNally at his home in Amherst, New Hampshire, earlier this month, but he said, “I can’t talk to you,” waving the reporter away as he walked up his driveway.

McNally is a part-time employee who was hired by The Kraft Group, a company owned by Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kelly Way, the director of operations for TeamOps at Gillette Stadium, said NFL game-day employees are paid by The Kraft Group. McNally is not listed in the Patriots’ main switchboard directory.

It is not known whether McNally is the same locker room attendant who reportedly ducked into a bathroom with a bag of footballs for 90 seconds before taking them out to the field before the start of the AFC Championship Game. On Jan. 26, FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer reported that a locker-room attendant from the Patriots allegedly took footballs “from the officials locker room to another area” on the way to the field, and that Wells’ investigators have video of that. Pro Football Talk later reported that the attendant stopped in a restroom with the game balls for 90 seconds. That locker room attendant, according to Foxsports.com, is a “strong person of interest.”

The Patriots, who won the Super Bowl over the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 1, came under scrutiny prior to the AFC Championship Game, when the Colts reportedly alerted the NFL during the regular season that the Patriots may be using underinflated footballs after the teams met Nov. 16.

A source told “Outside the Lines” that Kensil decided to personally go down to the officials’ locker room at halftime of the Patriots-Colts game to check the game balls, in part because of the suspicions McNally’s actions raised. Kensil did not respond to requests for comment.

It has also been reported that the Colts noticed an underinflated football after an interception by linebacker D’Qwell Jackson in the AFC Championship Game. Jackson said at the Pro Bowl that he didn’t notice that the football was underinflated. Also, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, told “60 Minutes Sports” that Colts general manager Ryan Grigson told league officials in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game that the Patriots might be tampering with footballs.

One source said Kensil personally checked the PSI (pounds per square inch) levels of all 12 footballs the Patriots had for use on offense and found that 11 of those 12 were underinflated by “one to two pounds.” They were reinflated to the league-required level and were returned for use in the second half.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has attributed the 11 underinflated game balls to atmospheric conditions and has said the Patriots “try to do everything right; we err on the side of caution.” Kraft, in a strong defense of his head coach and quarterback Tom Brady, said: “I want to make it clear that I believe unconditionally that the New England Patriots have done nothing inappropriate in this process or are in violation of NFL rules.”

He added, “I would expect and hope that the league would apologize to our entire team” if the Wells investigation “is unable to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs.”

In a statement released late last month, Wells said he expected his investigation to go on for “at least several more weeks” and asked that “everyone involved or potentially involved in this matter avoids public comment concerning the matter until the investigation is concluded. The results will be shared publicly.”

Dean Blandino, the NFL’s head of officiating, said at a Super Bowl news conference: “There was an issue that was brought up during the first half, a football came into question, and then the decision was made to test them at halftime. There’s an investigation going on. I can’t really get into specifics.”

When asked for comment by OTL, Blandino texted, “I can’t elaborate with the investigation still ongoing.”

The NFL, through a spokesman, told OTL: “We’re not commenting on the details of the ongoing investigation.”

This story was updated to fix an attribution on the Patriots’ locker room attendant stopping in a restroom for 90 seconds.

rfl wrote:

Assumption 1) the reason why Tavonn has struggled is that Schottenheimer misused him.

Assumption 2) Tavonn can and WILL explode with a new OC.

Agreed. It’s silly. Though the argument is unwinnable. If Tavon improves in 2015 and runs routes he wasn’t as effective at running before, it will be impossible to prove to doubters that he improved, not that the prior coordinator misused him. As little sense as that makes.

1. Coach Fisher: hey Brian I notice that Tavon can run all the routes Amendola once did, and with equal effectiveness.
2. Coach Brian: True, but, can’t have him doing that in games though.
1. Coach Fisher: why not?
2. Coach Brian: too creative.
1. Coach Fisher: oh, yeah, right…true.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by zn.

NERam wrote:

Thank God for the internet in February…

http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/mayor-urges-knucklehead-bostonians-not-to-jump-out-of-windows-and-into-the-snow/ar-BBhGbrh?ocid=U142DHP

Mayor urges knucklehead Bostonians not to jump out of windows and into the snow
Washington Post – Washington Post

After four significant snow storms since the beginning of the year, Bostonians are getting more than a little stir crazy— and no one can really blame them.

Things have gotten so bad that Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was forced to deliver some real talk to the citizenry — specifically warning the knuckleheads who have been jumping out of their windows and into the snow to cut it out.

What he said:

“I’m asking people to stop their nonsense right now. These are adults jumping out windows,” Walsh said on Monday, according to the Boston Herald. “It’s a foolish thing to do and you could kill yourself.”