The Los Angeles Coliseum may see football action again sooner rather than later - but from an unlikely team (Picture reproduced from www.ballparksofbaseball.com under Fair Use)
Los Angeles Raiders (no, not those ones)
It’s been the worst-kept secret in the NFL for years. Roger Goodell and the League (which sounds like an 80s New Wave band, now that I think of it) desperately want to take football back to the country’s second-largest market – Los Angeles.
Of course, LA has had football teams before. The Rams called the Coliseum their home form 1946 to 1979, before their move to Anaheim, Orange County for the 1980 season. The Raiders came to town, too, in 1982, moving into the Coliseum.
But after the 1994 season, amid controversy, the ailing Rams franchise upped sticks to St. Louis where they were eventually reborn as the Greatest Show on Turf behind Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk. The Raiders, for their part, had long been trying to negotiate their return to Oakland, and come 1995, their wish had also been granted. In the blink of an eye, America’s second city had gone from two teams to none.
In recent years, speculation has surrounded a number of franchises, with rumours persisting that they would move to LA for a variety of reasons. The Jaguars are losing a phenomenal amount of money in Jacksonville, failing to sell out their stadium, and stuck in a tough division with Indianapolis, Tennessee and Houston, and a move to LA seemed logical to revive the fortunes of the ball club.
Equally, Buffalo – a team, let’s not forget, who already play the odd home game in Canada, have been linked with a move away from Ralph Wilson Stadium and the frozen North, in order to boost spectator numbers - although even the most hard-nosed observer would have to admit that the loss/rebranding of such a historic franchise as the Bills would be an enormous loss.
Will Jared Allen be plying his trade in Los Angeles by 2012? (Picture reproduced from www.sportnooz.com under Fair Use)
Purple (Hollywood) Hills
All of a sudden, a new contender for the move to the City of Angels has emerged, after NFL.com reported that two LA groups have contacted the Minnesota Vikings regarding a move. The Vikings and owner Zygi Wilf are known to be at loggerheads with the State of Minnesota with regards to proposed investment in or renewal of the Metrodome, proposed increases in costs for the soon-to expire lease of the stadium, and the refusal to build a sports/entertainment district in Minneapolis to help the team to thrive economically, something Wilf has been keen on since touring ”LA Live” in 2009.
But the Los Angeles Vikings? Really?! This writer believes that this is nothing more than a power play on behalf of Wilf and PR director Lester Bagley, who even stated “Instead of spending energy speculating on other markets, let’s keep the focus on building a world-class facility for the community and the State of Minnesota.”
Veiled threat noted, Mr Bagley. So, the cards are on the table, and it’s time to see if the State will fold, or call the Vikes’ audacious bluff. Los Angeles Vikings in 2012? I don’t think so...
Drew Brees is just another target for Steelers LB James Harrison (Picture reproduced from www.steelersgab.com under Fair Use)
Steel Whining
So, James Harrison thinks he’s a hard-but-fair player and has been hard done by with his fine trouble this season (4 for a total bill of $125000 so far), and that “8 or 9 out of 10 players” would agree with his assessment of the issue. And you know what, he’s probably right. He’s a hard hitter, and I don’t think for a moment he is trying to hit illegally – he just wants to take his man down, as any good linebacker should. However, the fact remains that he still puts himself in positions where he is, albeit unwittingly, hitting the wrong way, and as such, he is setting himself up for fines.
And his cause isn’t helped when his teammates start running their mouths all over the press, accusing the League of bias and unfair treatment of certain players. I’m looking at you, Hines Ward.
I should probably mention, in the interest of full disclosure, that I’m a huge Steelers fan, and have been since SuperBowl XXX (fuck you, Neil O’Donnell, for blowing that game). As for Hines Ward, he is my favourite offensive player on the team – I adore the way he plays the game at 100% intensity on every play and with a smile on his face. He doesn’t just catch balls, he breaks tackles, makes enormous blocks, and truly leads the team. But, in the words of former University of Miami defensive lineman Dwayne Johnson (whatever happened to him, anyway?), Ward needs to know his role, and shut his mouth.
Maybe Hines "so good they named the stadium after him" Ward has just realised his error in blabbing to the press about alleged anti-Steelers bias (Picture reproduced from www.thepigskindoctors.com under Fair Use)
Not Put Up, the Other Thing
Firstly, Ward has hardly been a shrinking violet when it comes to putting hits on guys in his own right. He has a whole highlight reel of crackback blocks, often on defenceless d-backs and even linebackers, and has lost his fair share of money for that exact reason. Holier-than-thou rants to the media are not going to fly.
Secondly, if this is truly how he feels – that the Steelers (and Harrison in particular) are being treated unequally and unfairly, being flagged for non-existent penalties, fined for fair hits, and not receiving the same quarterback protection for hits on Big Ben Roethlisberger that the superstars Brady and Manning the elder receive – then does he really think coming out and flat out accusing the NFL of bias is going to help? If anything, the League now has an even greater requirement to maintain a consistent level of officiating with Pittsburgh, lest they be accused of pandering to Ward’s outburst and thus favouring the Black and Gold. He is sealing his own fate.
The NFL - saying one thing and doing another since 1965 (Picture reproduced from www.fatpickled.com under Fair Use)
Do You Really Want to (Not) Hurt Me?
However, one thing Ward said is true – this sudden interest in player safety is interesting, given their push for an 18-game regular season. As Hines puts it; “The League doesn’t care about us anyway. [...] If the league was so concerned about the safety [of the game], why are you adding two more games on? You [...] don’t want players to drink, and all you see is beer commercials. You don’t want us to gamble, but then there are [NFL-endorsed lottery scratch-cards].”
NFL Executive VP of Football Operations, Ray Anderson’s response to this; “I have no comment to Hines Ward.”
Quite.
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