[Elvis]

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl-news/46 ... ry-stadium

NFL must get on with it and finalize Rams' move to L.A.

By Jeff Diamond
@jeffdiamondNFL

Updated at 2:10 p.m. ET

Has there ever been a more drawn out discussion in modern day NFL annals than whether an NFL team will return to Los Angeles, which team would move there, and where the new L.A. stadium be built?

It's long overdue for all that discussion to end. The logical choice is for the St. Louis Rams to return to their prior home and once again become the Los Angeles Rams.

MORE: Ranking all 31 NFL stadiums | NFL to hold public hearings to discuss move

The NFL should get on with it and give the Rams their blessing and league approval immediately upon the conclusion of the 2015 regular season on Jan. 3. Waiting until then to make the announcement is the only way to maximize ticket sales in this potentially final season for the Rams in the St. Louis market.

January is the earliest possible approval date that was mentioned after the recent league fall meeting in New York by Steelers owner Art Rooney II, chairman of the NFL's Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities. Rooney said he thinks there will be a vote in January on who will move to L.A. after the three teams in contention — the Rams, Chargers and Raiders — are expected to file for relocation.

But league officials said there are no guarantees that a team will be in L.A. in 2016 and that further delays are possible. There is no doubt that eventually there will be one or two teams in L.A. as the NFL wants the country's No. 2 television market to be represented when the time comes for the next big TV contract.

All of the legal and political maneuverings among the Rams, Chargers and Raiders are well documented. The three teams have been lobbying for support from the league office and NFL owners as their stadium situations in their respective cities have deteriorated over the years.

Naturally, as a potential doomsday nears for St. Louis and San Diego, the cities and their political and business leaders are talking up new stadium proposals. Not the case in Oakland where city leaders apparently are betting that the Raiders will be left out of the L.A. chase — but that could still lead the Raiders to San Antonio, to St. Louis after the Rams leave or in a wild twist, to London.

While Rams owner Stan Kroenke has proposed a $2 billion stadium on property he owns in Inglewood, the Chargers and Raiders have proposed to jointly build a $1.7 billion stadium in Carson. But there are also rumblings of a Rams-Chargers partnership (a la Giants-Jets) in the new L.A. stadium, likely on Kroenke's property in Inglewood.

The Raiders also may be the team left at the altar on L.A. because their owner Mark Davis and his Raiders organization don't have as much political currency with the league and its owners as Kroenke and the Rams and the Spanos family, owners of the Chargers. This sentiment on the Raiders goes back to Davis' father, Al Davis, and his often adversarial relationship with the league and other NFL owners through the Raiders' past moves from Oakland to L.A. and back to Oakland (and lawsuits against the NFL in the process).

It just makes sense on so many levels for the Rams to be the initial team to move to L.A.

First, there's the name and history of the Rams franchise in Los Angeles from 1946-1994. The Los Angeles Rams were California's first pro sports franchise and for many years the most popular pro team in the city over the Dodgers and Lakers who arrived after them. They won the NFL title in 1951, led by two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin, and two outstanding Hall of Fame receivers in Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch and Tom Fears. Their average attendance was 83,681 — in 1958.

The Rams may have won a Super Bowl in St. Louis (unfortunately at the expense of my Tennessee Titans in 1999) but to most sports observers, St. Louis is first and foremost a baseball town with their beloved Cardinals.

As Kroenke's desire to move to Los Angeles became well publicized via the Inglewood land deal and other public statements, fan interest and attendance have dipped in St. Louis. The Rams had the second-worst attendance in the NFL last season and had only 51,792 tickets distributed (and an estimated 45,000 in house) for this season's home opening victory over the two-time NFC champion Seahawks.

A lot of bitter fans have already checked out in St. Louis as the Rams are considered lame ducks in the Gateway City. Another season there would really be difficult for the team and city, despite a team that looks to be improving with wins already this year over Seattle and Arizona.

Then there is that Inglewood land on the Hollywood Park site that Kroenke owns. That clears the way most quickly for construction of a new stadium to get underway. And Kroenke has the financial wherewithal to contribute substantial personal funds to the stadium project — much moreso than the Spanos family or Mark Davis.

Another interesting connection involves the two top football people in the Rams organization. Kevin Demoff, the executive vice president of football perations and COO, was born and raised in Los Angeles. Rams coach Jeff Fisher is an L.A. native who played college football at USC.

One other question has come up that should not be a concern— whether the Rams and any other team who joins them will be successful in L.A.

There are those who say the NFL hasn't been missed these past 20-plus years because there are so many other things to do in the area and that the Rams and Raiders didn't always sell out before they left Anaheim and Los Angeles in 1995.

Well, let's remember that the L.A. market (including Orange County and Anaheim) is now home to two Major League baseball teams, two NBA teams and two NHL teams who all are doing just fine. So it's logical to assume that one or two NFL teams also will be successful. And the Rams would be able to showcase running back Todd Gurley as a 2016 version of Rams Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson, and also have their excellent defensive line led by Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn as a modern day Fearsome Foursome (who had their Hall of Fame leaders Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen).

As far as the timetable goes, it's the sooner the better for the Rams or any team to know for certain that they're moving to Los Angeles.

I have worked for NFL teams in Minnesota and Tennessee who have moved into new stadiums and I know how much work is involved in the process of building a new stadium and practice facility, relocating season-ticket holders and selling new season tickets and suites, as well as stadium sponsorships starting with the naming rights. It's a daunting task to just move to a new stadium within your city and the challenges are much greater when the move is to another city.

I heard about all the difficulties from my Titans co-workers as far as their move from Houston to Nashville in 1997 with a nightmarish one-year stint playing games at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis while the team lived and practiced in Nashville.

The transition from St. Louis to Los Angeles would involve the planning and construction of the new stadium, the building of a new practice facility (and finding temporary quarters for the staff and players in the interim) and securing and planning for the couple of years of play at either the Rose Bowl in Pasadena or the L.A. Coliseum.

Front office staff, coaches and players have to move their families to their new city. Marketing plans must quickly be activated. All of team's football equipment as well as training, rehab, strength and fitness devices, video and computer systems and public relations and financial records must be moved. The team must make plans to become involved in the community in civic and charitable activities.

So NFL, let's get moving and give the Rams the thumbs up on the L.A.move as soon as the 2015 regular season ends so they can plan accordingly. It's the right and smart thing to do and if the Chargers follow, so be it.

Jeff Diamond is former president of the Titans, and former vice president/general manager of the Vikings. He was selected NFL Executive of the Year in 1998. Diamond is currently a business and sports consultant who also does broadcast and online media work. He is former chairman and CEO of The Ingram Group. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffdiamondNFL

[Hacksaw]

This guy has some knowledge of how these things work. He also has the right scenario.
It seems to make sense to just about everyone except for those in the Lou (esp at the Compost Discharge).
Maybe he knows something?

[bubbaramfan]

If its that hard to move one team, double trouble moving two (ChaRaiders)

[Hacksaw]

It wouldn't be any harder for either since they would be doing it individually. Actually they if work in tandem, they could delegate the common duties between themselves.
Their trouble would be landing the sponsors and PSL sales for 2 teams. I see epic early fail. (especially if ESK has already got some things lined up)
Most everywhere I read (except you know where), the overall sentiment is that it's a no brainer to move the Rams back. It's a natural, storied legacy, well to do, progressive cash cow, horn dawning club that is about to re-happen in the NFL-LA.

DOH!!

StL ,,,,,,,,,,,, not so much.

[Stranger]

We're going to have to wait until the end of the regular season, at the earliest, to get an announcement. But for me, it doesn't really matter, because I know it's already a done deal and has been for some time. This is all just smoke n mirrors for the public.