Scott Kaplan of The Mighty 1090 AM Radio has an interesting interview with San Diego County supervisor Ron Roberts, who is partnering with San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer on a $1.1 billion stadium deal to keep the Chargers in town. Check out the audio link.
Roberts said the two remain extremely interested in getting back to negotiations with the Chargers. Both have reached out to Dean Spanos, and the team chairman said he wants to take some time to reflect on what’s transpired this week.
Kaplan asked Roberts if the public contribution could be increased from the $350 million earmarked for the project. And while Roberts did not say specifically that they would raise the number, he indicated that there are ways the proposal could be sweetened for the Chargers.
“I think what you’re saying is if there are ways that this deal could be enhanced, and I think the answer to that is yes,” Roberts said. “But we can’t do it when we’re talking to ourselves. Look, we’re entering a whole new phase. We saw in the first phase that the Chargers wanted to do everything possible to deliver the vote where they would have been the [Stan] Kroenke of L.A. And that didn’t happen.
“The playing field changed dramatically. Not only did they get $100 million if they stay here, but they don’t have to pay a relocation fee ($550 million). This changes the whole dynamic of what a franchise is going to be worth, especially if you’re a tenant in someone else’s building.”
My take: With a March deadline from the NFL on making a decision to move to Los Angeles this season, the next few weeks will be critical for the city and the Chargers to hash out a deal that is on par with what the team can receive in Inglewood.
* Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune notes that the Chargers met with the NFL’s finance committee on a potential deal in Inglewood while in Houston, but Chargers chairman Dean Spanos has not met with Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
My take: There’s still a lot of dominos that have to fall into place before the team decides on whether to pursue the Inglewood project or negotiate a stadium deal in San Diego. Stay tuned.
* Jim Sannes of Numberfire.com takes a closer look at Melvin Gordon’s rookie year, and sees reasons for optimism next season. Specifically, if Gordon can cut down on the fumbles, have more consistency up front with the offensive line and still get the volume of carries he had as rookie, the Wisconsin product should improve in 2016.
My take: It’s an interesting look at Gordon’s numbers in specific situations. It’s worth your time this morning.
* Robert Mays writing for The MMQB takes a closer look at coin toss deferrals and if it leads to more wins. When introduced in the 2008 season, deferrals happened just 7.8 percent of the time. But that number jumped to 82.5 percent this season.
My take: Mays writes that a deep drill-down into the numbers indicates that much like the coin toss itself, deferring doesn’t necessarily lead to wins or loses.