Pro Football back in LA?

[Bill Brasky]

<I>
Associated Press

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- The National Football League would like to have a team back in Los Angeles by 2008, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said Tuesday.

Tagliabue said league owners were pushing for a decision on a stadium site by next spring, giving the NFL the time it needs to return a franchise to the country's second largest television market by 2008.

"We're hopeful we can stick to a timeline that would have us make some decisions on a stadium project maybe a year from now in May of '05," he said.

The league, which has not had a team in the Los Angeles area since the Rams departed for St. Louis 10 years ago, has been working with groups representing sites at Carson, the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

"Everyone has been working at this," Tagliabue said. "At some point decisions need to be made."

League owners have made no decision about expanding to a 33rd team or moving a troubled franchise to Los Angeles when and if they come to an agreement on a stadium there.

Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay, who is involved in discussions with community and state leaders about improvements in the Colts' situation, said he was confident of working out a new deal to remain in Indiana.</I>

rest of article:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1809392


What do you think...
Franchise moving?
or Expansion Team?

[Kramer]

Let's hope that Ralph Wilson does not pass on before LA gets a team. I hate to sound callous but his daughter would have to sell the team to pay the estate taxes. And this could mean that the NFL (for greedy reasons) could block any local ownership from acquiring the team so that they could relocate it to LA for greedy motives.

[Dozerdog]

It's a fear we all have.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I don't fear the bills moving.

[Kramer]

Originally posted by THATHURMANATOR
I don't fear the bills moving.

Just curious, why not?

[The_Philster]

Honestly, if a team were to move, I'd prefer it be the Chargers. They started out there and are already the closest team to LA.

[BuffaloRanger]

LA doesn't deserve a team.

Most football fans in LA moved there from somewhere else, and already have a favorite team.

Is anyone actually born in LA anymore? LOL.

[OpIv37]

Originally posted by BuffaloRanger
LA doesn't deserve a team.



Amen- they've already had two. Why should some city that's supported their team have to surrender them to a bunch of pretentious *****s who only bother to show up when the team is winning?

LA had their chance and lost it.

That being said, if the Bills move to LA, I won't root for them anymore.

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by OpIv37
Amen- they've already had two. Why should some city that's supported their team have to surrender them to a bunch of pretentious *****s who only bother to show up when the team is winning?

LA had their chance and lost it.

That being said, if the Bills move to LA, I won't root for them anymore.

correction..3..the Chargers started there. ;)

[RedEyE]

I agree. LA has had more than their fair shares of attempts to support an NFL team. I'd rather see the NFL add a team in Las Vegas or even one of the great many cities in Canada.

[BillsRockSOMUCH]

I live in Canada so I'm a hardcore Bills fan wherever they are.

[lordofgun]

Originally posted by THATHURMANATOR
I don't fear the bills moving.

Same here, thurm! If they move, I'll just be an NFL fan! No more pressure!

[Kramer]

If they leave I'll go on a two month bender and when I surface it is time for antidepressents.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Irsay is blowing smoke. The NFL hates being in Indy and would jump at the chance to put the Colts in LA.

[Patrick76777]

Originally posted by Earthquake Enyart
Irsay is blowing smoke. The NFL hates being in Indy and would jump at the chance to put the Colts in LA.


I’m with EE, Thrum and half with Log!


They’re not going anywhere. I truly believe that. Teams like Minny, NO, Indy and SD are all better options for a move. Hell SD is right down the road.


If they do leave however, I’m starting to get a bad feeling that nobody will do anything. There was a day when I thought that Bills fans would go nuts like the Browns fans but now I don’t know if they would. I know I would.


And if they did leave, they’d become public enemy number one! I’m not going to be an LA Gangsta fan! I would hate the team with every fiber of my being!

[SABURZFAN]

Originally posted by RedEyE
I agree. LA has had more than their fair shares of attempts to support an NFL team. I'd rather see the NFL add a team in Las Vegas or even one of the great many cities in Canada.

vegas couldn't hold a pro sports teams.this isn't your typical,average city.too many things go on in this town.it would fail like every pro sports teams that has come through here.

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by Patrick76777


If they do leave however, I’m starting to get a bad feeling that nobody will do anything. There was a day when I thought that Bills fans would go nuts like the Browns fans but now I don’t know if they would. I know I would.

If they left I would go ape****... I think the true fans would try to do something to keep them here or at least bring back the team like Cleveland did... at least I would hope they would.

[McBFLO]

Originally posted by jfreeman
If they left I would go ape****... I think the true fans would try to do something to keep them here or at least bring back the team like Cleveland did... at least I would hope they would.

exactly my thoughts. I think it would be very similar to the situation in Cleveland. Afterall, the Bills and Ralph Wilson were a nig part of the AFL and NFL merger. It wouldn't be the same NFL without the Bills! We'd have a team back here within 5 years if they left Buffalo. Hopefully though, that day will never come!

[McBFLO]

Oops, I meant to say Big part. Sorry about the typo. That was a bad one too! Ha ha.

[Bill Brasky]

I'm sure the media would care less.

[Pride]

If the bills move outta buffalo, we will NEVER get another one back.

We are not the same as cleveland.

[McBFLO]

I respectfully disagree ith you. The Bills are the only thing Buffalo has going. I know the Sabres are here too, but anyone who lives here can attest to me saying that the Bills are the lifeblood of this city. I'm sure the NFL would look at this as being a very strong market for football, even though it is a small one a la Green bay. There was an article recently (I forget where, maybe the Buffalo News) that said the Bills were in the middle of the pack as far as revenue was concerned. If the Bills were at or near the bottom of that list, my opinion wouldn't be the same as it its right now. Another factor the NFL would have consider is fan support. As you know, the Bills are very well supported in this area. They sold out every game last year. Look at it from this point of view. If Green Bay left and moved to another city, would they eventually get another team? Hell yeah! I know that the likelihood of Green moving is slim to none since they're own by the citizens there, but you get my point, right?

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by pepperkorn
I know that the likelihood of Green moving is slim to none since they're own by the citizens there

which is why you can't compare the two

[McBFLO]

You can still compare them. They're both small market teams with very strong fan support who both do well as far as revenue is concerned, and they both have a great history in the league.

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by pepperkorn
You can still compare them. They're both small market teams with very strong fan support who both do well as far as revenue is concerned, and they both have a great history in the league.
The Packers will never move...being owned by the community virtually guarantees that. As far as Cleveland and Buffalo...yeah, they do both have a great history and diehard fans. However, when the AAFC was absorbed by the NFL, Cleveland kept their team but Buffalo lost theirs.

[McBFLO]

Originally posted by The_Philster
The Packers will never move...being owned by the community virtually guarantees that. As far as Cleveland and Buffalo...yeah, they do both have a great history and diehard fans. However, when the AAFC was absorbed by the NFL, Cleveland kept their team but Buffalo lost theirs.

When the AFL was absorbed by the NFL, the Bills lost their team? So, what you're saying is that there was a period of time after the merger where the Bills didn't have a football team? If that is the case, which I never knew that, we did get our team back.

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by pepperkorn
When the AFL was absorbed by the NFL, the Bills lost their team? So, what you're saying is that there was a period of time after the merger where the Bills didn't have a football team? If that is the case, which I never knew that, we did get our team back.
No...the AAFC. A competing league that existed in the late 40s


AAFC Teams
Baltimore Colts, 1947-1949
Brooklyn Dodgers, 1946-1948
Buffalo Bisons, 1946, renamed Buffalo Bills, 1947-1949
Chicago Rockets, 1946-1948, renamed Chicago Hornets, 1949
Cleveland Browns, 1946-1949
Los Angeles Dons, 1946-1949
Miami Seahawks, 1946 (relocated to Baltimore)
New York Yankees, 1946-1949
San Francisco 49ers, 1946-1949


After operating for four years, the stronger franchises of the AAFC were merged into the National Football League (NFL). Those teams were:


Cleveland Browns
San Francisco 49ers
Baltimore Colts - This Colts team played just one season (1950) in the NFL. The current Colts team started in 1953.

[McBFLO]

Wow, I never even heard of that league.