The L.A. Jaguars?

So, Ahnold signed a bill today that will allow construction on a new football stadium in Los Angeles pick up momentum. The Los Angeles Times reports that the stadium will seat 75,000 and cost a cool $800 million. Ahnold's John Hancock on legislation that exempts the stadium from California's environmental laws is all that the construction company needed to get things moving.

Which brings us to our next question: Who's going to play there?

You'll notice the headline of this post is "The L.A. Jaguars?" and the photo is just a giant Jaguars logo. That's because the Jags are one of the seven teams mentioned in the Associated Press article discussing the bill's signing. The other teams listed? Buffalo, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco.

Now, the most important part of this process isn't which teams are bad and which teams are good, although competitiveness does (obviously) play a major role in how well a team does financially. But let's just toss Minnesota, San Fran, Oakland and San Diego out right away. Why would any of those franchises do that?

There's this line in the AP article:

The firm has said the teams are in stadiums that are either too small or can't be updated with luxury box seats or other revenue sources an NFL club needs to thrive.

But I'm not buying the Vikes leaving MPLS. No way. The Twin Cities love their sports too much to let that happen. The three California franchises are so entrenched in their identities that I can't see them moving to L.A. Plus, the Raiders have already done it 17 times. Why would they want to do it again?

I think we'd see the host cities of those teams build or renovate stadiums before we'd see those teams move, especially in Minnesota, San Diego and San Francisco.

That leaves us with the soon-to-be-coachless Bills, the worst-team-possibly-ever Rams and the no-one-who-lives-in-Jacksonville-even-knows-they-are-in-Jacksonville Jaguars.

But again, we aren't going by records. If we did, the Lions would be in San Antonio by now.

Look, people in Buffalo love the Bills, good or bad, and show up at games. But the Bills are barely hanging on in Buffalo. I spoke to a sports media member in Buffalo two years ago and he said he'd be shocked if the team was still there in 10 years. Ralph Wilson's 91, and who knows what the mindset of the Bills' next owner will be. And that decision could come sooner rather than later.

The Rams are still new to St. Louis, but a bigger factor in this is that they are up for sale, at a cool cost of more than $900 million. If a deep-pocketed owner comes along and buys the team, who knows if they'll want the team ... and a new city.

And then we have the Jags. They are always the first team mentioned when people talk about NFL franchises moving. And although I realize it's not the first or last place you should go for information, the Jaguars' Wikipedia page isn't too promising. Low ticket prices, lower fan interest, blackouts in the region and slow business growth in and around Jacksonville all have major parts in possibly undoing the Jags as a Jacksonville-based franchise.

So, that's why the Jags seem most likely to move Los Angeles. The Bills will end up being the Toronto Bills soon. The Rams ... well, who knows what will happen to them. We'll find out, I guess.

Just don't expect the Jags to be a smash hit in Los Angeles, either. Seems like teams have trouble sticking around ...

Whining Starts at the Top, I Guess

As if Ray Lewis blaming his team's inability to win and his teammate's inability to catch a pass on the officials was bad enough, John Harbaugh went one step further. The Ravens coach is planning to submit video of the Patriots-Ravens game, complete with complaints about "preferential treatment" of Tom Brady and tear stains on the paperwork.

Really? Shouldn't the Ravens be focusing on their next game? It's already Tuesday. The game ended more than 48 hours ago. I hope that Harbaugh spent more of that time teaching Mark Clayton how to catch a football and the Ravens' secondary how to stop a pass than he did looking for Brady getting preferential treatment.

But really, the rules have been like this for a few years now, ever since Kimo von Oelhoffen jumped on Carson Palmer's leg in the 2005 playoffs. The rules became stricter when Bernard Pollard did the same thing to Brady last year. We know how the whole thing unfolded. So why are the Ravens making an issue of it now?

Seems like sour grapes to me. Every other team in the NFL could complain about this, too. Surely they'll express them at future league meetings. In the meantime, play football, Baltimore.

NFL Reactions

Seriously, all I hear is "Wah, wah, wah," Ray Lewis. The loudest player in football needs a tissue for his latest issue: The officials lost the game, not us. Typical Ravens whining. The new rules for quarterbacks are in place, so you have to play by them. You should've complained or commented when the rules were changed, Ray. But you were probably busy fighting people at clubs.

So, here's some advice, Ray: Don't give up 27 points next time. Just sayin'.

OK, let's run down all the games from Sunday ...

... The Lions keep putting up a fight each week. Not saying they are making the playoffs or anything, but they are definitely better than the Rams, Browns, Redskins, Bucs, Chiefs, Raiders and maybe even the Panthers. The Bears are enjoying the early returns on Jay Cutler, who after a disastrous first-week performance has made quite the impression on his new team. But really, I don't need to hear any more "John-Elways-esque" comments when watching the highlight of him diving into the end zone.

... Can't the Browns catch one break, God? Please? I'm not a Browns fan by any stretch, but watching Cleveland play and inevitably lose is like watching the 1,876,237,867 times that the antelope doesn't escape the lions chasing it. You know the poor thing is gonna get caught and devoured, but you hold out hope that the Discovery Channel cameras will catch on tape the one time the antelope escapes. And then six lions pull down the antelope from every direction, disappear below the tall grass and reappear minutes later with blood all over their faces. But hey, at least that antelope doesn't have to watch Derek Anderson.

... Can we give up the Seahawks-as-NFC-West champs babble now? The Colts are a great team, yes. They look like one of the top five teams in football so far. But they just destroyed Seattle. Don't let 34-17 score fool you. It was way worse.

... The Giants are major contenders for the NFC title this year. No question about it. But people are freaking out about Eli Manning's foot. Really? Eli's foot? The New York Daily News went so far as to say Eli's is the most famous foot in the tri-state area. Ask Brandon Jacobs what he thinks about that. Or Mark Teixeira. Or Derek Jeter. Or C.C. Sabathia. I can think of about five other guys in the New York City area who are more important than Eli Manning. Sure, he's good and all, but not that good. You really think a heel injury that keeps him out two games and forces David Carr to hand the ball off to Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw about 40 times is that problematic? The Giants would be fine without Eli for a few games. So relax.

... God, I am sitting here scrolling through the games and posting reactions and, lo and behold, I reach the Redskins-Bucs game.

... The Titans are in serious trouble. Winless in their first four with Indy and New England on deck. Rough start. And I don't see them as anything but 0-6 before their bye week. Meanwhile, the Jaguars, a team that really struck me as terrible after Week 1, is 2-2 and breathing better. And with Seattle and St. Louis on deck, the Jags could be 4-2 going into their bye week.

... Oakland is just ... just awful. JaMarcus Russell is 43 of 108 so far this year. That's 39.8 percent.

... We already talked about the "We Never Actually Lose" Ravens. So let's talk about the Patriots. After losing to New York in Week 2, it was time to write the obituary for the dynasty. Not so fast. A solid, grind-it-out win against Atlanta and a great win against a very good Ravens team has New England at 3-1 and feeling confident. The passing game looked better, but it was the defense that played extremely well in this one. The secondary has meshed well with its new pieces.

... The Saints are the best team in the NFL right now. Yeah, I said it. I have never thought the Jets were as good as everyone talked them up to be. Sure, they'll be good this year, but not talk-smack-every-week good like they were acting. And don't think for one second that New Orleans is a pass-heavy, no-run-game, no-defense team. This is a well-rounded Saints club that is the cream of the crop in the NFC.

... The Bills and Dolphins played this weekend.

... Are the Broncos really that good or are the Cowboys just a mediocre 9-7 team with a great PR crew? (Think of the Cowboys as the Mitt Romney of football.) I think it's a little bit of Broncos being good and a little bit of the Cowboys being average. Denver gets its first real test next week when the Patriots come to the Mile High City. With their defense looking as good as any, the Broncos have a great opportunity to warn the rest of the AFC next week.

... The 49ers' defense single-handedly crushed my buddy Ken's fantasy team this week. I guess that's what happens when you face Kyle Boller and the Second Team to Go 0-16 in Two Seasons.

... Was there any doubt in anyone's mind that Jeff Reed would ice the games for the Steelers last night? Dude's got the entire city thinking the world is about to collapse when he steps onto the field and calmly drills the game-sealing kick. You had to know that was coming. There was no way the Steelers were losing that game, at home, on the brink of falling to 1-3. No chance. And they held on. And I won $5, too.

NFL Power Rankings (worst to first)

32. St. Louis
31. Tampa Bay
30. Kansas City
29. Cleveland
28. Oakland
27. Washington
26. Detroit
25. Carolina
24. Buffalo
23. Miami
22. Tennessee
21. Seattle
20. Houston
19. Arizona
18. Dallas
17. Jacksonville
16. Cincinnati
15. San Diego
14. Atlanta
13. Pittsburgh
12. Chicago
11. Green Bay
10. San Francisco
9. Philadelphia
8. Denver
7. New York Jets
6. Baltimore
5. New England
4. Minnesota
3. Indianapolis
2. New York Giants
1. New Orleans

J. Greer Is Back!

This comeback is bigger than Ma$e's. Well, maybe not. But still, I figured it's been long enough. The people are hungry, and I'm the man with the goods. So instead of all the usual welcome backs and catching up, let's just do what we do best: BS.

A few thoughts about the world as we know it right now ...

... First of all -- with the full realization that this will upset a LOT of my readers -- there is NO way, no chance, that the Phillies repeat. It's too difficult. And you need to have a bullpen situation figured out before you get to the playoffs.

... I can't wait for Where the Wild Things Are. And while I haven't seen Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, I'd like to. Can't say the same for Surrogates, though. God, Bruce Willis is just weird. Has anyone else noticed how hard he tries to be funny these days? It just falls flat. And this movie looks like a typical action film with a twist -- Bruce Willis in a weird-ass wig.

... I've said it before and I'll say it again: George Lopez is not funny. He will never be funny. So, why has TBS given him a late-night program? And why is TBS using Lopez as its latest version of "Extremely Irritating C-List Celebrity to Promote the Baseball Playoffs"?

... Doesn't get much more embarrassing than Hull City's 6-1 loss to Liverpool and Burnley's 5-0 abomination against the Spurs. Looks like the usual suspects will roam the top of the standings in the Premiership this year. No surprise there.

... I've had a debate with about five different people about this, but I think Joe Mauer is worth as much as Manny Ramirez and A-Rod. His contract runs out after 2010, and like Albert Pujols, Mauer's next contract has to be a huge one. I've read that the Twins like a seven-year, $120 million deal. I don't think that's enough. And it amazes me that Pujols doesn't make $30 million a year. He will soon. Who pays these guys? I don't know, but both are incredibly dedicated to their current clubs. And because they both seem to be nice guys to boot, they might take a discount to keep playing in Minnesota and St. Louis.

... It's October 1, and that means college hoops season is closer than you think. My buddy Jake and I were floating around No. 1 seed predictions today. I'm going with Michigan State, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas. Villanova will be the first 2 seed.

... Sure, the Dodgers are the best team in the National League, but in a league with teams that boast one-two punches like Carpenter-Wainwright and Lee-Hamels, the potpourri of question marks that forms LA's starting rotation is enough to have me worried.

... The Yankees look great as the season ends. But do they have the starters to match the lineup? That's the biggest question.

... Notice the early theme here? Pitching wins titles. Just ask the Phillies how important it was for Brad Lidge to dominate at the back end of the bullpen and Joe Blanton providing a fourth-starter spark.

... I'm reading Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains With the Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape. I highly recommend it. Next up: Game Six by Mark Frost. Yup, you guessed it: It's about Game Six of the 1975 World Series.

... OK, OK, we can't avoid football for so long. Here are some 3-0 teams that won't make the playoffs: Denver and the Jets. Yeah, I said it.

... Here are teams with losing records that WILL make the playoffs: Pittsburgh and Arizona. Yup, the Super Bowlers from earlier this year. Not really taking much of a risk here.

... Drew Brees is the best fantasy player this year, and I'm not even sure he's the best QB in football.

... Joe Flacco's early-season success is nice, but it won't last. Color me skeptical.

... Minneapolis/St. Paul is a great part of the country. Spent a week there in September and already want to go back.

... I've been on a big SI.com kick lately, and this article is just one reason why. They have lots of staff and lots of good stuff on that site. Not anything new to many sports fans, but I'm just sayin'.

... Uh, delete everything off a phone before you get rid of it. Just an idea.

... Seems like Jermain Defoe is the better option next to Wayne Rooney with England than Emile Heskey.

... Last but not least, follow me on Twitter.