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NFL roundup: Missouri governor backs keeping Rams
St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke might be planning to construct an 80,000-seat stadium in Los Angeles, but city and state officials don’t believe the franchise is on the move.
“St. Louis is an NFL city and I am committed to keeping it that way,” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said in a written statement.
The earliest approved relocation for a NFL franchise would be January 2016. In December, commissioner Roger Goodell told the three teams with stadium issues — the Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers — that no relocation to Los Angeles would be allowed for 2015. Any move requires majority approval of all 32 NFL owners — meaning 24 supporting votes — after an application is filed between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15 next year.
The Rams played in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994. Their lease at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis is expected to be converted to a year-to-year agreement in February.
—Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum will join the Miami Dolphins’ front office after serving as a consultant to the team last year. He was named executive vice president of football operations on Tuesday and starts his new job Feb. 1.
The 45-year-old Tannenbaum will oversee football administration and report directly to owner Stephen Ross. Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey will remain in charge of the personnel and scouting departments while serving under Tannenbaum.
Tannenbaum worked for the Jets for 16 years and was GM for the last seven.
—The Washington Redskins and Scot McLoughan do not have a deal in place for the veteran NFL front office executive to become the team’s general manager, sources from both sides told the The Sports Xchange on Tuesday.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier Tuesday that the sides had agreed to a four-year deal and that McLoughan chose the Redskins over other offers. A TSX source with knowledge of the negotiations did not say whether the deal is expected to be completed or if the potential hang up is in a dilineation of duties between McLoughan and Bruce Allen.
Allen, who added the team president title to his general manager duties in May, would likely remain in charge of business matters and the salary cap, and McLoughan would take over the GM title and run the team’s NFL Draft operations.
—The winding career path of Dorial Green-Beckham has taken another turn as the talented but troubled wide receiver has decided to enter the 2015 NFL Draft, according to Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.
Based on talent, Green-Beckham is arguably one of the top-10 prospects in the upcoming draft class. But his well-documented off-field history makes his draft projection tough to predict. He is currently ranked as the No. 26 player in the 2015 class by NFLDraftScout.com and the No. 5 wide receiver prospect available.
Green-Beckham was dismissed by Missouri this past April after several off-field incidents, most recently a suspected burglary and assault. Green-Beckham has also had multiple run-ins with the law involving marijuana possession since he graduated high school. After enrolling at Oklahoma during the summer, he applied for a waiver to play immediately, but that was denied, forcing Green-Beckham to sit out the 2014 season.
—The NFL acknowledged Tuesday that officials failed to call the Dallas Cowboys for a holding penalty against Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh on a fourth-down conversion pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s NFC wild-card game, according to ESPN.
If the penalty had been called, the Cowboys would have faced a fourth-and-16 and likely opted to punt. Instead, they picked up the first down at the Lions’ 21-yard line and drove to the winning touchdown with 2:32 left.
NFL head of officials Dean Blandino said there was no doubt about the hold on Suh.
—Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t stressed out about the condition of his strained left calf. In fact, he said Tuesday on his weekly radio show that no matter what he expects to play against the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC divisional playoff game.
The calf will be examined Wednesday before the Packers practice for the first time this week. A decision on Rodgers’ readiness to participate will be made then.
“It feels better,” Rodgers said. “We’ll see what happens this week as far as practice reps. Everybody’s so concerned about them. I’m not, and thankfully my teammates aren’t either.”
—The Seattle Seahawks’ defensive line took a hit with tackle Jordan Hill placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a sprained knee.
Hill, a second-year player out of Penn State, had been emerging with increased playing time after Brandon Mebane’s season-ending injury. Hill sprained his knee against St. Louis. With Hill out, second-year player David King is in line for increased snaps behind Kevin Williams and Tony McDaniel.
Veteran safety Steven Terrell, a strong special teams player who has made multiple stints on the practice and active rosters, was again promoted to fill the roster spot.
—With one year remaining on the $102 million contract he signed in 2008, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is ready to discuss his next deal.
Several NFL quarterbacks have signed lucrative deals in the past two years that pay an average annual salary that exceeds his scheduled 2015 salary of $11.6 million.
Roethlisberger turns 33 in March and his salary cap figure is over $18.3 million. He tied for the NFL lead with 4,952 passing yards.
—The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent running back Michael Hill to the active roster and put guard Hugh Thornton on injured reserve Tuesday.
Thornton is sidelined with a shoulder injury after playing in 10 games and starting eight this year. He returned from a knee injury during Week 17 but did not start and was not active for the Colts’ wild-card playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday.
Hill was on the Colts’ practice squad in November before he was signed to the Washington Redskins’ practice squad in December. In eight games as a rookie in 2013, Hill rushed for 23 yards on nine carries and caught two passes for 23 yards.
—New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the team will let the legal process play out before making any decisions on outside linebacker Junior Galette.
Galette was charged with domestic violence after a dispute with a woman at his home in Kenner, La., on Monday.
Loomis said the team needed more information before taking action. As of Tuesday afternoon, the team had not been in contact directly with Galette.
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