The Race to L.A. Intensifies

The perennial tease known as Los Angeles is finally ready to put out, and it looks like she’s ready for the double-stuff. The only question now is: Which two candidates will get the chance to throw down?

The Rams, Raiders and Chargers all have their eyes on the nation’s second-largest media market. The league, while making few public statements on the matter, has essentially determined two of the three teams will make the move to Hollywood as early as next season.

The Chargers and Raiders brought the two-team idea into the national dialogue by announcing a plan to build a stadium for the AFC West rivals to share in Carson City. That project accomplished one of its first major goals over the weekend, as a group of supporters collected over 14,000 signatures in the city of Carson to place the stadium plan before local voters.

“We have all been extremely encouraged by the sky-high level of support we have found for the stadium project,” said Chargers attorney Mark Fabiani.

The other team in the mix is the Rams, whose owner Stan Kroenke is planning to build a stadium on a plot of land he owns in Inglewood. Kroenke is the driving force behind this fast-developing push to Los Angeles, with Fabiani admitting earlier this offseason the Chargers would not be exploring the Los Angeles market right now if not for fear of Kroenke moving the Rams there and swiping the Chargers’ L.A.-based consumers.

The three-team dance took another step on Sunday when the Los Angeles Times reported Knoenke is making his stadium a two-team facility, as well. His proposed stadium would include two home locker rooms and identical pairs of owners’ suites and office spaces. While Kroenke does not need the Raiders or Chargers to help fund his $1.86 billion stadium, he knows the league is intent on relocating teams in tandem.

This essentially leaves three possibilities for relocation: the Chargers and Raiders could move to Carson City together; the Rams could move to Inglewood with the Raiders; or the Rams could pair with the Chargers.

The Chargers and Raiders continue to scramble for stadium solutions in their home cities, as well. If either team can find any luck on that front, it would clear up this current logjam.

The Chargers appear to crave the Los Angeles market the most, publicly questioning whether their franchise can be profitable with another team in L.A., which is home to 30 percent of the team’s season-ticket holders. However, the Chargers are also the team L.A. football wants the least. According to a L.A. Times poll, 65 percent of fans most want the Rams to return, 31 percent crave the Raiders the most, while only 4 percent most desire the Chargers.

At this point it would be shocking if there is not a pro football team in Los Angeles in 2016. It is not a question of if, but of who and how many.

Said New York Giants owner John Mara at the owner’s meetings: “I think there will be one or two teams playing in L.A. next year.”

Who’s Panicking? 

The Eagles have created a lot of comical headlines this offseason, but over the weekend, it was a former Eagle proving the comedic material.

LeSean McCoy, who was traded to the Bills in exchange for Kiko Alonso earlier this offseason, went on The Rich Eisen Show on Friday and said: “I saw that [the Eagles] originally were trying to get Frank Gore, and he backed out. So then when they got DeMarco and they got Ryan Mathews, I thought it was like a panic move.”

Oh, the irony of a Bills player talking about panic moves.

The Bills traded for QB Matt Cassel this offseason after losing a bidding war Josh McCown. Let that marinate for a second. If ever there was a panic move, that would be it.

Then the Bills went out and signed Percy Harvin, a headcase who has been dumped by three teams over the last two years. Capping it all off, Buffalo gave a massive contract to TE Charles Clay, a five-year, $38 million deal that seems absurd for a player who has never topped 800 yards and averages less than four scores per season.

Those, Shady, would be classified as panic moves.

There are lots of ways to describe the many moves Chip Kelly has made. Some would call them frantic, disorganized or lateral. Others, such as ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith, would even call them racist. But one thing they not is “panicky.”

The Bills signed McCoy to a new contract nearly identical to the deal Murray later signed in Philadelphia, despite the fact that Murray outgained McCoy by more than 500 rushing yards last season. Hopefully, McCoy does a better job breaking tackles than he did choosing his adjectives.

Harrison Heads Back Home

James Harrison, the hero of Super Bowl XLII and a Steelers icon, is returning to the team on a two-year deal. The 37-year-old Harrison, who was a free agent, had been deciding between returning to Pittsburgh and joining Dick LeBeau in Tennessee.

“Real happy to have James stay,” Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said Sunday at the owners meetings. “This offseason James has been great with our young defenders and particularly our linebackers. I think he’s taken on a mentorship role and he seems to really be enjoying it. Plus we think he can still help us on the field.”

What this comes down to is familiarity, because the last time Harrison left the Steel City it was an unmitigated disaster. He signed a two-year contract with the Bengals in 2013, but he recorded just 30 tackles and two sacks that year and was released after one season.

Harrison cannot risk another flameout this close to the end of his career. It also makes more sense to stay with a Steelers team that is coming off a playoff appearance than join a Titans organization that is rebuilding from the top down. It is admirable that Harrison is so loyal to LeBeau that this was indeed a tough decision for him, but in the end a return to the Steel City was the only thing that made sense.

Harrison looked rejuvenated last season when he answered a 911 call from Steelers management and returned to post 5.5 sacks in just 11 games despite playing his way into game shape as the season progressed. Given the unexpected retirement of Jason Worilds earlier this offseason, the Steelers need Harrison now as badly now as they did then.

It’s time to see if Harrison has one more clutch return in him.

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