Wednesday Morning QB (Week 6)
The Oakland Raiders made some headlines this week when team owner, Mark Davis signed on to a stadium deal in Las Vegas.
The Nevada government had already approved a deal that would increase taxes in order to pay for a new stadium in Las Vegas.
Davis signed on to provide extra funding alongside the NFL while casino owner Sheldon Adelson will provide the remained of the funding needed for the new field.
The signing of the deal and the approval of the deal has made another change a better possibility.
Last year the Raiders were a part of a big decision for the league alongside the Chargers and the Rams when they decided if any of the teams were going to move to Los Angeles.
The decision was made and the Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles bringing football back to L.A. for the first time since the Raiders left in 1995.
When the Raiders did leave Los Angeles took on a new role in the NFL as they went from being one of the biggest football markets in the league to a bargaining chip for the league.
Any time that a team wanted a new stadium they began threatening to leave for L.A. in order to get their city to build a new stadium.
It was an effective method but when the Rams moved to L.A. that bargaining chip was lost and the big loser was the Raiders.
The Chargers still have the option of moving to L.A. with the Rams and share the new stadium while the Raiders were essentially shut out of the deal leaving them with the worst stadium in the league.
When the deal to move to Los Angeles fell through the Raiders immediately found a new place to talk about.
Vegas has been a popular city to use in many leagues as it is a big market that can bring a sport to another major city in the west.
There was always hesitation to bring a team there though as every league has consistently talked about the dangers of betting on sports and have always kept a vigilant eye on anyone who did bet on sports.
Moving to a place where betting on sports is legal and a massive part of the industry could be a little counterintuitive to the “values” of a league.
In the end, money will always talk though and the NHL proved that when they approved an expansion team to move into Las Vegas who will begin playing next year in a brand new arena.
That move by the NHL may have freed up other leagues to take the plunge and the NFL could be following their path in moving a team to Vegas.
The Raiders seem like they already have a foot out the door when it comes to moving cities after years of threatening to do just that.
They seem to be serious this time but the fact is that they have done this multiple times before and never pulled the trigger until last year.
It could be that the Raiders become the Las Vegas Raiders in 2017 with Oakland losing their team for the second time and the NFL becoming the second league to put a team in Nevada.
It could also be that the Raiders have found their new bargaining chip and that the stadium, which will also be used by UNLV, is just a place that the Raiders could go.
The NFL continues to shift and move as the battle between cities and their teams continues.
With cities becoming more conscious about using taxpayer money to build new stadiums and teams under more pressure to have new stadiums there seem to be more cities becoming possibilities to have an NFL teams.
The Raiders and Las Vegas are the two right now that are linked and will be talked about all season as the deal seems to be done, pending NFL approval, but with the city of Oakland still holding on to the hope that they can keep their team.
The Raiders may have already moved but if a new stadium is suddenly approved in Oakland Vegas might just become the bargaining chip that Los Angeles was for years.
Fifth Quarter:
(Thoughts on this week in the NFL)
Swearing Off Technology
Bill Belichick had a very public incident with his Microsoft tablet only a few weeks ago and this week it seems like he has sworn off technology altogether which shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows how Belichick operates
Adding to the Backfield
The Green Bay Packers lost their back-up quarterback James Starks for four weeks while starting back Eddie Lacy aggravated his ankle causing the Packers to trade with the Chiefs for Knile Davis
Giant Rift
Odell Beckham may not be sulking anymore as he continues to put up big numbers but he seems to remain a distraction and his teammates aren’t happy about it including his quarterback Eli Manning who came out publicly against Beckham
Another Short Stay
The Carolina Panthers are not having the season they expected and Cam Newton is showing it as he once again left a press conference early without answering any questions as many continue to wonder about his maturity
Key Scores:
San Diego Chargers 21-13 Denver Broncos
– The defending champions are not as consistent as they were last year but they are still playing well while the Chargers are having the opposite season but that didn’t matter in this game as the Chargers came out on top
Jacksonville Jaguars 17-16 Chicago Bears
– The Jaguars have been good when they travel to London but have not been able to get many wins in the USA that was until this week when they finally got one against the Bears who continue to struggle
Seattle Seahawks 26-24 Atlanta Falcons
– It was one of the only match-ups where two of the best teams actually met this week and it was a great match up as the Falcons were cooled off by the defence of the Seahawks who took the win in a very close game
Dallas Cowboys 30-16 Green Bay Packers
– They have been long-time NFC rivals with plenty of history but this year they are heading in opposite directions as Dak Prescott continued to prove that he belongs as the starter while Aaron Rodgers continued to have one of his worst years in the NFL
Next Week:
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers (Thursday, October 20th; 8:25 pm ET)
– From one NFC rival to their biggest rival the Green Bay Packers look to shake off their offensive woes on Thursday night while the Bears simply try to shake off their team struggles in a game more for pride than anything else
New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Rams (Sunday, October 23rd; 9:30 am ET)
– The Giants travel across the country to take on the Rams in a city rivalry that is far bigger than two teams as these two teams begin their new coastal rivalry with both teams sitting at .500 after six weeks
Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, October 23rd; 1:00 pm ET)
– The Vikings put their undefeated record on the line against the Eagles who have continued to ride their rookie, Carson Wentz who hopes to be the solution to the Vikings question that nobody has been able to solve this year
New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, October 23rd; 4:25 pm ET)
– It was supposed to be a match-up of two great teams with great quarterbacks but with Ben Roethlisberger out the Steelers will need to overcome a lot in order to beat a motivated Tom Brady and the Patriots
The Sport Addiction 