Though it might have been dusted with a generous helping of hyperbole, the praise emanating from owners on Tuesday's approved Inglewood stadium plan was quite generous -- especially from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Jones called it "the greatest plan that has ever been conceived in sports as to how to put the show on" -- NFL Media's Judy Battista previously has written Rams owner Stan Kroenke wanted "to build an NFL palace in Inglewood."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Tuesday that the Rams are set to move into the Inglewood stadium in 2019. And now it seems like everyone is trying to get into the act of pro football in L.A.
According to NFL Media's Alex Flanagan, the University of Southern California, which plays its games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum -- the same place where the Rams would likely play their games until the completion of a new stadium in 2019 -- wants to be of service and is eager to work with an NFL team. Essentially, the Trojans view their situation like the University of Minnesota did when hosting the Vikings for the past two seasons during the completion of their new stadium. Eventually, they hope it can help them earn funding for upgrades to the Coliseum.
Meanwhile, in San Diego, the deal isn't looked at as a disaster despite the Chargers' initial hopes that they would pair with Oakland on a project in Carson, Calif. Per Flanagan, one Chargers employee said the new proposal is "not good. Not bad." Chargers owner Dean Spanos did not want to work with Rams owner Stan Kroenke initially, per Flanagan, and might still be wary about leasing a portion of the massive new stadium.
Goodell said that the league will provide $100 million to both the Chargers and Raiders to help build new stadiums if they remain in their current home markets.
"I will be working over the next several weeks to explore these options that we have now created for ourselves to determine the best path forward for the Chargers," Spanos said.
Still, he has options.
It's tough to really quantify the "greatest plan that has ever been conceived in professional sports," but for now it seems to be working for more people than it isn't.
The Rams fans of St. Louis were obviously dealt a tremendous and emotional blow on Tuesday night. On a smaller scale, Raiders owner Mark Davis will need to deal with a momentary lack of identity as he returns to the O.co Coliseum with an expired lease and massive repairs ahead. How do you balance that against a college program that can further elevate their status, a group of 30 owners who are excited about the prospect of a crown jewel stadium out west and the Rams fans of Los Angeles who will get their team back after more than 20 years?
You can't, but in the hyperbole stage, everyone will try.
