NFL Spring Meeting Preview

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

The annual NFL Spring Meeting will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta tomorrow. The agenda for the one-day business meeting includes a vote on the awarding of Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. The candidates are Arizona, Houston and Indianapolis. I don’t have much to say about Houston because I’ve never been there, but as far as Arizona and Indy are concerned, I’m a big fan of both. I was in Glendale this past Super Bowl XLII and I think the facilities are top-notch. Plus, the weather was incredible. Indy in February isn’t a meteorologist’s dream, but I absolutely love the city and would really like to see them get their first Super Bowl. I guess one concern is the availability of downtown hotels in the winter but I don’t see a problem. Many of the hotels in the city are connected by indoor skywalks. It makes getting around a breeze. If Detroit can host a Super Bowl (I was there in 2006), Indianapolis certainly can. Indy is one of my favorite places, so they get my vote.

Another item that might be discussed (but which isn’t on the official agenda) is the state of the current collective bargaining agreement. The owners may opt out. If they do so, it would set in motion changes to the salary cap and the way players and owners share revenue. This could lead to a work stoppage in 2011. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney thinks it’s highly unlikely:

“I doubt that there would be a work stoppage but that remains to be seen. We have to see how things go. The players sure don’t want a work stoppage. They’ll make you open the season.”

I’m not as optimistic as Mr. Rooney, but I’ll take his word for it because he’s been around longer than yours truly and he knows a lot more about the business workings of the National Football League than I do. I’ll put a wrap on the outcome of these meetings in one of my posts tomorrow.

Source: NFL Media