RamView, 7/1: Goodell loves L.A.?

* What to make of this weekend's proclamation by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that Los Angeles is ready for an NFL franchise? There seems little question Goodell is saying just that when he's laying out the rules teams must meet if they intend to move to L.A. And heck, he says teams can start applying as soon as 2013. And double heck, the league appears enthused about operating an NFL Network studio and a Hall of Fame out of whatever stadium complex L.A. puts up. Well, strike one for impartiality, huh? And what the hell is wrong with the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio that the NFL thinks it needs another one?

Well, before Stan Kroenke starts firing up the moving vans, there are a few things that could be working in St. Louis' favor, at least for the moment. The most important is time. The Rams can't break the lease with the city until March 2015. Plenty of time for other qualified candidates to step up. Goodell also sounds intent on being as strict with the L.A. process as he has been with Gregg Williams. There'll be no Sooner-style land rushes here. Teams must prove they've made every possible attempt to stay where they are and Goodell also issued a reminder that the whole league decides on relocations, not one team. Relocations (still) (supposedly) have to be approved by a 3/4 vote of the league owners. (Not that it hasn't been worked around or ignored before)

The NFL also continues to pay lip service to the idea that it wants all 32 teams to stay right where they are, and that L.A. is intended as an expansion market. Of course, right there on the league's website, you've got an article that ends by saying fans in San Diego can't feel too comfortable. Strike two for partiality! As happy as I am that article didn't mention St. Louis, that's still another low moment for journalistic ethics on NFL.com.

As for St. Louis - this isn't the kick that could send the Rams down the slippery slope back to the West Coast, but it should be a wake-up call for those who haven't taken the idea of the Rams moving back seriously up until now. The commissioner has said so himself: Los Angeles is competition for cities of teams considering relocation, and the competition is very real.

* The NFL has also made its TV blackout rule 15% less stupid with a change to the policy that takes effect this season. The blackout can be lifted when a team sells 85% of tickets for a given game. Previously a team had to either sell out games entirely or get extensions and exemptions from the league. This is obviously an important rule to St. Louis, where the Rams have had to dodge many potential blackouts over the years. The NFL.com article didn't say if noon Thursday is still the deadline for Sunday games, or if that deadline can be extended as it has in the past.

The weekly magic number for lifting the TV blackout in St. Louis: 56,100 (85% of 66,000).

* Capping it off. The Rams are $3.6 million under the salary cap according to figures just released on NFL.com. Cap space for the rest of the league:

Jacksonville Jaguars: $25,115,885
Tennessee Titans: $19,970,080
Cleveland Browns: $17,774,764
Kansas City Chiefs: $16,548,048
Cincinnati Bengals: $16,309,693
Philadelphia Eagles: $15,879,570
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $15,740,231
Indianapolis Colts: $14,595,514
Green Bay Packers: $11,255,804
Denver Broncos: $10,878,461
New England Patriots: $10,873,988
Minnesota Vikings: $10,595,534
Carolina Panthers: $8,769,801
Seattle Seahawks: $7,470,071
Buffalo Bills: $7,382,319
Dallas Cowboys: $7,188,021
Washington Redskins: $6,970,162
New York Jets: $6,044,153
Arizona Cardinals: $4,552,576
Miami Dolphins: $4,458,211
Houston Texans: $4,053,256
Chicago Bears: $3,976,700
Detroit Lions: $3,775,829
Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,734,063
St. Louis Rams: $3,602,486
San Francisco 49ers: $3,394,599
New York Giants: $3,119,114
San Diego Chargers: $2,862,095
Atlanta Falcons: $2,834,873
New Orleans Saints: $2,272,081
Oakland Raiders: $1,347,040
Baltimore Ravens: $606,858

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