Say Hello to the STILL Minnesota Vikings

[Complex]

wo days after a Minnesota House committee voted against the Vikings' stadium bill, the NFL responded with its own strong message to state leaders: Get it done or face the consequences.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Gov. Mark Dayton on Wednesday there will be "serious consequences" for both the league and the Vikings if the bill isn't passed, according to a Pioneer Press report.

And with the state's legislative session likely to wrap up in the next two weeks, Dayton said Tuesday that resolving the stadium issue, which has lingered for about a decade, would probably have to wait until 2013.

ut the Vikings, who don't have a stadium lease, said Tuesday that next year isn't an option and a league executive said Wednesday the team and its ownership are "out of options" after Monday night's vote.

"In the 20 years that I've watched teams change hands, a lot of things get talked about. But until things are really ripe, nothing happens. This is getting ripe," NFL executive vice president of business operations Eric Grubman told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "You have a very dejected ownership. They've run out of options. They feel like they've done everything they've been asked to do and they can't get a vote. No one will answer the question, 'What is it going to take?' "

"The Vikings have said, 'Give us A, B and C, what would you like us to do?' They've been told A, B and C, and they've done that. And they still can't get through. So what makes anyone think it's going to be any better or different next year or the year after?"

The Vikings have no option but to play in the Metrodome in the 2012 season, but the team's lease in the 30-year-old facility is expired and officials have said they don't plan to renew it.

Grubman said Wednesday there's a lot of concern in the league office after the committee voted 9-6 to reject the $975 million plan to build a replacement for the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.

"The ownership and league staff have been working with the Vikings and from the league's standpoint, the Vikings have been patient, they've negotiated in good faith, they've been responsive to doing all they can do to get this resolved. It's reached a point where there may be a stalemate," Grubman told the Star Tribune. "So I would say it's very serious at this point. You have to remember this was portrayed as having support and likely to pass as recently as a couple of weeks ago when we were at the league meetings. So this will come as quite a blow. This is quite a blow."

The proposal that fell in the House committee on Monday would have split the tab three ways for a stadium proposed to be built at the current Metrodome site: $398 million from the state from taxes on expanded gambling, $150 million from the city of Minneapolis from existing sales taxes and $427 million from the Vikings with assistance likely from the NFL.

ccording to multiple outlets, Goodell and Dayton will speak again Thursday with Pittsburgh Steelers owner and chair of the league's stadium committee Art Rooney II.

Grubman said he did not think Vikings owner Zygi Wilf would be on the call, insisting the latest stadium failure has forced the league to assess the team's options.

From our perspective, the Wilfs have done everything they can," Grubman told the paper. " ... Now it's sort of time for the league to assess. I just think it's a case of the commissioner, the governor and the head of the committee needing to put their heads together and say, 'OK, this is where it could go.' "

Dayton has made it clear he believes the Vikings will leave Minnesota if they do not have a plan for a new stadium in place by next year. Los Angeles, which does not have an NFL team but is progressing in its plan to build $1.4 billion downtown stadium, remains a threat if the Wilfs become frustrated and decide to move or sell the club.

"I think the Wilfs do not want to sell the franchise, but I think there is a point where they probably would be open-minded to listening to alternatives. To my knowledge, they have not been willing to do that at this point," Grubman told the Star Tribune.

But he continued, "I think they're running out of options and running out of patience. I doubt the commissioner would put probabilities or threaten or anything like that. But I would not be surprised if the commissioner tells the governor, if he asks, what other cities are interested in the Vikings because we are aware of that."

[BaLLiN]

how would that even work? would they stay in the division?

[Scotty D]

Originally Posted by BaLLiN

how would that even work? would they stay in the division?

That was my first thought. The Lions, Vikings, Packers, and Bears have always been in the same division.

Getting way ahead of myself but my first idea was to swap the Vikings and Rams.

[YAYareaRB]

Originally Posted by Scotty D

That was my first thought. The Lions, Vikings, Packers, and Bears have always been in the same division.

Getting way ahead of myself but my first idea was to swap the Vikings and Rams.

pretty funny if it goes down like that. vikings going to LA and swapping divisions with the rams, who were the last nfl team in LA,iirc

[WCH]

Well, it would be fitting if LA "stole" the Vikings from Minnesota, just like they did the Lakers. The teams even have the same colors.

[H.O.O.D]

Originally Posted by Scotty D

That was my first thought. The Lions, Vikings, Packers, and Bears have always been in the same division.

Getting way ahead of myself but my first idea was to swap the Vikings and Rams.

The Chiefs are also a possibility to be moved to the NFC North with the Vikings going to the AFC West.

[BaLLiN]

Originally Posted by Scotty D

That was my first thought. The Lions, Vikings, Packers, and Bears have always been in the same division.

Getting way ahead of myself but my first idea was to swap the Vikings and Rams.

Originally Posted by H.O.O.D

The Chiefs are also a possibility to be moved to the NFC North with the Vikings going to the AFC West.

These were also my two initial thoughts, but I don't know if anyone would want to change.

[boknows34]

Originally Posted by H.O.O.D

The Chiefs are also a possibility to be moved to the NFC North with the Vikings going to the AFC West.

I don't think any of the original AFL teams would ever make the move to the NFC, and especially not the Chiefs as Lamar Hunt was the founder of the league and has the AFC Championship Trophy named after him. The last time we had realignment in 2002 it was the Seahawks (founded in 1976 after the merger) that switched conferences. A Rams-Vikings switch seems the most logical move if the NFL wanted to keep things closer geographically.

[vidae]

Originally Posted by villagewarrior

I still don't understand the dire need to get a team in LA. 1st of all, LA has failed every time they try to support a franchise. 2nd of all, LA sucks.

I was with you on the first point, but I cannot support the second. I ******* love LA. I grew up near there. It's a fantastic city with a lot of history and a lot of things to do. You take that back!

Originally Posted by H.O.O.D

The Chiefs are also a possibility to be moved to the NFC North with the Vikings going to the AFC West.

Nope, won't happen, and for this reason:

Originally Posted by boknows34

I don't think any of the original AFL teams would ever make the move to the NFC, and especially not the Chiefs as Lamar Hunt was the founder of the league and has the AFC Championship Trophy named after him. The last time we had realignment in 2002 it was the Seahawks (founded in 1976 after the merger) that switched conferences. A Rams-Vikings switch seems the most logical move if the NFL wanted to keep things closer geographically.

[Splat]

Originally Posted by H.O.O.D

The Chiefs are also a possibility to be moved to the NFC North with the Vikings going to the AFC West.

NO! NO! NO!

[Caulibflower]

Originally Posted by Scotty D

That was my first thought. The Lions, Vikings, Packers, and Bears have always been in the same division.

Getting way ahead of myself but my first idea was to swap the Vikings and Rams.

This is way too ironic.

[nepg]

Originally Posted by BaLLiN

how would that even work? would they stay in the division?

Move them to the NFC West and StL to the North. If the Vikings aren't in that part of the map, there is no rivalry anyway. And I don't think people realize how ******* close the Rams are to those teams.

[Ness]

Originally Posted by nepg

Move them to the NFC West and StL to the North. If the Vikings aren't in that part of the map, there is no rivalry anyway. And I don't think people realize how ******* close the Rams are to those teams.

This wouldn't happen. The 49ers and Rams have been rivals for decades and have the longest history within the division between any two combined teams.

[WCH]

Originally Posted by Ness

This wouldn't happen. The 49ers and Rams have been rivals for decades and have the longest history within the division between any two combined teams.

Rich Eisen said that two teams will be in LA by something like 2015, and that it's basically a done deal. If that's true, then I'm guessing that the NFL just does another major realignment, where they try to preserve division rivalries while still making division lines more sensible. In this scenario, an AFC team might move to the NFC North, or something similar.

[nepg]

Originally Posted by Ness

This wouldn't happen. The 49ers and Rams have been rivals for decades and have the longest history within the division between any two combined teams.

No one gives a **** about the Rams-49ers "rivalry". WTF? Never even heard of such a thing.

[Monomach]

Originally Posted by Ness

This wouldn't happen. The 49ers and Rams have been rivals for decades and have the longest history within the division between any two combined teams.

This can't be a real thing. C'mon. You made it up. Admit it.

[Dangermouse]

Originally Posted by Ness

This wouldn't happen. The 49ers and Rams have been rivals for decades and have the longest history within the division between any two combined teams.

This. I think Seattle will go the North as opposed to St Louis.

[prock]

Originally Posted by Dangermouse

This. I think Seattle will go the North as opposed to St Louis.

Yeah but Seattle is two time zones away from all the other teams. This would not fly at all. It would have to be St. Louis.

[mqtirishfan]

Originally Posted by Dangermouse

This. I think Seattle will go the North as opposed to St Louis.

This makes no sense at all. They'd might as well just keep the Vikings in the North if they were going to ignore geography this way.

[YAYareaRB]

it looks like a party

[Brodeur]

At least the Jags and their 35 fans get to keep their team!

[yo123]

Originally Posted by Brodeur

At least the Jags and their 35 fans get to keep their team!

You act like our fans aren't ridiculous bandwagoners. I have no respect for the majority of the sports fans here.

[Brodeur]

Originally Posted by yo123

You act like our fans aren't ridiculous bandwagoners. I have no respect for the majority of the sports fans here.

I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that it still beats Jags fans, who don't actually exist.

[bearsfan_51]

Originally Posted by yo123

You act like our fans aren't ridiculous bandwagoners. I have no respect for the majority of the sports fans here.

I don't like to spend my money on crappy teams either. If that makes me a bandwaggoner, I'd rather be that than all of my Cleveland friends who spend a good portion of their money supporting teams that do nothing but make them miserable.

[Unbiased]

Originally Posted by Brodeur

At least the Jags and their 35 fans get to keep their team!

At least I don't spend my entire life on this message board.

I had to be vague because I don't know who your team is.