The 2019 NFL Week 3 Roundup | Sweetheart Deal
Well that didn’t take long did it?
Looks like there are early pockets of ugly discord making themselves noticeably felt at SoFi Stadium as the still-under-construction physical structure rapidly knives up around them in Los Angeles. Proudly underpinning the sole flightpath into LAX, SoFi Stadium (whose naming rights recently sold for a record $600M to the San Francisco oh-so-hip financial services firm known for roboinvesting but now invading the consumer banking industry with such innovative products as checking and high-yield savings accounts) for those who are unfamiliar is the shiny new football palace and shared home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. OH it’s to be splendid affair when complete early next Summer. Termed an “urban village” — uhh, sure whatever you say clever marketers — this 298 acre complex is set to be amenitized with two million Class A Commercial retail and office space’s worth of square footage, 2500 modern residences, a 6000 seat performing arts venue and public parks encompassing more than 25 acres. Recent hot and fresh additions to the tenant roster include Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas, Three Weavers Brewing Company and Olympix Fitness complete with a rooftop pool (the better to see plane underbellies overhead and to be gazed at by thousands of airborne lookeyloos — say SoFiiiii).
Which is all well and good but all of this snazzy, minty fresh development comes predictably at some cost. Well, lots of cost. Initially pegged with an all-in price tag of $1.9B, the actual out-the-door cost has violently mushroomed to $5B as of this past August. So how exactly does one go about financing such an “urban village” without tapping a dime of taxpayer coin? Well this is where things get complicated. The NFL is a co-investor via its $200M so-called G-6 loan. That leaves Rams owner (who also owns the underlying land), Stan Kroenke, as the principal investor. With a net worth of $10B, Stan understandably likes the idea of shared and equitable investment into the SoFi endeavor. So a plan was devised to bring co-tenant and Chargers owner Dean Spanos in to help fund the party. More specifically, Dean’s contribution penciled in to an estimated $400M; what Stan expected from the sale of Chargers Person Seat Licenses. So a deal was had, inked and locked-in after many sweaty rounds of negotiation. Only problem is that Stan wayyyyyyyyy overestimated fan interest in Chargers PSLs. At the current sales pace, the Charges are looking to fork over about $200M over the Rams leaving Stan on the hook for the balance. To make matters worse, the joint Rams-Chargers ironclad agreement called for the Charges to pocket all game day revenues no matter the shortfall on their other pesky side agreement. Hence those pockets of discord. You know what they say about a house divided: it cannot stand when festooned with sour grapes. Maybe Stan ought to consider one of Sofi’s newfangled high-yield savings account? There might be a free toaster in the offing 😊.
And speaking of toasters, Eli looks like your sideline PopTart is ready. Eli who? New starting QB Daniel Jones brash debut on Sunday was accompanied with a few exclamation marks. He led the Giants out of an 18 point hole and in the end with his squad overcame the Bucks, 32–31, in a squeaker. Throwing 23/36, 336 yards and 4TDs, Daniel’s performance was as confident as it was hopeful. It also offered stark relief and delight for a franchise in dire need of both. Over in Glendale, the Panthers dispensed with the Cards 38–20. With Cam Newton still out, Kyle Allen made a convincing case for himself behind his 4 TDs. Equally noteworthy was Arizona’s rendition of a Saloon Door Defense; basically a Defense ornamental in nature. Upstart ARI rookie QB Kyler Murray played down to expectations in a disappointing week that saw the team slink to 0–2–1. Meanwhile, Indy had fans wondering where QB Jacoby Brissett has been THEIR whole lives. Throwing for 28/37, 310 yards and 2 TDs and ultimately vanquishing the Falcons 24–27 makes it easy to stuff that Andy Luck era further and farther back into that August rearview mirror.
Over on the West Coast, NOLA fans still digesting the loss of Drew Brees and his finger thing were thrilled to spectate as Teddy Bridgewater turned in a blockbuster performance alongside RB Alvin Kamara. It was quite the site to behold but not for home team, the Seahawks who could do little to attenuate the gathering momentum. Interestingly — or not — both teams sit at 2–1 on the Season. Also 2–1 are the Vikings who on Sunday trampled the Raiders, who are more definitely NOT 2–1 on the Season. Don’t look now Minnesota fans, but that sound you hear might just be Kirk Cousins FINALLY finding his footing no doubt with an assist from RB Dalvin Cook. The Vikings overtook OAK in the end, 34–14, despite a decent outing by Oakland’s Derek Carr. Whether Kirk can maintain his steadiness and escalate moving forward is another matter altogether. He comes after all from the Land of the Cursed, Washington. As in Redskins. The Skins delivered a performance befitting the Dan Snyder Curse that tellingly befalls each of their matchups. They fell to the Bears 15–31 badly. Sadly, the less said about this game the better. For da Bears of course, it’s all blue skies and butterflies. Funny how that works out.
And wow look at what’s going on with the Black and Yellow. 0–3 on the Season, this is VERY unbecoming behavior coming from the Steelers. Sure Big Ben is out but truth be told their issues look to be deeper than a single (former) starting QB and certainly more turbulent that the Alleghany River that flows beside their field of play. Whether backup QB Mason Rudolph can calm those good waters remains to be seen. His borderline weak outing on Sunday did nothing to make a case for his future prospects despite the ridiculously awful showing turned in by the 49ers (Mercy; complete with 5 turnovers!!!). Even still, the Steelers managed to lose 20–24. Up in Philly, the Eagles were busy themselves stinking up the joint in their 24–20 loss to Detroit. Their second loss in a row, QB Carson Wenz and Team look to further decelerate judging by the on-screen and on-field product. All the more saddening for super Bowl champs just two years removed. And speaking of Super Bowl champs, it was the Jets turn to run into the Pats buzzsaw. A team in literal and figurative disarray, the Jets did what they could behind QB Luke Falk and where shredded 14–30. The NYJ Offense failed to show up as did common sense. Falk at the same time was sacked 5 times which bring into question Head Coach Adam Gase’s crystal ball. Or maybe it’s just a clear bowling ball after all. That that would explain more makes the whole affair all the more atrocious.
Finally, the battle of the powerhouses down in Kansas City was quite the site to behold. Lamar Jackson and his Ravens did their best to off Mahomes and squad but ultimately couldn’t escape the KC grip, 28–33. But it wasn’t so much the outcome but rather the proceedings underlying it. To witness an NFL MVP go head-to-head with a sure-to-be MVP was to see football for all it’s elegant glory. It was so epic, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the game for Madden 2019. And at the opposite end of the spectrum we have the Cowboys flattening the Dolphins, 6–31. The less said about QB Josh Rosen the better. And much has been said about Miami utilizing tanking as a strategy but the more and more we can see for our naked eyes, the more the world can see an endemic disease. Makes that silly rent spat between the Rams and the Chargers seem but a fleeting first world problem; the kind that can only be hatched only in Tinsletown. Touche!
