Steelers MMQB: NFL Offseason News

What We Learned This Week in the NFL Offseason:

Jon Bon Jovi won’t move Bills to Canada
Roger Goodell is renting out 49ers new stadium already
Chris Kluwe and Vikings conflict getting uglier
Steelers training camp storylines

We’ve almost made it, football fans. By this time next week training camps will be in full swing and we’ll be that much closer to kick offs and touchdowns. Until then, here’s what’s going on around the NFL.

The Buffalo Bills franchise is on the market since Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson passed away. A Toronto group that includes Jon Bon Jovi is interested in buying the team, and is trying to assure the fans of Buffalo that they have no intentions on moving the team to Toronto. You could understand how fans in Buffalo would be skeptical of such a group but there is financial incentive for whoever ends up buying the franchise to keep them in Buffalo. Their lease on their stadium is through 2019 and if the lease is broken before then it will cost $400 million to move the team during the lease.

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Speaking of stadium leases Roger Goodell is apparently more than willing to give the San Francisco 49ers new tenants in their brand new Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The ribbon cutting ceremony was last week for the 49ers and their new facility and Goodell decided it was the perfect opportunity to address the stadium needs of the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders currently share their stadium with the Oakland A’s, who actually just extended their lease but Goodell is giving the team till next offseason to either get a new stadium built in Oakland (or probably move to LA) or share with San Francisco, Jets and Giants style. I’d bet the team moves to LA before doing that.

The Minnesota Vikings are going through some locker room drama that makes the Dolphins locker room from last season pretty tame. Former punter Chris Kluwe, who was released from the team and is threatening suit against the organization, had some questionable accusations for his former team after they released the findings of the NFL’s investigation into his allegations that special teams coach Mike Priefer make anti-gay remarks. Kluwe is alleging in his suit that the team released him because of his gay-rights activism. What is puzzling about Kluwe’s reaction to the news that the team suspended Priefer for three games and called it a day is that he’s now bringing up accusations that he knows of an incident with two of his Vikings teammates and an underage girl. CBS Sports’ Gregg Doyle explains how Kluwe certainly has changed the perception of him by how he is handling this situation. If he felt the need to stand up for the injustice of homophobia in the Vikings organization to the point where he’s filing lawsuits against the team but kept his mouth shut against an actual incident with an underage girl just so he could throw it out in the future for his own benefit he’s nothing more than a disgusting hypocrite. Seems like it’s going to get uglier before it gets better.

Steelers insider Ed Bouchette of the PPG gives us five storylines we can follow as the Steelers embark on their 49^th training camp held at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe at the end of the week.

More no-huddle = We want it, Ben wants it, we’re pretty sure they’re going to run it. Now we just have to see it happen.
More splash plays = preferably resulting in positive things for the Steelers as opposed to the Steelers giving up too many splash plays going forward
More run production = Art Rooney II said three years ago that the running game needed to improve and become more efficient, this is the first offseason where it seems like that might happen.
More youth, more speed = No more Old, Slow, and Done going on here anymore
More blocking = The offensive line is set to implement the zone blocking scheme, this time for realzies.

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