Generally I'm opposed to such things but - if the reporting is accurate - there may be some points worth considering with this one. If it actually would be publicly owned rather than owned by the team that's a point in its favor, I think. It means that absent whatever the tenancy contract is, the city could feel free to schedule other events there rather than going through the Bears (and presumably paying them some cut). And also - if true - there being no new taxes or tax hikes for Chicago residents is a nice benefit. (Of course from a purely aesthetic perspective, having it be a roofed building is a damned shame, let alone a fixed-roof one, but if you're going to host major concerts and basketball games in addition to the corporate babies who can actually afford the Super Bowl, a retractable roof would be acceptable.)
Here in Seattle, Seahawks Stadium was built using public and private funds. The money came from bonds, raising the hotel/motel tax, and a new statewide lottery and Paul Allen agreed to cover any cost overruns. It came in on time and Paul agreed to pay the $30 million in cost overruns and the bond and taxes have been paid off. Of course, the stadium only cost $430 million when it was constructed. Money generated by events held at the stadium go towards maintenance and upkeep.
I read that a retractable roof was considered, but that would add $100M+ to the cost. Plus, it's not like our winters are true "Bear weather" anymore, and players aren't as tough as they used to be, etc, etc. I'm not sure the need to open the roof to let the cold in is really necessary.
Not all Texans fans like them. So far I like them, but until I see them on the field with them I'm holding off judgement. That "H" helmet looks pretty cool though.
Hamilton County, Ohio owns Paycor Stadium. It is a money pit, with the team still having all kinds of control over everything. I doubt the Bears will settle for less than complete control over the facility and parking with the city/county/state being responsible for all upkeep/upgrades.
No real surprises so far. Maybe Pennix to the Falcons. Bears take Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze at 1 and 9.
I'm happy. Between Daniels and Maye I was leaning toward Maye and the Patriots got him. Penix to the Falcons was wild. Not necessarily the pick itself, but more the fact that they took him at 8. They could have traded back and probably still gotten him.
Someone said that in a Sean Payton interview, he shared there was a gentleman's agreement with the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders that the QBs they wanted would all fall to them. And then the Falcons taking Penix screwed it up for either the Vikings or Raiders since the Broncos wanted Nix.
Yeah the Falcons sign Cousins for a billion dollars then draft Penix at 8? Not sure of the strategy there...
When you have the opportunity to draft a 24-year-old quarterback who has had his knee rebuilt twice, and you can do it at 8, by God, you take that opportunity.
Why settle for a veteran QB with a history of serious injuries when you can have a rookie QB with a history of serious injuries, too? It's not like Kirk "Mr. Adequate" Cousins is going to be the saviour Atlanta thinks he'll be.
Basically, the Falcons Glennoned him. Incidentally, Ryan Pace, who pulled off the original Glennoning in Chicago with the Trubisky pick, is now in the Falcons' front office.
I'm laughing at the sportswriters gushing over Cousins and how he's going to make the Falcons the dominant team in the NFC South. In his entire career, he's 1 and 4 in the playoffs. I learned to loathe him and his mediocre, my-stats-come-first style of play when he was with the Vikings. I'm really hoping to watch the Bucs' D-line keep him on his back.
We Vikings fans be like "Thanks Falcons for taking a cancer off our hands. And since you panicked upon realizing your mistake, we get Dallas Turner too!"
Penix is a weird pick for the Falcons. It seems they have the talent to win now, yet pulled a Packers with Jordan Love. Love is great now, but you're letting your current team down when you use a high pick for something down the road instead of help now.
Anything is possible, but having watched every game of his for two years, I think he’s a fucking rock star.