My Sports News Digest

A Minnesota Senate committee narrowly approved a public subsidy on Friday to help the Vikings build a new football stadium, reviving the team’s struggling effort just hours after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell visited the state Capitol to jumpstart what had been a stalled stadium debate. The Senate’s Local Government and Elections Committee passed the bill on an 8-6 vote after a hearing that stretched nearly four hours. While the stadium bill still faces a long haul in the waning days of Minnesota’s legislative session, the committee’s vote gave it new life four days after a companion bill’s defeat in a [...]

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The asking price for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel is dropping. Reports the Philadelphia Eagles “we’re looking for a 3d or 4th rd pick for (Samuel) were wrong. They are willing to take a 5th or 6th,” tweeted Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s an interesting revelation. The Denver Post reported Thursday the Broncos have already offered a fifth- or sixth-round draft pick for Samuel, a deal the Eagles rejected. The Broncos were reportedly turned away on a separate proposal involving an undisclosed player. We’re looking at a surprisingly low cost for a proven cornerback who started 14 [...]

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MINNIOLIS (NFL/Florio) – With the situation in Minnesota going from simmer to full boil over the past few days, and with Commissioner Roger Goodell and Steelers owner Art Rooney II, chair of the league’s stadium committee, planning to meet with legislative leaders on Friday, now is as good a time as any to get up to speed regarding a controversy that could result in a relocation of the Vikings, only a year after the 50th anniversary of their arrival to the NFL. So here are 10 things to know, in a question-and-answer format. (Why do it that way? Because we [...]

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The Denver Broncos are getting their first taste of the hurry-up-at-altitude offense that Peyton Manning will unleash on the NFL this fall if everything keeps going well with his surgically repaired neck. As they go through their offseason workouts, the Broncos are laying the foundation for the offense that Manning is bringing with him from Indianapolis. Manning was one of the first to report to the Broncos’ voluntary team workouts Monday. “I’ve seen that firsthand over the course of my career — that offseason work makes a big difference come fall,” Manning said in a video posted on the Broncos’ [...]

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Wednesday that there would be “serious consequences” for the Vikings if a stadium bill is not completed. A Minnesota House committee voted down a bill on Monday that would have provided for a new stadium at the site of the Metrodome, leaving the Vikings’ long-term fate up in the air. The team is committed to playing in the Metrodome for the 2012 season, even though its lease expired last year. Debate: Toughest schedule According to the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, Eric Grubman, the NFL’s executive vice president of ventures and business [...]

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There’s a new sheriff in Tampa. Greg Schiano does things a little differently on the field, and he’s starting to get rid of Tampa’s problem children off the field. PewterReport.com reports that the Bucs have dangled troubled cornerback Aqib Talib for a possible trade. Thus far, there have been no takers. (And we don’t expect any to emerge.) The Buccaneers have been extremely patient with Talib through his various legal problems. He’s set to go on trial for aggravated assault with a handgun on June 25. Talib has also seen his last two years cut short by injury. In short, [...]

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FLORIO/NFL – There’s much that can be said about the 2012 schedule. Since we aspire to focus not on any one team but on all 32 of them, I took a careful look at each team’s schedule and came up with one observation per team. So here are they are. One per team. This way, no one can complain. But someone surely will find a way to. Bills: Their success in 2011 hasn’t translated to greater exposure in 2012. They’ll have no Monday night games, and they’ll have to flex their way into a Sunday night appearance. Ravens: They’ll face [...]

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NEW ORLEANS (NFL) – The New Orleans Saints began their voluntary offseason workouts Monday under unusual conditions — circumstances that were not solely limited to the fallout from their “bounty” scandal. Saints quarterback — and unquestioned team leader — Drew Brees was noticeably absent from the day’s workouts, as the franchised signal-caller continues to engage in a contract dispute with the team. One Saint, whose success is particularly tied to Brees’ presence on the field, said Tuesday enough is enough, it’s time the team signed Brees to a long-term deal. “I think it’s very important,” tight end Jimmy Graham told [...]

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