I think the Redskins have the tie breaker if the Cowboys, Giants and 'Skins all finish in a tie for the East.

They basically finalized the deal for the new stadium here today--roughly 1 billion dollars with the city picking up $300 million (from a hotel/motel tax) and Mr. Blank coming up with the other $700.

Following this story over the past several months, it's amazing how many people are against it: It's a similar coalition to the one that defeated the big transportation referendum several months back: Urban blacks and suburban "get off my lawn" types.

Personally, I'm fucking for it: A. Having world class facilities attracts major events and I want Atlanta to be relevant in this regard. B. The Falcons currently have a terrible stadium deal and I think Mr. Blank deserves a deal that let's him get revenue comparable to other owners. C. $1 billion dollars pumped into the local economy short term is $1 billion dollars.

I hope its retractable roof because the weather is mostly nice here in the fall.

Right now is the worst time to propose or build a stadium. Everyone thinks their tax $$$ is going to pay for it.

Related, here in Htown they are trying to build a new minor league park since the old stadium is eons old, and while carries a certain old-time charm, really misses the mark on the "new" entertainment side of sports marketing. The state is going to kick in a chunk, and there was the same hotel/motel tax set up years ago for this very reason--but of course there are the naysayers (which, sounds like what you're dealing with in ATL). Gotta spend money to make money.

As for the Ravens--is this an end-all-be-all type of move? No, but we're in need of something to shock us. I hate when I hear players saying "we're ok", "don't worry" etc. You know what? How about realizing there is a problem? That you're dropping passes, letting defenders past you, misthrowing, and more. Address these problems. Cameron's problem is he never deviated from a gameplan. It lost us games. When you have arguably one of the best running backs in the NFL barely touching the ball, there's a problem. Its a contract year for Flacco. You know he wants big money. With Cameron, you have no idea if it was the coach or the QB screwing up. You get rid of the least impacting one. Cam went. Now we'll see if Flacco performs better. If not, we can say well--you're not worth the money of an "elite" QB. If he performs better, its win/win. Truth is, fans have been calling for Cam's head for over 2 years now. Stinks it took this long.

NEW STADIUM?!?

Is the Georgia Dome even 10 years old???

OK, I just checked Wikipedia (which I should have done BEFORE posting), and see it's actually 20 years old.

Can't believe it's been around that long!

It was dated before they laid the first brick.

That's the thing. The Georgia Dome is fucking deplorable. I've hated it since it opened, and it was a boondoggle bigger than anything dealing with the airport or the Savannah Harbor expansion bs. Blech x 1 mil.

I wonder if they're gonna go Jerry World style? And maybe you know this Kurtz - where are they building this?

They should SERIOUSLY AVOID going Jerry World style. For all of its architectural splendor, it suffers from one extremely fatal design flaw: not acoustically conducive to maximizing the generation of crowd noise. Worst home field advantage in the NFL.

Much better off building something less ostentatious and more practical.

The current proposal is about a half mile north of where it is right now. On the north side of Ivan Allen Blvd. They are talking retractable roof, which I would be in favor of. People love the idea of that for thos beautiful fall Sundays but the fact is, games in the South are misery until mid-October.

I have never understood the people who have hated the Dome. Deplorable? It's a damn sight better than the old Fulton County Stadium at the time it was built. I've always found it clean, loud, and good sightlines. Not sure what else you want? People have always bitched about the location but I like the current location 1 MILLION times more than say, out in Gwinnett County (which has been tossed around).

Ultimately, I have no strong feelings either way. I like it for the reasons that Bloor mentioned but I also find the reasons the city officials have cited to be bullshit, ie, neighborhood revitilization, small business, etc, etc. They talked that same shit when the Dome was built and the only thing that happened was a neighborhood got plowed over. Still, I can't shake the feeling that 20 years is a ridiculously short period of time to build something and then blow it up.

The only time I've ever heard it LOUD was at the SECCG - once when we went up 21-10 and then when Bammer scored the final time.

It's just way too sterile. I'll admit that FCS was not good for either baseball or football, but the Dome is just, well, SORRY. Like Atari.

20 years is a pretty shitty return on investment. Jeeesus. So much fucking material wasted.

I guess I just don't know what, in your mind, makes a great stadium.

I LOVE Sanford but the breezeways, at times, are disasterously overcrowded, the bathrooms are terrible, and there are too few entrances. Still, it's far from sterile and it can get super loud. But does that have more to do with the fans or the stadium?

Does giving a stadium history make it better? If that's the case, we'll never have a good stadium if we tear them down every 20 years.

<--honestly trying understand the hate for the Dome

Maybe they can crush it up and turn it into some walking paths or something? I dunno.

And Derris, the Dome should be razed if for no other reason than that it represents the ineptitude of the fucking Smith family.

Just change its name to the BMW Dome or the Porsche Dome or something of the sort and everything will be fine.

1. It's a Dome
2. See Number 1
3. See Number 2
4. See Number 3
5. As Chris said, it felt dated before it even opened. Way to build The Kingdome when motherfuckers were putting up parks like Camden Yards.

I hate to disappoint you, but the new stadium is going to be a dome, albeit one with a retractable roof (hopefully, they havent even confirmed this)

Also, there's another plan where the new stadium will be a bit SOUTH of the current location which is bad idea jeans dot com...but hey this is a city that built not one but two stadiums in a place where the train doesnt go so why not build a third.

Why is it a dome in the first place? I don't know my Georgia weather all that well.

If it's not a retractable roof someone should assassinate Gov. Deal and Mr. Blank.

The Dome was built by the Georgia World Congress Center not the Falcons, so as much for Falcons football, it was made for Super Bowls, Final Fours, Rolling Stones concerts and Promise Keepers rallies.

As for Georgia, it's unbearably hot until October 1 and December can be as cold, rainy and shitty as the Northeast (or more like spring)...I've always heard that the Peach (Chik Fil A) was pretty much unbearable for 20 straight years outside at the old place; it has become one of the best ticket selling bowls inside.

I'll also that somehow the GA Dome looks worse even than other domes on TV. Something about it comes across REALLY Oakwood, and basically makes everything look like it's being beamed in from Center Stage Arena circa 1986.

Don't forget Mayor Kasim Weed Reed and Rich McKay--they be running this shit.

I bet they have a list of subs just like the airport. We started out pouring concrete out of the back of a pickup....MILLIONAIRES.

The Bills just did a quarterback sneak on 1st&10.