The NFL's biggest stage is coming to Glendale, Ariz., but not everyone in the city is happy about hosting the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. Jerry Weiers, the mayor of Glendale, recently told ESPN The Magazine's Mina Kimes that he doesn't expect an economic boon from having the Super Bowl in his city. In fact, he says, "I totally believe we will lose money on this."
Mayor says Glendale ‘will lose money’ on Super Bowl, Bears interested in Charlie Weis
In other NFL news on Tuesday, the Jags fill out their offensive coaching staff, the Bears are still looking for OC, and the Eagles may try to trade up for Mariota.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
This statement should come as little surprise from Weiers, whose city is hosting its second Super Bowl. The mayor said last year that Glendale lost more than $1 million when it hosted Super Bowl XLII in Feb. 2008.
The actual financial benefits of hosting a Super Bowl are unclear. Although visitors may spend hundreds of millions of dollars around the game, economists claim that little of that money actually trickles down to the city coffers. Glendale said it spent $3.4 million for the 2008 game, and earned only $1.2 million in taxes from direct spending at places like hotels and restaurants. According to the ESPN.com report, the city expects to spend slightly less this year, but it also anticipates lower revenues with the NFL moving its game headquarters to Phoenix.
Jags fill out coaching staff
The Jacksonville Jaguars filled out their offensive coaching staff on Tuesday with two key moves. They've decided on former Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson to fill the same position in Jacksonville, per a report from CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, and also added former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone as their offensive line coach.
Olson, who has eight seasons of experience as an offensive coordinator with four teams (Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raiders), will be tasked with fixing an offense that finished last in scoring in both 2013 and 2014 under former OC Jedd Fisch. Marrone spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints from 2006-08, and before that he was the New York Jets' offensive line coach from 2002-05.
Bears considering Weis, others
The Chicago Bears are casting a wide net in their search for a new offensive coordinator to replace Aaron Kromer, who was let go at the end of a disappointing 5-11 season.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears are considering a bunch of potential candidates, including Charlie Weis, San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst, Lions quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter, and former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Weis is an "intriguing" candidate with nine years of experience as an NFL offensive coordinator, but hasn't coached in the league since he was the Kansas City Chiefs OC in 2010.
Report: Eagles on Mariota?
The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly trying to move up in the NFL Draft order to take Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, a source told NJ.com's Mark Eckel. The Eagles currently hold the 20th pick, while the latest mock draft from SB Nation's Mocking The Draft has Mariota going off the board with the second overall pick. A move up from 20th to a top-5 position would be very costly for the Eagles, with some believing that it would take a package of at least three first-round picks plus additional picks.
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly recruited Mariota to play at Oregon, and coached him there for two seasons before jumping to the NFL. It is also important to remember that Kelly now has the final say on all personnel decisions in Philadelphia, after a reshuffling of the Eagles organization structure a few weeks ago.
Rodgers “disappointed, shocked” after loss
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers addressed a variety of topics during his radio show on Tuesday afternoon, from the shocking end of the season to DeflateGate. Regarding the loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, Rodgers admitted, "This one's going to sting for a while," and that "everybody's hurt, frustrated, disappointed, shocked."
Rodgers also gave an update on the status of his calf. He said that it would have been ready to go in two weeks for the Super Bowl if Green Bay had won last weekend, and now, without having to play on it, he should be fully healthy in six weeks.
Rodgers inevitably was also asked about the deflated football issue, and said that he prefers fully inflated pigskins over deflated ones because of his large hand size. He added that the majority of the time the referees take the air out of the ball, and he believes that there should be a minimum air pressure requirement but not a maximum.
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