Report: Vikings Stadium Deal Close

The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly on the verge of securing a brand new stadium in Arden Hills, according to the Star Tribune.

According to a report on the paper's website, stadium negotiators on Wednesday dropped the cost of the $1 billion proposed project by nearly $200 million and the Vikings had upped their contribution from $407 million. Also part of a revised deal is a resolution on who would own and operate the Ramsey County facility.

The Star Tribune says an official announcement on an agreement could come later Wednesday.

Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president for public affairs and stadium development, said earlier this week that stadium negotiators were close and the project could be ready for state legislators to discuss as part of the state’s $5 billion budget deficit.

“I think we’re close enough so [if] we were advised to wrap it up, we could sit down and hammer out the final agreement,” he told the paper.

Despite a deal being close, a Vikings stadium deal wouldn't become official until the legislature comes together for special session and signs off on the plan. Minnesota is on the cusp of a government shutdown that would begin Friday and a special session hasn't been scheduled. Gov. Mark Dayton, who is a stadium supporter, said there is still a lot of ground to make up on a budget compromise in order to avert a shutdown.

The good news for Vikings fans, a stadium deal looks as good as done. The bad news, now the wait is on to make it official.

Report: Terrell Owens Tears His ACL

Free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens will likely miss the upcoming NFL season after he reportedly tore his anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees, according to ESPN. NFL Insider Chris Mortensen broke the story and confirmed through sources that the surgery on Owen's knee was performed by noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews and it occurred within the past month.

According to the ESPN report, one source said Owens tore the ACL during a personal workout. Owens' agent Drew Rosenhaus was not avilable for comment. However, Rosenhaus' brother and partner in the agent business, Jason Rosenhaus, said, "I don't like to deny stories or confirm or deny anything. It's really something for Drew (to address)."

Owens, who's 37 years old, tore his meniscus in his left knee late last season. An ACL injury typically requires roughly six months of rehab.

Owens had planned on playing a 16th season in 2011 after signing a one-year contract with the Cincinatti Bengals last season. Owens caught 72 passes for 983 yards and nine touchdowns for the Bengals. Owens would have been a free agent once the lockout was lifted.

Owens ranks second in all-time receiving yards, trailing only Jerry Rice and he's third behind Rice and Randy Moss in receiving touchdowns.

Football Websites Hit Hard By NFL Lockout

The NFL lockout has been bad for business, and I'm not talking about for the players who stand to make millions or the billionaire owners. I'm talking about the people who write for football blogs and websites. A recent article in the Investor's Business Daily found fantasy football websites are getting hit hard by the lockout.

The article's author, Pete Barlas, contacted me to inquire how my website was affected by the lockout. I told him that sites like mine are losing eyes because there isn't enough new content to draw in readers. While my site doesn't generate a ton of money, and blogging isn't my full-time job, the economic impact of the lockout hasn't been too bad for me. However, there are guys who earn a living writing about fantasy football.

In the same article, Joe Dyken, founder of FantasyFootballNerd.com (@ffnerd on Twitter), says his site's traffic is down 30% from a year ago and his ad revenue is down 30%.

"I have two Fortune 100 companies who are interested in sponsoring/advertising on the site," Dyken said. "But neither is willing to make any financial commitments until the NFL lockout is over."

And it's not just fantasy football websites that are losing money to the lockout, team blogs and websites are affected as well.

Monty McMahon, owner of Totalpackers.com (@totalpackers on Twitter), says his ad revenue fell 20% in March from February, and another 5% in April. And despite having some of the most loyal fans in football, the Green Bay Packer-focused website went from 5,000 to 15,000 visitors a day in January and February to 1,000 to 3,000 a day in June, According to McMahon.

The good news - hopefully - is that when the lockout finally ends, people flock to fantasy football websites for information. Now we just need the NFL and NFLPA to get a deal done, and soon.

2011 NFL Lockout: Commissioner, Owners and NFLPA Hold Secret Meeting

For the football fans who are hoping the 2011 NFL season goes on as planned, here's a bit a good news (for once) about the NFL lockout. According to ESPN's John Clayton, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with a handful of powerful NFL owners, including Dallas' Jerry Jones, New England's Robert Kraft and Carolina's Jerry Richardson on Wednesday in Chicago.

However, Clayton's initial report about the secret meeting excluded one important figure, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are reporting Smith was present, too, as well as other players association officials.

The meeting is viewed as a positive step as the two sides work to bridge some of their various differences. While a potential agreement appears to still be a long way off, the meeting could help lay the foundation for a deal getting done later this month.

Both sides will be in court Friday, June 3 for a hearing in St. Louis in front of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court will hear arguments on whether or not the current lockout is legal.

The NFL lockout began on March 11.