Playoff Options Discussed

The NFL, unwilling to give up playoff games without a fight, hasn’t made a decision about whether to play wild-card games.

The league was hoping to swap dates with the National Automobile Dealers Assn., which has its convention in New Orleans the week after the Super Bowl. But the NADA, which has booked 24,000 hotel rooms in the city that week, turned down the offer.

“If there had been any way at all we could accommodate the NFL’s request, we would have,” NADA spokesman David Hyatt said. “It was mission impossible.”

That said, the car door could be ajar. The NFL, which would have to repay as much as $80 million to TV networks for wiping out a round of the playoffs, might check again with the NADA later this week.

“We still think the door is open to other discussions,” said Dan Happoldt, spokesman for the Super Bowl VI host committee in New Orleans. “I think the NFL is going to see if that no is a definite no, or, see if there’s any possible way to keep that option open.”

He said the league has assured New Orleans the possibility of moving the Super Bowl to another city is extremely remote.

One scenario has both conference title games being played in New Orleans on Jan. 27--the current Super Bowl Sunday--and moving the Super Bowl to another locale.

“Any scenario involving the Super Bowl being played in any city but New Orleans is the absolute last-case scenario--and not very likely in our opinion,” said Happoldt, who also said the game is expected to pump $310 million into the local economy.

Is there a possibility Los Angeles would host the Super Bowl? What about Hawaii, which has the Pro Bowl a week later?

As of Wednesday, the NFL had not contacted anyone from the L.A. Coliseum, Rose Bowl or Aloha Bowl about the availability of their stadiums.

“If the NFL moves [the Super Bowl], it would be a tall order to move it to Los Angeles, considering there’s no team in the market,” said David Carter, a principal in The Sports Business Group.

Said Dean Spanos, president of the San Diego Chargers: “Moving the Super Bowl back a week or two would be everybody’s first choice. It’s the most reasonable and practical solution. It’s also the most difficult solution.”

The easiest way to keep the wild-card games would be the hardest on the players.

It would require some wild-card teams to play three games in eight days, a Saturday-Wednesday-Sunday format suggested by Denver Coach Mike Shanahan.