So what can Rams fans learn from the Vikings’ quest for a new stadium in greater Minneapolis and St. Paul?

Plenty, as it turns out. Replacing the dreary Metrodome has become quite the ordeal in Minnesota. The facility turns 30 in April and it has been outdated for about half of its life span.

And yet the Vikings are still there – for at least one more year. Rams fans can relate to the following scenarios:

• Los Angeles isn't quite ready to take back the NFL. The Vikings had the green light to move for the 2012 season, but opted to re-up at the dilapidated Metrodome for another year. The dearth of viable alternative markets made that decision easier.

• Owners are more willing to invest heavily in a new stadium if they can maximize revenue opportunities. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf pledged $425 million toward a $1.1 billion stadium in suburban Arden Hills, where there is ample room for related development. He has pledged less for a stadium built in Minneapolis, which offers lesser developmental potential.

• The franchise isn't pleased with a revised Arden Hills proposal that features Ramsey County recouping its $300 million investment with revenues the Vikings hoped to gain, such as from parking surcharges and land development.

• Elected governmental bodies are more skeptical about stadium projects than they were in the 1990s. Minnesota is facing a budget crunch, like most states, and politicians are reluctant to dish out any form of corporate welfare in this political climate.

Negotiations are complicated and can take a long, long time. Ultimatums usually don't play well, given the public skepticism toward the subsidization of sports teams.

Fortunately for Vikings fans, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is pro-sports. “My observation is, the Indianapolis Colts used to be the Baltimore Colts,” Dayton observed last year. “The St. Louis Rams used to be the Los Angeles Rams. The Los Angeles Lakers used to be the Minneapolis Lakers. Teams leave when they can't get satisfactory resolution to where they're currently located.”

Tipsheet’s thoughts on the Rams:

• Stan Kroenke has a great lease arrangement, a strong fan base in St. Louis and a profitable scenario. He should feel no urgency to flee this market.

• Civic leaders ultimately must decide whether renovating the Edward Jones Dome is worth the cost and effort. Would the upgrades boost the city's convention and big event business? Is that facility vital to downtown? Or is it time to slowly back away from it?

• Is Kroenke willing to make near-term investments in The Ed while pondering the longer-term potential of developing his own stadium on the edge of downtown or elsewhere? Is this region's economy strong enough to support such investments?

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering if Mark Lamping’s arrival in Jacksonville gives St. Louis a fallback plan for the NFL:

Does Randy Moss miss the money more than he misses football?

Would the Eagles really take on all that baggage?

Will the Linsanity ever end?

Given Jeremy Lin's unrelenting heroics for the New York Knicks, will "Linning" catch on as quickly as "Tebowing"?

QUIPS ‘R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: “Phil Mickelson was magnanimous Sunday when he talked about Tiger Woods. So I don't know if it was a jab when Mickelson made a point of saying how Woods brings out the best in his (Mickelson's) game. One of Woods' great attributes used to be his power to suck the starch out of his opponent's backbone.”

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: “Golf legend Tiger Woods' breakup with Elin Nordegren . . . is the cautionary tale on how love-life turmoil can affect competitive greatness. Woods' well-manicured career imploded in 2009 after an SUV accident revealed enough sordid secrets to give Harvey Levin a spinoff series. Winner of 14 major championships and 71 PGA Tour events, Woods hasn't won a sanctioned PGA event since. He crumbled in Sunday's final round against the cherubic and seemingly love-struck Phil Mickelson. Golf is hard enough to play as an abstinent monk, let alone for a philanderer who built a corporate empire on a cultivated, wholesome public image that turned out to be a duck-hook out of bounds.”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “A writer in Huntington, W. Va., the site of Marshall University, actually penned a column recently telling Marshall fans they are better off in Conference USA than the Big East. Good grief, this would be like me writing a column telling Magic fans they are better off with Kwame Brown than Dwight Howard. … And speaking of ridiculous rhetoric coming out of Conference USA, East Carolina athletic director Terry Holland told an Atlanta radio station that his school belongs in the SEC. Yes, Terry, and Whoopi Goldberg belongs in the SI Swimsuit Issue.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Navy is joining the Big East in college football, and the impact already is being felt. Fighters from an aircraft carrier have attacked Rutgers, and a team of SEALS has infiltrated Pitt.”

Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “We have seen sprained ankles and strained groins, torn ACLs and shredded Achilles tendons. We have seen Al Horford and Kwame Brown go down with injuries normally reserved for offensive linemen (torn pectorals) and Danilo Gallinari crumble to the ground with a sprained ankle and foot, thereby giving the Denver Nuggets their own little HMO nightmare (four starters down). If the NBA altered its iconic logo right now, it would be a silhouette of Jerry West with, a crutch under one arm, a sling around the other, ice bags taped to both knees, ankles the size of cantelopes and a red light bulb on his nose, just like the poor schlep on the ‘Operation’ game.”

MEGAPHONE

“The one thing you have to address with Randy Moss is not a conditioning thing. It's not an age thing. ... I believe it's the elephant in the room. It's that thing called quit. And Randy, not like any other superstar I've met, he has more quit in him than any of those other players. So I need to address that. That's what (Patriots coach Bill) Belichick did when he brought him over from Oakland. He told him he wasn't going to have it. But Randy, when things don't go well, like no other player I've ever been around or associated with, he has a quit mechanism in him that's huge. That needs to be addressed before he signs with any team.”

— Former Vikings receiver Cris Carter, dismissing the Randy Moss Comeback on ESPN Radio.