NFL Notes: Ex-Jaguar Jimmy Smith serving prison term

JACKSON, Miss. -- Former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith has begun serving a six-year prison term in Mississippi for drug possession and weapons charges, online state corrections records show.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections' website says the 44-year-old Smith entered the prison system in late March and was recently moved to a facility in Yazoo City. He was sentenced by a Madison County court to two years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and four years for possession of cocaine, records show.

WJXX-TV in Jacksonville, Fla., first reported Smith's sentence. His tentative release date is listed as Nov. 8, 2018.

Smith, a standout at Jackson State drafted in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys in 1992, played 13 seasons in the NFL, including 11 for the Jaguars. He spent training camp with the Eagles in 1994, played in Jacksonville's inaugural season in 1995 and became its all-time leading receiver before his retirement in 2005.

Vikings see the light with design of new stadium
MINNEAPOLIS -- Opening the roof over the new home of the Minnesota Vikings would have forced planners of the $975 million project to eliminate some of the fancy features.

So the team, the public agency in charge of the stadium and the architects designing it literally saw the light. The yet-to-be-named multi-purpose facility will have a translucent roof and moveable front windows.

Bryan Trubey, the lead architect for the project for the Dallas-based HKS Sports and Entertainment Group, presented images to a crowd of fans, public officials and members of the Vikings organization Monday night. The event took place at the Guthrie Theater, a few blocks from where the stadium will be built in downtown Minneapolis.

It will replace the 31-year-old Metrodome, which the Vikings will vacate after the 2013 season. They'll play outside at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium for two years while the new venue is under construction.

In 2016, the Vikings will move back indoors. From the look of the new 65,000-seat building, though, they'll feel a little like they're playing in the elements, albeit with a controlled climate and protection from the rain, wind and snow.

"It's a beautiful building," center John Sullivan said after the unveiling (see full story).

Giants co-owner says Tebow to Jets was mistake
New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch thinks Tim Tebow's time with the Jets was a mistake.

Tisch tells TMZ in a video posted on its website Monday that Tebow going to the Jets last offseason from Denver was "not in anybody's best interest." TMZ spoke to Tisch in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Tebow was released by the Jets two weeks ago after one disappointing and unproductive season in New York. Tisch says he feels "badly for the guy," and if any team other than the Jets had acquired him "maybe he'd have a career."

Tebow is currently a free agent who hasn't garnered interest from NFL teams since being cut, but has had some offers from indoor leagues. Tisch says Tebow's "got talent" and is "not a bad quarterback."