PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : St. Louis Dome Might Not Be Ready

The St. Louis Rams are trying to buy more time for construction crews racing to finish the Trans World Dome, proposing a swap of home dates with the San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams are scheduled to open the dome Oct. 22 against San Francisco and play at San Francisco Nov. 26.

The team made the formal request to the NFL and the 49ers this week after three other events set for early October at the dome were postponed to give crews more time to finish the $260-million building.

The Rams want the dome opener to be a big event, and they also want to play five games there this season. If the Rams play one fewer home game in the dome, they also stand to lose more than $1 million, because they don’t get a share of concessions or advertising at Busch Stadium, as they do at the dome.

If the dome is not ready by Oct. 22, the Rams can levy a $1-million penalty against FANS Inc., the group that led the campaign to bring the Rams to St. Louis. The penalty was part of their relocation agreement.

If the league agrees to the switch, the dome opener would be pushed back to Nov. 12 against Carolina. League spokesman Greg Aiello had no initial comment on the proposal.

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The Oakland Raiders upgraded the injury status of cornerback Terry McDaniel from questionable to probable, a major plus for the defense that will face the New York Jets on Sunday night at the Meadowlands. McDaniel, a three-time Pro Bowl performer and starter the last two years, suffered a bruised thigh when making an interception during the Raiders’ 48-17 victory over Philadelphia last Sunday. . . . The New England Patriots promoted Jay Barker from the practice squad to the 45-man roster, a move necessitated by the injury to Drew Bledsoe.