Patriots owner Kraft wants team in L.A. within 2-3 years

It's widely assumed that the NFL will put a team back in the Los Angeles market in the coming years, but there are still several major hurdles to overcome before it happens -- not the least of which is the lack of a viable stadium.

Thus, it seems highly unrealistic to expect an L.A.-based team to begin play in the next five or perhaps even 10 years.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft doesn't want to wait that long. 

Kraft, 73, said in an appearance on "SportsCenter" on Friday (via Pro Football Talk) that he believes the NFL returning to L.A. "within the next two to three years ... would be in everybody's interest."

To meet a deadline like that, construction on a new stadium would have to begin almost immediately. There's no indication that's going to happen. 

Kraft may simply be trying to push the process along here. It's hard to find anyone who thinks an L.A. team would be a bad idea -- and it appears inevitable that there will eventually be one -- but the league and its partners seem to be content dragging their feet and bickering over issues like where the stadium should be and who should own it.