Posted on 09/05/2005 8:35:27 AM PDT by SC Swamp Fox
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The New Orleans Saints understand that the NFL wants to consider every option for the team's home field this season since Hurricane Katrina ruined the Superdome.
In turn, the Saints hope the league understands how badly they want to play at LSU's Tiger Stadium.
From general manager Mickey Loomis to coach Jim Haslett to star receiver Joe Horn, the entire organization seems to be lobbying to play about 75 miles from New Orleans in Baton Rouge, La.
``If we can uplift anyone, obviously that's worthwhile to us,'' Loomis said Sunday. ``We're representatives of the people of Louisiana and the people of New Orleans.''
Other options are the Alamodome in San Antonio, where the team is living and practicing, or playing all 16 games on the road.
``I hope they keep the games as close as possible,'' Horn said. ``For us to play, having to play, if someone could come and support us near where we were, it would be good.''
The team has moved its day-to-day operations to San Antonio. They were to begin practicing in the area Monday, with Loomis saying that's going to be the case all season, regardless of where they end up playing their home games.
Loomis, Haslett and Horn all said using the Alamodome would be better than playing all 16 games on the road. The Saints already are down for nine road games as their home opener has been moved to Giants Stadium, home of their foe, the New York Giants.
Haslett said NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue ``put us behind the eight ball'' with that decision.
The Saints open Sunday at Carolina, then play at Giants Stadium on a date to be announced. Their third game is at Minnesota, so the first game still in flux is Oct. 2 against Buffalo.
Club officials and players are living in a hotel across the interstate from the Alamodome and will be practicing at the San Antonio Independent School District's Spring Sports Complex, which was upgraded several years ago when the Dallas Cowboys trained in the city. The Saints practiced there last year while taking refuge from another hurricane.
Everyone involved in the organization, and their families, fled New Orleans a few days before Katrina hit. It was evident soon after the storm that the Superdome wouldn't be available for this season, and likely many more.
Tiger Stadium holds almost 92,000, although there might be issues of whether the turf can handle LSU games on Saturdays and Saints games on Sundays.
The Alamodome is about 540 miles from the Superdome, making it more difficult for fans to reach. However, Texas is now filled with roughly 250,000 Louisiana refugees, including about 25,000 in San Antonio at Kelly USA, a former military base.
Several coaches and players visited Kelly on Sunday. Loomis said the first person their caravan came across was a former team employee whose son now works for the organization. The man was taken back to the team hotel, where he was to be reunited with his son. Their names were not immediately released.
The Alamodome seats about 60,000 for football and has only a few dozen of the moneymaking luxury suites teams crave, part of the reason the nation's eighth-largest city has never been a serious candidate for getting a team via expansion or relocation.
Loomis also announced that the team is creating a relief fund for the hurricane victims. He said Saints owner Tom Benson and his family would make the first donation.
``We are still the New Orleans Saints,'' Loomis said. ``Our commitment to our city is stronger than ever. We want to be on the forefront of rebuilding our city. We'll play this season with the same toughness and resiliency of the people of New Orleans.''
Associated Press writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.
Updated on Monday, Sep 5, 2005 2:47 am EDT
All away games? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
My concern is that the NFL tries to use the Saints being "homeless" as an excuse to test potential expansion markets, like Memphis, Birmingham, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City.
BY staying in La. the Saints will be the symbol that N.O. still exists and that it will return.
And the Giants gain one.
...which is good, 'cause the G-Men need all the help they can get.
Agree completely. I don't know why any other option is even being considered (yes, the first "home" game, given the dislocations, is a different case).
The people who root for the Saints should be able to attend their home games. That can happen in Baton Rouge. It sure as heck can't happen in the Rose Bowl.
I concur.
Seems like a no-brainer that the Saints should play at LSU.
If those folks couldn't afford to get out of town before the hurricane they surely can't afford to go to football games. Unless, of course, the team comps the tickets and the city provides transportation. Maybe Uncle Sam can pick up the beer and hot dogs
As an aside, any homeless person who didn't decide to join the crowd and get on that free relocation and housing bus, are too dumb to even be homeless.
It should not be too diffiult for the three other teams in their division to swap the home-away games that they'll play against the Saints this year if need be. Perhaps back-loading home games to minimize the sharing with LSU could be worked out. LSU plays only one home game after November 5th, and that is on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The SEC Championship will be in Atlanta this year.
The hurricane damaged the Superdome. It was the fine citizens of NO that ruined the Superdome.
I was wondering exactly how the hurricane had filled the Superdome with crack vials and excrement.
LSU home games: 9/10. 9/24. 10/15. 10/22. 11/5. 11/25.
Saints home games: 9/18 (already moved to NY, but Tiger Stad available). 10/2- no LSU conflict vs. Buffalo.
10/16 Atlanta, could be swapped with 12/12 game at Atlanta to avoid LSU conflict with game the day before.
10/30- no LSU conflict.
11/6- LSU conflict in game against Bears.
12/4, 12/18, and 12/24: no LSU conflicts.
The only other problem possibly is that if they swapped home games with Atlanta, they would play four in a row at home in the final five weeks, as they close the season in Tampa.
The home game against Tampa is 12/4, so they would have 4 in a row even if they swapped with TB.
Ladies and gentlemen: meet your Baton Rouge Saints.
I wouldn't lose any sleep over it...
I agree that Tiger Stadium makes sense, even though with many evacuees in Texas, San Antonio would work too.
There should be plenty of vacant hotel rooms in Baton Rouge and surrounds for people attending the games to find a place to stay.
/sarcasm.
Summary: There are only two weekends when both teams are scheduled to be home. One of them could easily be eliminated by swapping the locations of the two games with Atlanta.
Oh, and don't forget, the ballot initiative to raise the local sales tax X amount of cents per dollar to pay for the new stadium.
The team has been threatening a move for the past 12 months (mostly to San Antonio). Let them move! Why should LA pay for the upgrades to The Superdome when they should be prioritizing a tighter budget elsewhere?
Nevermind the fact of The Saints wanting a new stadium all together ...
btw -- The Hornets were rumored to be shopping around as well (before the storm). Will it be Norfolk, Mexico City or Louisville?
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