New Orleans Saints to ?

[sc49erfan15]

Wow, Im glad I didnt get into UNO I suck. Anyways, the mayor has said the city will be shut down 2 to 3 months. So I would think the Hornets will be displaced till at least December. Vegas anyone?

St. Louis?

[jkrdevil]

A road schedule? I'm sorry, will, but you're crazy!

I believe the last team to have an all road schedule (the Arena League's Houston Thunderbears) folded after a rather crappy season. Trust me, it won't work.

I say they should have their home games at Baton Rouge. Having the games at Tiger Stadium will not give them a bit of a home field advantage, but it'll be great for the healing of the state after Katrina. Saint fans and LSU Tiger fans down in Baton Rouge on the weekend would do so much for the healing process.

Yeah but think about how many people would be in the area during the weekend. Football games take a long time to recover from. Trying to ask the city to Have an LSU game one day, clean up and prepare for the Saints the next day wouldnt exactly be easy

Well, while the Alamodome seems to be the new home for the Saints playing at LSU is entirely possible. The back to back game day isn't a big facter. I believe it was a few years ago Giants Stadium hosted the Army-Navy on Saturday, an NFL Game Sunday, and another NFL Game Monday night (I think, I can't remember for sure). There are many instances where the Jets or Giants will play on Saturday then the other team will play on Sunday. And that all happened when there was grass. I know Pitt and that the Steelers both use Hiez Field often times on the same weekend. There are many examples of back to back stadium use.

[SteveR]

I'm kinda caught. The best option in regards to travel and fan opporunity to attend is LSU. Some of the players even see that as a chance to have a more influential home-climate advantage if teams have to play outdoors in the heat and humidity.

But, OTOH, the Alamodome provides playing conditions most like the Superdome -- even down to the synthetic playing surface (FieldTurf).

[quantum]

I really wonder if it is that important for the fans to be able to attend. If the total area of damage (to varying degrees, of course) includes all of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Alabama, how much spending cash will these people have? Yeah, the stadium is on the DL for months. Many of the fans are going to be without jobs, hence no money. If the team insists on operating out of San Antonio, traveling to any other city turns them into a road team anyway.

The best thing to do is relocate to a city away from the mess and use it as an opportunity to test another market and raise funds for the relief.

[WJMorris3]

I still say the best thing to do is just play a road schedule. Entirely feasible and fair to all parties.

[pcgd]

I still say the best thing to do is just play a road schedule. Entirely feasible and fair to all parties.

How is that fair to the team or the fans?

The team needs a home, even if its a temporary one. to me, the best option is LSU, but I completly understand the humidity and overuse issues that could happen. When the bears played at Illinois, humidity wasn't near the issue, there was turf, the the plan was in place for at least a year prior. They are trying to figure out where to move an entire NFL team in the matter of a few weeks.

Someone mentioned they could use the Saints turf in the Alamodome...I'd rather see them pack up the people at the Superdome before that turf goes anywhere.

[slapshot]

It may be feasible, but it also may require unorthodox shuffling of dates. I can think of quite a few NFL stadiums that share their fields with other teams, and those teams' games would also have to be taken into account: Vikings/U. Minnesota/Twins, Giants/Jets/MetroStars, Steelers/Pitt, Cardinals/Sun Devils, Chargers/SDSU, Raiders/A's, Broncos/Rapids, etc. It's not just a matter of simply swapping all home dates for road dates.

[Bleujayone]

Homeless Saints Could Face Vagabond Season

NFL.com wire reports

NEW ORLEANS ( Aug. 31, 2005) -- There is only one certainty about the New Orleans Saints' future: They will live and work out of the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio for a while.

Beyond that, question marks abound. It's highly unlikely they'll be able to hold their home opener Sept. 18 at the Superdome -- and they may not be able to play there at all this season after the stadium was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

So that first game against the New York Giants could be at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Or at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. Or even at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.

And all of those sites could host other home games for the Saints, who escaped the hurricane by flying with their families last weekend to San Jose, Calif. New Orleans plays at Oakland on Sept. 1 in its final preseason game.

While the Saints and NFL officials have been discussing a variety of alternatives, they haven't talked yet with many of the people at the proposed sites.

"We can say is LSU an option, yeah, but is it an option with them?" Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said by phone from San Jose. "That's the next hurdle. We haven't crossed that hurdle yet."

Only one hurdle has been crossed.

Following the Raiders game, the Saints will go to San Antonio, where they will stay at the same hotel they stayed at last season when Hurricane Ivan chased them out of New Orleans in the second week of the regular season.

The Saints will also use the same practice facilities at Trinity University, so they will have, as Bensel put it, "a certain comfort level with where we are."

That would seem to make the Alamodome, which holds 65,000 for football, a logical alternative, although it's about 550 miles from New Orleans, farther than the NFL would like.

But at this point, no one really knows the options.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and league officials have discussed the situation over the past few days. Location hasn't been the most important topic.

"We've been talking about how we as a league can assist with relief efforts," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "Not only for Saints players and officials and their families, but also for a lot of other players in the league who live or have families in the region."

The Saints aren't the only ones in sports affected by the damage done to the 65,000-seat Superdome.

Bowl Championship Series spokesman Bob Burda said Sugar Bowl officials hope to meet within the next few weeks to talk about what to do with the game scheduled for Jan. 2 in the Superdome.

"It's just too early on their end to even speculate," said Burda, adding that bowl officials had been in contact with BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg.

It's unlikely officials would want to let the Sugar Bowl leave Louisiana, even for just a year. Independence Stadium, home of the Independence Bowl, in Shreveport has been renovated in recent years and holds about 53,000. Tiger Stadium could also be a plausible option, with a capacity of almost 92,000.

None of the options for the Saints seem ideal, including the unlikely scenario of playing their entire schedule on the road.

Switching their home opener to the Meadowlands is a problem because the Giants share their stadium with the New York Jets, who are scheduled to play Miami at home that day.

There has been talk of using Reliant Stadium in Houston, but the Texans are home Sept. 18 to Pittsburgh.

Those hurdles could be overcome by playing games on Saturday or Monday, but it hardly seems like a palatable option to either the team or the league.

The last time a game shifted locations on short notice was on Oct. 27, 2003, when the Chargers and Miami Dolphins met at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., after wildfires in southern California prevented the game from being played in San Diego. That was a regularly scheduled Monday night contest and no admission was charged -- 73,000 people attended, far more than usually attend Arizona Cardinals games at the same venue. And just a year ago, the Dolphins moved their season opener vs. Tennessee from Sunday, Sept. 12 to Saturday, Sept. 11 due to Hurricane Ivan.

But this is likely to be more than a one-shot deal and few of the alternatives seem particularly enticing.

Both the league and the Saints would like to stay as close to home as possible, although other stadiums are showing interest in having them.

Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando, Fla., proposed that the Saints try the little-used Citrus Bowl. There was no indication that the Saints were even familiar with that offer.

Even before the hurricane, the team has been negotiating with the state of Louisiana for a new stadium to replace the Superdome. Owner Tom Benson has suggested that without one, he might sell the franchise, leading to speculation that the Saints might be the team that fills the hole in Los Angeles left vacant when the Rams moved to St. Louis and the Raiders went back to Oakland after the 1994 season.

Yes, the Los Angeles Coliseum is among the sites suggested as a possibility for this season.

But all of that is speculation.

"We just don't know yet," Bensel said. "We really don't."

[Dilbert]

the Hornets will need to find a new place to play too.

The ECHL Mississippi SeaWolves are unsure about their season in Biloxi. They could probably go to Jackson or Tupelo. Jackson used to be in the ECHL and Tupelo was in the WPHL and a junior league. Neither city has a hockey team, and could support the Sea Wolves for a season. After all they are the MISSISSIPPI SeaWolves. Last season the ECHL Pensacola Ice Pilots season was uncertain, because of Hurricane Ivan, but that wasnt as bad as Katrina.

[robbman21]

Just heard on Foxnews that Death Valley in Baton Rouge looks out of the question now as well.They did not elaborate because obviously there's more important stories but that is significant.

And honestly I think it should be said there are about 700,000-1,000,000 Saints fan who could really care less if the Saints even play at all this season.They have much bigger things to worry about....as do the Saints themselves.

[Swiss]

I really wonder if it is that important for the fans to be able to attend. If the total area of damage (to varying degrees, of course) includes all of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Alabama, how much spending cash will these people have? Yeah, the stadium is on the DL for months. Many of the fans are going to be without jobs, hence no money. If the team insists on operating out of San Antonio, traveling to any other city turns them into a road team anyway.

The best thing to do is relocate to a city away from the mess and use it as an opportunity to test another market and raise funds for the relief.

IMHO this is the best opinion in this thread. First think about the people... and after the sports.

[bhambruiser]

wow Legion Field huh? it will be as close as Birmingham will ever get to getting an NFL team.

I have also heard bryant-denny thrown out there

[cyandlux]

I really wonder if it is that important for the fans to be able to attend.  If the total area of damage (to varying degrees, of course) includes all of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Alabama, how much spending cash will these people have?  Yeah, the stadium is on the DL for months.  Many of the fans are going to be without jobs, hence no money.  If the team insists on operating out of San Antonio, traveling to any other city turns them into a road team anyway.

The best thing to do is relocate to a city away from the mess and use it as an opportunity to test another market and raise funds for the relief.

IMHO this is the best opinion in this thread. First think about the people... and after the sports.

I think we all care about the people...read my FIRST post in this thread. I think we all are fixed to this topic because it is an interesting one that has limitless possibilities. Also, I feel that sports and discussions there of are a good way to get our minds off the tragedy for a few minutes. But the people of the South are for sure always in our minds right now.

[HatCityEnforcer]

Robb's hit the nail on the head, folks...the good people of the Gulf Coast area have a plopload more to worry about right now than where the Saints (or the Hornets or Tulane University for that matter) are gonna be playing their games.

That being said, San Antonio as a home for the Saints would work fine with me...the team's already got big connections there and the Alamodome doesn't have any serious conflicts in schedule...

[paynomind]

Based ont he status of NO right now, I dont think there will be even one single NFL game there this year. It is insulting to the victims of this tragedy to worry about it, and would be even more insulting to play an NFL game of millionaires in a staduim even if they could get it fixed, while everyone else int he city is livign in FEMA trailers.

Birmingham Saints. Sounds good to me.

[SteveR]

I didn't say load up the Saints' turf and haul it anywhere, just that the surface they already have at the Alamodome is the same (OK, maybe different manufacturer) as what they play on at the Superdome.

Also, word is the NBA is already looking into a season-long alternative home for the Hornets.

[WSU151]

It is insulting to the victims of this tragedy to worry about it, and would be even more insulting to play an NFL game of millionaires in a staduim even if they could get it fixed, while everyone else int he city is livign in FEMA trailers.

I disagree to a point. Yes, the citizens come first, but as a leader of the community, one has to build civil pride again. If there's something small that a city can rally around, let it be done.

[Shmee]

Don't count on the Alamodome as a home for the Saints quite so soon. CNN reported earlier today that to help alleviate the pressure on Houston and the Astrodome, 25,000 refugees from New Orleans will be moving to San Antonio's Alamodome.

[cyandlux]

I dont think anyone is "worrying" about this. We find it interesting, this is a sports discussion board we are discussing a sports topic. I dont think there is anything wrong with that & I dont think there is any disrespect to anyone intended. If we're offending, we're sorry, we didnt think this would offend and if you are offended I dont know what to tell you, there could be more positive things YOU could be doing also than complaining about a topic on a discussion board that IS relavent.

[winghaz]

I now officially have a second-favorite NFL team.

Go Saints, wherever you play your home games.