Looking for a good argument?

[The_Admiral]

Besides, no other city in America could support a losing franchise like the Saints for as long as the New Orleans fans have.

Cincinnati could...and has.

Chicago could...and has.

Though at least the Bengals and Bears had their moments.

But I don't think the Saints identity should stay in New Orleans, because it's not gonna be like the Browns, where they were promised the next expansion team in under five years. Nobody wants to go above 32 for 15 years. Though the franchise history of the Saints is laughable at best, they do have a good look going (when not in all black) and shouldn't give it up for something new in the vein of the Cardinals, Bengals, and Falcons (and of course The NFL Serif Script). Maybe they can add some turquoise and yellow in San Antonio, some silver and gold in LA (Raiders silver and Rams gold a la the Mets), but keep the old gold and fleur-de-lis.

[Brian in Boston]

I think that New Orleans has bigger things to worry about than an NFL franchise. It is sad, I don't want to see the Saints leave. But I do believe it will be in the best interest of the Franchise to do so. This thought that everything will be normal in NOLA in a few months is a bit laughable.

Bingo!

[Blue Falcon]

New Orleansand the NFL would be wise NOT to let the Saints leave, thinking that they will be able to keep the name/colors and get a new Saints team. The city already has money problems for obvious reasons, and a new NFL franchise would cost far more than keeping the Saints in place.

I agree that Houston and Dallas will NOT take too kindly to an NFL team being in San Antonio.

The problem with Los Angeles is the same problem that has existed for years: no good stadium. Add to this the fact that people in LA care less about football than surfing, and you have a recipe for disaster. Sure the NFL wants a team there, but if the team stinks the TV ratings will suck...and even if they're good the TV ratings will suck.

I wonder why Birmingham hasn't been considered at least as a temporary home for the Saints? They've had teams in every other football league and usually had lots of fans, especially for the USFL Stallions.

The NFL will also have to consider that allowing the Saints to leave just because the city got hammered by a hurricane will NOT go over too well with anyone. The Dolphins will especially have to worry since that city is a major risk for the same treatment!

[jkrdevil]

The NFL will also have to consider that allowing the Saints to leave just because the city got hammered by a hurricane will NOT go over too well with anyone. The Dolphins will especially have to worry since that city is a major risk for the same treatment!

But that's not the case, the Saints were probably going to move anyways.

[RickV]

The NFL will also have to consider that allowing the Saints to leave just because the city got hammered by a hurricane will NOT go over too well with anyone. The Dolphins will especially have to worry since that city is a major risk for the same treatment!

But that's not the case, the Saints were probably going to move anyways.

Testify!!!

[Krona]

i think the chargers move makes a lot more sense, but the saints ought to move to LA before san antonio. as for the name, they should retire it if the NO is without a team, like they did with the oilers, albeit a coupla years too late. the pipe dream would be the saints moving to LA and working an agreement to take the rams name and let st.louis have their lame stallions...or better yet, transfer the cardinals name back to st louis, the colts name back to baltimore, and let indianapolis and arizona come up with new names. all would be right with the world

[RickV]

i think the chargers move makes a lot more sense, but the saints ought to move to LA before san antonio. as for the name, they should retire it if the NO is without a team, like they did with the oilers, albeit a coupla years too late. the pipe dream would be the saints moving to LA and working an agreement to take the rams name and let st.louis have their lame stallions...or better yet, transfer the cardinals name back to st louis, the colts name back to baltimore, and let indianapolis and arizona come up with new names. all would be right with the world

Everyone keeps mentioning that the Saints should move to LA before San Antonio. Well, Mr. Benson has shown no inclination to moving there. He has been having informal talks about moving the Saints for over a year, well before Katrina, and the city he has constantly spoken with is San Antonio, not LA. According to "insiders" he has no intention of moving to LA, and has no intention of selling to an LA group. In fact he is setting up to keep the Saints in the Benson family much as the Rooneys have done for decades in Pittsburgh. He is setting up his grand daughter to one day serve as President, if not complete owner of the team.

[JQK]

Word out of an ESPNEWS report is that San Antonio would be their location for 2006, then either making S.A. their permanent home, or moving to L.A. for 2007.

[Puckguy14]

If Benson uses this lame excuse to move to San Antonio, I hope the Saints (or whatever they would be called if they moved) lose like they have. No offense to Saints fans, but this is even sneakier than the Irsays moving the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis. This is absolute bull $#!+ to pull this off.

On the flip side, San Antonio has desperately seeking an NFL team. I believe they were in the running for one of the two franchises in 1993 that eventually went to Charlotte and Jacksonville. And since the Spurs opened up the SBC Center, it's hosted only really the Alamo Bowl and the large concert. But I believe the league would like the stadium to be renovated a bit to get to possibly Super Bowl standards?

In the end it just sucks, because to lose a team to greed and a national disaster is just classless.

As for Los Angeles, if the Saints move there, the NFC will have to re-align, with likely the 49ers top rival, St. Louis Rams moving division to make room for the LA Saints. The simple thing would be just swap the Rams and Saints. This would save division-wide rivalries in the East and the NFC Norris... I mean North.

[Krona]

Everyone keeps mentioning that the Saints should move to LA before San Antonio. Well, Mr. Benson has shown no inclination to moving there.

Its not really Mr.Bensons decision, is it? the nfl has final say and theyve been setting up relocation to LA for years. If the chargers dont go, the the saints will. San Antonio hasnt shown that they can consistently support football, not to mention the other texas owners will throw a fit. I can see the nfl step up to help fund a stadium in New Orleans, setting up super bowls for years, all the while looking like heroes for rebuilding the city and keeping the saints. that team could play indefinately in baton rouge anyways. seattle played on the huskies home feild for a bit, and the panthers played at what i believe was clemsons home stadium for two years. it can be done

[RickV]

Everyone keeps mentioning that the Saints should move to LA before San Antonio.  Well, Mr. Benson has shown no inclination to moving there.

Its not really Mr.Bensons decision, is it? the nfl has final say and theyve been setting up relocation to LA for years. If the chargers dont go, the the saints will. San Antonio hasnt shown that they can consistently support football, not to mention the other texas owners will throw a fit. I can see the nfl step up to help fund a stadium in New Orleans, setting up super bowls for years, all the while looking like heroes for rebuilding the city and keeping the saints. that team could play indefinately in baton rouge anyways. seattle played on the huskies home feild for a bit, and the panthers played at what i believe was clemsons home stadium for two years. it can be done

Its not really Mr.Bensons decision, is it?

Youre serious? Its his team, and he has no say so where they will go? He has long had personal and business ties to San Antonio, he has a reason to move here. If the owners wont approve a move then what is he supposed to do? The Superdome wont be ready to use next year, Baton Rouge is a no win situation, LA has no venue, no ownership group (and he reportedly doesnt want to sell the team anyways), and LA doesnt even want the Saints, and maybe not even the NFL. I'll agree with you that the NFL wants the Saints there, but the NFL doesnt OWN the Saints, and I'll bet you that if the NFL tries to impose its collective will on Benson, he'll go to court.

[Bouj]

The one thing that the national media is totally ignoring in this (and, for that fact, anyone else discussing the issue) is that the Saints will get ZERO fan support in San Antonio. Outside the Houston area, everyone in the state of Texas who cares about the NFL roots for the Cowboys. And I'm not talking lukewarm support either. I am talking RABID support. I have family all over the state and, to a man (or woman), they are Cowboys fans. ESPECIALLY in San Antonio and South Texas.

If anyone has any doubt about how hard it is to sell another NFL team to the state of Texas, go ask the Texans. There were several stories written about how much trouble they ran into trying to convert all the Cowboys fans into Texans fans.

If the Saints move to SA permanantly, it will be a disaster. How about 30,000-ish crowds for every game against anyone not named the Dallas Cowboys. If Benson thought he had a problem selling out Saints games in NOLA, just wait until he sees how hard it will be to do that in the southern capital of Cowboys Country.

[JQK]

The one thing that the national media is totally ignoring in this (and, for that fact, anyone else discussing the issue) is that the Saints will get ZERO fan support in San Antonio. Outside the Houston area, everyone in the state of Texas who cares about the NFL roots for the Cowboys. And I'm not talking lukewarm support either. I am talking RABID support. I have family all over the state and, to a man (or woman), they are Cowboys fans. ESPECIALLY in San Antonio and South Texas.

If anyone has any doubt about how hard it is to sell another NFL team to the state of Texas, go ask the Texans. There were several stories written about how much trouble they ran into trying to convert all the Cowboys fans into Texans fans.

If the Saints move to SA permanantly, it will be a disaster. How about 30,000-ish crowds for every game against anyone not named the Dallas Cowboys. If Benson thought he had a problem selling out Saints games in NOLA, just wait until he sees how hard it will be to do that in the southern capital of Cowboys Country.

When people get a team of their own, allegiances change.

[JPBlueHen]

i think the chargers move makes a lot more sense, but the saints ought to move to LA before san antonio. as for the name, they should retire it if the NO is without a team, like they did with the oilers, albeit a coupla years too late. the pipe dream would be the saints moving to LA and working an agreement to take the rams name and let st.louis have their lame stallions...or better yet, transfer the cardinals name back to st louis, the colts name back to baltimore, and let indianapolis and arizona come up with new names. all would be right with the world

I think after the Rams and Ravens won the Super Bowl, the ideas of the St. Louis Stallions and Baltimore Colts were thrown right out the window. Plus, the Indianapolis Colts are currently the best team in the NFL, so if you're gonna change their name you might as well rename the league too.

[RickV]

If the Saints move to SA permanantly, it will be a disaster. How about 30,000-ish crowds for every game against anyone not named the Dallas Cowboys.

Saints vs Buffalo - Attendance 59,000

Saints vs Atlanta - Attendance 65,500 - Sell out

Neither one of those teams has Dallas anywhere in its name.

[Blue Falcon]

Isn't the Alamodome a bit small, considering all the other NFL stadiums hold 70-90,000? Would the league want a team to move to the smallest stadium?

[RickV]

Isn't the Alamodome a bit small, considering all the other NFL stadiums hold 70-90,000? Would the league want a team to move to the smallest stadium?

Yeah, the capacity is maxed out at 65,500, but what really matters most to the league is the number of luxury boxes. Unfortunately the Alamodome comes up short there too. Thus the talk has been of modifying or renovating the dome to increase the number of luxury boxes by a few dozen. There has also been talk of a possible entirely new stadium built along the San Antonio-Austin I-35 corredor. Additionally, the Saints reduced the number of their seats in the Superdome to about 64,000 for the last several years.

[Bouj]

If the Saints move to SA permanantly, it will be a disaster.  How about 30,000-ish crowds for every game against anyone not named the Dallas Cowboys.

Saints vs Buffalo - Attendance 59,000

Saints vs Atlanta - Attendance 65,500 - Sell out

Neither one of those teams has Dallas anywhere in its name.

It's the novelty. You're sig/ID says you're in SA. Honestly, does anyone really care one bit about the Saints? Have you seen more people sporting Saints gear? Since the Cowboys have improved this year, aren't all the Cowboys fans going nuts like they always do?

And look inside the numbers: 59,000 for the novelty of the NFL, and 65,000 for the Michael Vick Experience.

Does anyone really think that lifelong Cowboys fans are going to jump off the bandwagon to get on-board with the Saints? Maybe if it was a brand new team (and I stress maybe), but SA would essentially be getting sloppy seconds.

[RickV]

If the Saints move to SA permanantly, it will be a disaster.  How about 30,000-ish crowds for every game against anyone not named the Dallas Cowboys.

Saints vs Buffalo - Attendance 59,000

Saints vs Atlanta - Attendance 65,500 - Sell out

Neither one of those teams has Dallas anywhere in its name.

It's the novelty. You're sig/ID says you're in SA. Honestly, does anyone really care one bit about the Saints? Have you seen more people sporting Saints gear? Since the Cowboys have improved this year, aren't all the Cowboys fans going nuts like they always do?

And look inside the numbers: 59,000 for the novelty of the NFL, and 65,000 for the Michael Vick Experience.

Does anyone really think that lifelong Cowboys fans are going to jump off the bandwagon to get on-board with the Saints? Maybe if it was a brand new team (and I stress maybe), but SA would essentially be getting sloppy seconds.

Ok, first you say only if the Cowboys are the opposition. Then you add the novelty, then you add the Falcons and Michael Vick. Are you going to keep adding reasons every time you post? You werent there, you didnt see the enthusiasm and the support the Saints got in both of those games. The players and coaches commented on it, the opposing teams commented on it. Peter King of SI commented on it. Look youre a Texans supporter and youre right about the Cowboys being wildly popular in San Antonio, but you dont know anymore than I do if they will be a "disaster" there. I'm telling you that the Saints are a topic of discussion here in SA EVERY SINGLE DAY, newspapers, TV, the local sports fans. The Falcons game especially was strongly received, and word of mouth is getting around San Antonio about support for the Saints. If you want an analogy, think of it this way... If all you were ever offered for a meal was fried chicken, you'd think it was the best thing in the world, if Steak then became available, why wouldnt you switch to thinking steak was the best. And as for your comment about converting Cowboys fans to Texans fans, what has that got to do with anything?? The Oilers had their fan base for years. If everyone in Texas is a die hard Cowboys fan, then why did Houston bother to ask the NFL for another team? Why didnt they just become part of "Cowboy Nation", if the Cowboys are soooooo irresistable? they are the Cowboys, they arent the freaking "Borg".

[IceCap]

the saints WILL end up in san antonio. the chargers have a lot of problems in san diego, and will leave for LA in 2007 when their lease expires.

SA is the only remaining option for the saints. the can't stay in NOLA, there isn't any money for a new stadium, and the city isn't even back on its feet yet. the two saints games played in SA prove that that san antonians are ready to adopt a nfl team as their own, and the nba has proven that a pro leauge CAN have teams in san antonio, houston, and dallas. add into the equation that SA already has a stadium ready to go, and the move there is a no brainer.

as for what happens to the saints name, colours, logos, etc. i think the team should keep them after they move. it was childish when the city of cleavland wouldn't let art model's team keep their identity and history, lets not do it again. besides, as already pointed out, the saints name would work perfectly in SA. the logo would probablly have to change, but look at what the calgary flames did. the moves, keept the name and colours, but just modified the logo, keeping the team identity in tact. i belive the saints could do this in SA.