Glaken
1
The best of a bad situation
Saints would be wise to make San Antonio '05 home
Posted: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM; Updated: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM
<!--startclickprintexclude--><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/.element/ssi/js/2.0/clickability/button2356_1.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript> window.onerror=function(){clickURL=document.location.href;return true;} if(!self.clickURL) clickURL=parent.location.href; </SCRIPT>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/alerts/writers/ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/# http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/# http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/# http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/#
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After the damage inflicted on the Superdome this week by Hurricane Katrina, it's unlikely the Saints will be home this season.
AP
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<SCRIPT>if(cnnEnableCL){if(!(location.hostname.indexOf('cnn.com')>-1)) {cnnAddCSI('contextualLinks','/.element/ssi/misc/2.0/contextual/story.html','');}else{ cnnAddCSI('contextualLinks','http://cl.cnn.com/ctxtlink/jsp/si/cl/2.0/si-story.jsp','category=sihome&url=http:/\/robots.cnnsi.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/index.html&desccharcnt=80&site=cnn_si_dyn_ctxt&origin=si');}}</SCRIPT><IFRAME id=iframecontextualLinks style="VISIBILITY: hidden; POSITION: absolute" name=iframecontextualLinks align=right src="http://cl.cnn.com/ctxtlink/jsp/si/cl/2.0/si-story.jsp?domId=contextualLinks&time=1125602194593&category=sihome&url=http://robots.cnnsi.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/index.html&desccharcnt=80&site=cnn_si_dyn_ctxt&origin=si" width=0 height=0></IFRAME></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>With the enormity of the situation in New Orleans just now starting to sink in, all we really know about the fate of the Saints' 2005 season is that it almost certainly won't play out in the city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Football is a long way down on the city's list of priorities right now, but with the Superdome sitting dank and damaged, and mayor Ray Nagin predicting it could be up to three to four months before New Orleans is fully inhabitable, it's clear the Saints have no home to come home to in time for their Sept. 18 home opener against the Giants.
The most logical and probable scenario for the team is to make its temporary move to San Antonio permanent for the year, in essence becoming in Texas' third NFL franchise while New Orleans recovers and rebuilds.
San Antonio just makes sense. Not only do the Saints have something of a comfort zone there -- owing to the three days the team spent there last September when Hurricane Ivan forced them to evacuate -- but team owner Tom Benson's also has long-standing business ties to the city. Benson formerly owned car dealerships in San Antonio.
Naturally, the NFL isn't crazy about having the Saints play their "home'' games 550 miles from New Orleans. But this is a case of having to make the best of a very bad situation. The Alamodome seats 65,000 for football, it was built with the hopes of luring an NFL tenant and it has played host to both the Cowboys' training camp and some preseason contests in the past.
Saints would be wise to make San Antonio '05 home
Posted: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM; Updated: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM
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After the damage inflicted on the Superdome this week by Hurricane Katrina, it's unlikely the Saints will be home this season.
AP
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=10>
</TD><TD class=cnnStoryCLpad><TABLE class=cnnCL cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=80 background=http://i.a.cnn.net/si/.element/img/2.0/misc/cl/bar.gif></TD><TD align=right background=http://i.a.cnn.net/si/.element/img/2.0/misc/cl/bar.gif>javascript:CNN_openPopup('/services...llbars=no,resizable=no,width=620,height=430')</TD></TR><TR><TD class=cnnCLbox colSpan=2><TABLE id=cnnContextualLinks cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<SCRIPT>if(cnnEnableCL){if(!(location.hostname.indexOf('cnn.com')>-1)) {cnnAddCSI('contextualLinks','/.element/ssi/misc/2.0/contextual/story.html','');}else{ cnnAddCSI('contextualLinks','http://cl.cnn.com/ctxtlink/jsp/si/cl/2.0/si-story.jsp','category=sihome&url=http:/\/robots.cnnsi.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/index.html&desccharcnt=80&site=cnn_si_dyn_ctxt&origin=si');}}</SCRIPT><IFRAME id=iframecontextualLinks style="VISIBILITY: hidden; POSITION: absolute" name=iframecontextualLinks align=right src="http://cl.cnn.com/ctxtlink/jsp/si/cl/2.0/si-story.jsp?domId=contextualLinks&time=1125602194593&category=sihome&url=http://robots.cnnsi.com/2005/writers/don_banks/09/01/saints/index.html&desccharcnt=80&site=cnn_si_dyn_ctxt&origin=si" width=0 height=0></IFRAME></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>With the enormity of the situation in New Orleans just now starting to sink in, all we really know about the fate of the Saints' 2005 season is that it almost certainly won't play out in the city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Football is a long way down on the city's list of priorities right now, but with the Superdome sitting dank and damaged, and mayor Ray Nagin predicting it could be up to three to four months before New Orleans is fully inhabitable, it's clear the Saints have no home to come home to in time for their Sept. 18 home opener against the Giants.
The most logical and probable scenario for the team is to make its temporary move to San Antonio permanent for the year, in essence becoming in Texas' third NFL franchise while New Orleans recovers and rebuilds.
San Antonio just makes sense. Not only do the Saints have something of a comfort zone there -- owing to the three days the team spent there last September when Hurricane Ivan forced them to evacuate -- but team owner Tom Benson's also has long-standing business ties to the city. Benson formerly owned car dealerships in San Antonio.
Naturally, the NFL isn't crazy about having the Saints play their "home'' games 550 miles from New Orleans. But this is a case of having to make the best of a very bad situation. The Alamodome seats 65,000 for football, it was built with the hopes of luring an NFL tenant and it has played host to both the Cowboys' training camp and some preseason contests in the past.
