Tags dodges question on Saints' long-term future in N.O.

With all the good news coming out of the Paul Tagliabue Superdome visit yesterday, one bit of somewhat troubling information came from a WWL-TV story on the event.

A reporter from WWL-TV directly asked Tagliabue point-blank about the Saints' long-term future in New Orleans.

And, like Reggie Bush dodging an oncoming tackler, Tagliabue completely evaded the question.

Here's the text of the question and answer:

Q: "What’s your confidence level that the Saints will stay here long term?"
A: "I told Mr. Benson this morning that I’m here because it’s two months to kickoff and six months to the NFC title game in the Superdome."

Well...what about after that? What happens in seven months?

Also, I find it interesting to note that Tagliabue is utilizing language similar to that used by Tom Benson last summer, pre-Katrina, in an effort to garner additional support before what many were calling a lame-duck season in New Orleans - without offering any suggestion of a future beyond 2005.

Not much difference here. The Saints could leave New Orleans after the upcoming season if it pays Louisiana $61 million as an exit penalty.

At some point, it would be very comforting to get either Tagliabue, Benson, or the likely NFL commissioner-to-be, Roger Goodell, to make a firm commitment to the future of New Orleans that extends beyond Tagliabue's "six months."

(And, as a final note, I'm in no way meaning to criticize the man most responsible for keeping the Saints' future in New Orleans alive. Tagliabue has done a lot of good. I just wish we could get a stronger commitment.)

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