saintsdoggle

T-P's Duncan pens great analysis; Blog update

2007-04-24T10:14:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to a great article by the Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan that summarizes pretty much everything that has happened with the Saints, and the prospects going forward.

Not much more to say - it's a must read.

BLOG UPDATE

In the meantime, I've been thinking about what this blog's future is after news that the Saints are staying through 2010. There will be no relocation issues until then, if at all - barring another unforeseen disaster like Katrina.

Having said that, there is little to update. Thus, I don't know if there will be future postings, at least for the short term future. If another disaster does come along, the site will remain and the updates will continue.

Meanwhile, I am pondering putting together the postings of the blog, along with some other information and reflective analysis, into a book about the ultimate irony of Katrina's destruction actually saving the Saints from leaving New Orleans. If you have any feedback in that regard, it would be greatly appreciated - saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Other than that, I will be renewing my season tickets, watching the draft, and waiting with great anticipation until the season finally kicks off.

Geaux Saints, and thanks for reading.

cg

More on Saints deal to stay in New Orleans through 2010

2007-03-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

Here's an updated version of the Times-Picayune article by Jeff Duncan on the Saints' deal with the state to not invoke exit clauses and remain in New Orleans through 2010.

A few quick thoughts:
(1) Governor Kathleen Blanco said that negotiations are geared towards a deal that would keep the Saints in New Orleans through at least 2025, if not longer. Those negotiations will likely be concluded with her successor.
(2) Saints owner Tom Benson was positive and optimistic, but remained noncommittal to the team's prospects beyond 2010. He noted that a lot of improvements to the Superdome still need to be completed, but didn't commit to whether he thought the 31-year-old stadium would be sufficient beyond 2010.
(3) The league apparently is looking at reconstruction of New Orleans over the next three to four years as a critical factor in determining whether the team stays put beyond 2010. In other words, our politicians need to really step up to the plate and deliver. The next governor will be instrumental in whether the team stays or goes.
(4) Benson wants to continue receiving annual inducement payments from the state to remain in New Orleans; Blanco wants to end those payments. Previous NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was very critical of the inducement payment setup. It's not clear whether current commissioner Roger Goodell favors them or not. This issue will be critical to a long-term deal, and again, the next governor will be instrumental in this. As an aside, Benson has supported Bobby Jindal through financial contributions to his campaign dating back to 2004. Obviously Jindal's election would be tremendously beneficial to the long term prospects of the Saints remaining home in New Orleans.

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BREAKING: Saints, state agree to drop exit clauses; Saints will stay in New Orleans through 2010

2007-03-26T10:35:00.000-04:00

Several media outlets are reporting this morning that the Saints and the state of Louisiana have reached an agreement to drop exit clauses from their current lease agreement so that the team can remain in New Orleans until at least 2010. A news conference will be held today at 10 a.m.

As it should be and usually is, the most descriptive account comes from the Times-Picayune. Jeff Duncan writes that the agreement includes a commitment from the state to continue improvements to the Superdome, which are still ongoing.

Today's news means the Saints will not leave New Orleans for the next four years, and that franchise officials and the next governor of Louisiana will focus on hammering out a long-term deal over that same time period.

Because regurgitating the very informative article by Duncan on this very positive development would leave out some information, you can read the entire piece here.

Friends, toast this one - it's great news!

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Positive news: Owners meeting talk furthers confirmation of San Antonio being out of the mix, L.A. on backburner

2007-03-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

With the NFL's annual owners meeting set to begin this weekend in Phoenix, a few key issues regarding the Saints have been brought to light by the New York Sun's Evan Weiner in this article today.

Perhaps most importantly, Weiner confirms earlier reports that San Antonio is pretty much done as an NFL relocation option. Weiner writes:

"[T]he city of San Antonio has been relegated to the sidelines, having abandoned its search for an NFL (or Major League Baseball) franchise, which further limits the threat of relocation by the Yorks, Spanos, Wilf, or Saints owner Tom Benson. San Antonio and Bexar County, Texas, officials thought they were players in the stadium game until last week, when they were led to forfeit after neither NFL nor MLB officials expressed interest in the city.

"Perhaps San Antonio officials shouldn't have been surprised. The city's Alamodome was a stateof-the-art football facility when it opened in 1993 — but that was 14 years ago. Today, the multipurpose facility requires hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations.

"The San Antonio–Austin, Texas area is also a weak television market with a limited corporate base. The region's corporate community and rank-and-file ticket buyers already show their support for the NBA's Spurs. (San Antonio also has a baseball team in the Double A Texas League and an American Hockey League club.) A second major league franchise in San Antonio could result in a financial calamity for both the Spurs and the new team. There is just not enough of a market to sustain both.

"Even after Benson took his Saints from the Katrina-ravaged Superdome to play three games at the Alamodome, NFL officials remained convinced that San Antonio was simply not much of a market for pro football. Part of that reasoning may be attributable to Jerry Jones, whose Cowboys trained in San Antonio in 2002 and 2003 and will return this summer for training camp. Jones has signed a five-year deal with city officials, which grants him rent-free use of the Alamodome. San Antonio is part of the Dallas market and the league may be wary of cutting into McNair's Houston Texans revenue stream."

In other (and fewer) words, San Antonio is out of the running for a potential Saints relocation.

Next in terms of importance, Weiner writes that the NFL's Los Angeles dream is still just that, and it looks increasingly unlikely that a move will be made to that market in the short-term future. It is a "city without a state-of-the-art stadium" and possibilities for stadium sites in the L.A. area have fallen apart over the last few months.

Adding to the L.A. problem is the revelation by Weiner that the league's stadium-building subsidy program, also known as G-3, has emptied its coffers. In order to replenish this fund, owners may have to re-tool revenue sharing. Until that happens, it is likely that no discussion of building a stadium in Los Angeles can even begin to take place.

In short, the L.A. option is now dead.

Without San Antonio and Los Angeles as viable prospective relocation options, Benson has very little leverage in hinting a relocation from New Orleans - especially when season tickets are sold out and have a wait list 25,000 deep, and all Superdome suites are also sold out.

Friends, things are looking increasingly positive that the Saints will stay home in New Orleans beyond 2010, when their current agreement with Louisiana expires.

Now, we wait with baited breath for news on negotiations between Benson and the state, which we expect to hear within the next week.

With current governor Kathleen Blanco's announcement that she is not running for re-election this November, the pressure is off her politically to solidify a deal. But the pressure is on her to do so to help repair her incredibly fractured legacy. And, conversely, the pressure on Benson to not deal with someone he'd probably prefer not to benefit politically is off of him. (Recall his support for Bobby Jindal in 2003's gubernatorial election.) So, who knows how things will turn out?

In any event, the odds are steadily swinging in favor of the Saints staying in New Orleans. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay optimistic.

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Want to drop me a line? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

BREAKING: Blanco to announce she won't seek re-election

2007-03-20T18:00:00.000-04:00

Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco will announce tonight that she will not seek re-election this fall. No word on how this will impact the Saints negotiations, but check back here for updates...

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

S.A. Express News columnist says city should 'surrender to reality', give up on seeking Saints

2007-03-20T10:29:00.000-04:00

San Antonio Express-News columnist Richard Oliver has penned a piece for today's edition entitled "It's time for S.A. to focus on itself", wherein he wrote that the city should "surrender to reality" and give up trying to rip the Saints from New Orleans.

The column, which focuses not only on the Saints but all professional sports, is a follow-up to recent news in San Antonio that a consultant told the city pretty much the same thing.

Oliver also devoted two paragraphs to the Saints, their owner, and their fans:

"Here in New Orleans, where the Saints' resurgence from disaster has taken them from South Texas to the NFC title game two months ago, the team announced this week that it has sold 68,000 season tickets for the 2007 campaign. Additionally, it is closing in on selling out its 137 luxury suites at the resurrected Superdome, again a sparkling downtown centerpiece.

"No matter owner Tom Benson's longing gazes toward the west, battered New Orleans has put its money where its heart is."

Oliver failed to also point out that the season ticket wait list now runs over 25,000 deep. But he gets the point, and kudos to him for being somebody from that city who recognizes that the Saints belong in New Orleans, the fans have shown their support in record-breaking fashion, Benson now seems focused on keeping the team in New Orleans, and the league just is not interested in moving a team to San Antonio.

Now, if certain others (i.e. Red McCombs) get the memo, maybe we can finally stop hearing about San Antonio trying to steal the Saints.

In the meantime, we just need to see how negotiations between Benson and the state pan out. Hopefully we'll have some indication on that front within the next 11 days or so.

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Want to drop me a line? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Saints, state in ongoing negotiations; News blackout prevails

2007-03-19T18:39:00.000-04:00

Today's Times-Picayune reports that the Saints and the state of Louisiana are involved in ongoing negotiations toward a goal of keeping the franchise in New Orleans beyond 2010, when the current lease agreement expires.

An apparent deadline exists for the new deal of March 31, which is the final date when the Saints can opt out of the lease agreement by payment of a penalty of over $61 million.

As part of the negotiations, both parties have agreed to a news blackout, meaning no new information will surface until, state officials say, all terms of a new agreement are finalized.

Obviously, it would be a major development if a new deal was ironed out (and would also end the reason for this site's existence). While there are efforts to prevent new news from being disseminated, keep checking back here for any updates.

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

UPDATE: Saints sell out suites for 2007 season; Season ticket wait list 25,000 deep; San Antonio finally giving up?

2007-03-15T17:57:00.000-04:00

In a somewhat stunning (and exciting) development, the Times-Picayune is reporting that state officials have announced that the Saints have completely sold all available Superdome suites for the entire 2007 season. (The updated story is available here.)

The Times-Picayune also states that the team's fans will repeat last year's feat, and buy all season tickets for 2007 as well. Plus, the Saints have a season ticket waiting list that now extends over 25,000 deep (which is just mind-boggling).

It's an incredibly positive development for the long-term viability of the franchise in New Orleans. Rita Benson LeBlanc was quoted in the article to say, "We are extremely appreciative of the support we received from fans and local businesses last season and are very encouraged with the response so far in 2007. We are hard at work to make sure the Saints are successful, both on and off the field, and look forward to announcing any team milestones when they are achieved." (An official team announcement will take place after March 31, the deadline for payment for the suites.)

This news further makes it increasingly difficult to reasonably relocate the franchise from New Orleans.

Also, the article quotes Tim Coulon, chairman of the Superdome Commission, as calling this a "milestone."

And, the original article quotes LSED commissioner Robert Bruno as responding to the New York Times article cited here in saying, "This is important because we've has such unfair and wrong criticism about the suites, the Saints, the Dome and other issues. It's definitely time to strike back."

Celebrate this one, Saints fans. It's a special development that should go a long way in terms of keeping the Saints in New Orleans.

SAN ANTONIO FINALLY GIVING UP?
The San Antonio Express-News reports today that the city may finally be quitting its vulturistic behavior toward New Orleans and will instead focus on its own city's developments.

Consultant Michael Sculley has informed the city that based on conversations with the NFL and MLB, city officials should use tax revenues on matters other than attempting to attract other professional sports franchises to San Antonio.

Most interestingly, local judge Nelson Wolff, who has been quoted in other pieces for items related to the Saints, told the Express-News that new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told him in January that the league had zero interest in having a franchise in San Antonio.

Yet here we sit, two months later, and some in the city are still debating the issue.

Thanks yet again, San Antonio.

At least they're taking it well. Or maybe they're not.

Sculley was quoted as saying, "I think we need to be proactive and tell (the NFL and MLB), 'You've turned your back on us long enough. It's time we take care of our own.'"

After its actions over the last year and a half, San Antonio should know plenty about turning its back on other cities.

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

New York Sun shines spotlight on Benson, Saints, San Antonio; Two vultures that just won't quit

2007-03-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

Today's New York Sun shines a quick spotlight on the professional sports situation in New Orleans, largely rehashing what is already known to those keeping up with the Saints' off-the-field location issues.

The article, entitled "Pro Sports Far From Easy in New Orleans" by Evan Weiner (who also penned this piece in January's Sun), doesn't contain any earth-shattering news. Perhaps the only real "news" from the article regarding the Saints is that it does state that a former possible plan to move the Saints to Mississippi is no longer on the table.

TWO VULTURES THAT JUST WON'T QUIT
In this recent San Antonio Business Journal article (which reviewed a poll that revealed most people in San Antonio - by a 2-to-1 margin - do not believe the Saints will relocate there), two prominent vultures are still circling New Orleans with hopes of stealing the Saints from their home city.

The article names former Vikings owner Red McCombs and former Valero Energy Corp. chairman Bill Greehey as the two vultures who just won't give up. They told the Business Journal that "the city may still have an opportunity to land the Saints."

This after the Saints have had exactly one season since Katrina, wherein they sold out the entire Superdome and sold more suites than the Alamodome could ever wish to hold.

Thanks again for your support, San Antonio.

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Horn: Saints wanted to move to San Antonio

2007-03-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

Former Saints wide receiver Joe Horn (it's strange typing that) lashed out at his former team in today's Fayetteville Observer regarding his release.

While much will be said about other comments he has made as of late, one stood out to me more than the rest:

"If I wanted out of New Orleans that bad, I would have just kept my mouth shut and let them move the team to San Antonio."

While many will point to the subtle and arrogant perspective that Horn had that much power to prevent such a move, what I take from it is a statement from the former face of the franchise that the team was intending on moving to San Antonio, and that he at least strenuously voiced his opposition.

Not that this wasn't obvious from the team's actions in late 2005 pre-Tagliabue intervention. But from what I can recall, it's the first time that a potential "move...to San Antonio" has been publicly stated by someone from the inside in these terms.

Maybe I'm wrong on that and have forgotten some previous comments. At the moment I don't have time to run back through previous posts from late 2005 and early 2006. (When I have more time I'll go back through and double-check this.)

But that's what struck me.

Other than that, it's sad to see Joe go, and I hate that this is how it's happening. He should be a future Saints Hall of Famer who will be missed and fondly remembered.

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Want to drop me a line? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Great Saints animation

2007-02-16T23:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to a funny and very well done Saints animation, courtesy the Times-Picayune:

http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/wide.ssf?/recovery/graphics/saintsrap.swf

Enjoy!

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

MARKED TURN: Blanco hopeful Saints will stay 'at least through 2010'; Team apparently considering exercising exit clause by March 31

2007-02-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

Today's New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco is hopeful that the Saints will not cancel their present lease through exercising of the team's $61 million exit clause, and that they will stay put in New Orleans "until at least 2010."

Blanco told the Times-Picayune, "Our people are in talks. I think we are going to get a consensus (for the Saints) to stay at least through 2010. We are hoping that they don't (exercise the exit clause). I feel like discussions are leading them to staying until at least 2010."

It's a marked turn from previous discussions, where the talk was that the team would remain in New Orleans at least through 2010 when the present lease expires. It has been widely assumed that the team's $61 million exit clause, which was reduced from $81 million in July 2006, would not be exercised.

In fact, in September 2006 it was reported in the Times-Picayune that the team itself announced it would not exercise the exit clause.

(At the time, I questioned whether such an announcement actually took place. It's the only time I read this, and such news has not been indicated since.)

Now, it seems that Tom Benson may in fact utilize that exit clause (he has until March 31 to do so). Why else would Blanco say that people are in talks to keep the team under its present lease? Why else would she say that she hopes the team will stay "at least through 2010"?

Either something very troublesome to Saints fans is going on behind closed doors, or Blanco misspoke.

For what it's worth, Saints spokesman Greg Bensel is quoted in the article as saying that the team won't have any comment "until there is something to report; right now, there is nothing to report."

The article also notes, "The state has the right to cancel the contract after the 2007 season or by March 2008." It's a virtual certainty that the state will not pull the plug on the present deal. To do so would be the death knell of the Saints in New Orleans, initiated by the state and not the team.

Another key note is that Blanco has gone on the record as saying that the state will not pay any more than it has already agreed to pay in the previous agreement. To quote the article, Blanco said, "We are not going to enhance the money" in the present lease, which was hammered out in 2001 for 10 years and $186.5 million. The state is set to pay the Saints $20 million this summer, and owes the team $23.5 million after each of the remaining seasons under the current lease.

It's the only agreement of its kind in professional sports, and has been criticized not only by Blanco, but also by previous NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Presumably the two sides will work towards an alternative agreement to keep the team in New Orleans after 2010.

As for now, based on Blanco's comments, it appears the state is trying to coax the team from leaving by March 31.

Stay tuned...

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Goodell: Saints a 'great story' but no long-term commitment made; NFL-to-L.A. a dead issue

2007-02-04T11:06:00.000-05:00

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held his first "State of the League" address on Friday, and he noted that the Saints were a "great story" but failed to extend any sort of long-term commitment to New Orleans.

Goodell was quoted in this story by Mike Triplett in today's Times-Picayune as saying:

"I think the New Orleans Saints and the whole Gulf Coast region has been a great story for the NFL this year, not just because of the Saints' success on the field, but also because of what you're seeing the team has done for that community. It's obviously a community that was tragically impacted. It is still going through a recovery period. But we're very proud of the fact that Tom Benson brought his Saints back there very early last year, before we even knew we had a place to play.

"The Saints brought hope back to their community, and people like Drew Brees and his wife have done great work there. We're proud of what the Saints have done, and our hats are off to Tom Benson and his group for doing it."

It's a great thing that Goodell acknowledges that the area is still in recovery mode and that the team has done great things for the community. Hopefully that relationship will continue, but the commish was noncommital when asked directly about the long-term viability of the Saints in New Orleans.

Also, to be fair, Goodell gives praise to Tom Benson when Goodell's predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, should be given a lot of credit for influencing Benson to keep the Saints in New Orleans. However, that's not to say that Benson hasn't done a lot of good since the Katrina debacle and the Tagliabue intervention. He has. Let's just hope he keeps it up.

And, Saints senior vice president Dennis Lauscha told Triplett that the Saints are interested in hosting another Super Bowl, but a new long-term lease agreement with Louisiana and the Superdome and completion of Superdome repairs are first in line.

With the offseason officially beginning after tonight's Super Bowl, negotiations between the Saints and Louisiana for that long-term lease should get underway soon. Keep an eye here for updates.

NFL-TO-L.A. A DEAD ISSUE
A Los Angeles Daily News column by Steve Dilbeck notes that Goodell's comments at the aforementioned "State of the League" address were not positive in terms of the NFL's return to L.A.

Goodell is quoted in the piece as saying, "We need to find a solution in LosAngeles that works for both the community and the NFL. It's important for us to be in LosAngeles long-term. But we've survived quite well without Los Angeles. Los Angeles has survived quite well without the NFL."

And, Dilbeck writes, "[R]ight now it is so far removed from being a priority to the league it barely earns a mention."

He also points out that the cost to build a stadium in Los Angeles would be upwards of $1 billion. Previous plans were that these costs would be footed by the league. Perhaps they made those thoughts public before knowing how much it would really cost, and that's one reason the NFL has cold feet about L.A.

And, L.A. is tired of being used as a relocation threat, writes Dilbeck:

"Los Angeles will always hold appeal, but even after years of using it to extort new stadiums out of existing NFL cities, the country is getting wise to the concept that there is no reasonable stadium solution here. The sky can only be falling so many times. There is no working solution even near the table."

Which means that the Saints will not be moving to Los Angeles in the near future, unless something changes dramatically on the NFL-to-L.A. front.

And that's great news for Saints fans.

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Want to drop me a line? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Typo from two previous posts acknowledged - Saints worth $738 million based on 2005 numbers

2007-01-30T18:02:00.000-05:00

Just wanted everyone to know that a couple of readers alerted me to a significant typo in two previous postings...It's with regard to the Saints' valuation as conducted by Forbes Magazine. In two recent posts, I had listed that value as $378 million.

I mis-typed - the actual value is $738 million. I should have caught that, but I didn't - but my thanks to those who did!

Also, I want to point out that these numbers are based on the 2005 revenues and operating income. I'm sure you will recall the Saints' predicament during 2005. So, the team's revenue and operating income should take a nice leap for the '06 season.

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Why the Super Bowl should NOT be in New Orleans permanently

2007-01-30T10:19:00.000-05:00

After reading a column today that voices support to have the Super Bowl in New Orleans every year from now on, the first thoughts that came to mind were of how great that would be.

Big economic impact, lots of fun, worldwide spotlight - all good things, right?

But then I really got to thinking - under what circumstances would that really happen?

Then, it wasn't such a good idea. And I hope it never happens.

The column, by Ann Killion of the San Jose Mercury News entitled "Super Bowl belongs in New Orleans, not Miami", contends that the roughly $400 million of economic benefit that Miami will get this week should instead go to a place that needs it more than ever.

I applaud that consideration.

She goes a step further, remembering fondly that New Orleans is a "superb good-time host, throwing memorable parties before great games." And, she points out, "The NFL is already one of the few positive forces in post-Katrina New Orleans."

So, she writes, the city should become the Super Bowl's permanent host.

So why am I against this?

Because it would mean that the Saints would have to leave New Orleans to make it happen.

Follow me here. NFL owners would never go for a plan that keeps the Super Bowl permanently in a city that also plays host to one of the league's franchises. It would create a potentially permanent championship home-field advantage that no other team would be able to counter. And, it would be a difficult sell to other communities that have footed the bill for big, expensive stadiums with the potential for hosting the biggest party of all.

Plus, if the NFL did allow the Saints to leave New Orleans but offered the city the Super Bowl every year as a carrot to accept the loss of its beloved black and gold, how much love do you think the city would show the NFL?

I'm thinking, not very much.

The Saints really mean something to a lot of people here, and they are a beacon of hope and inspiration in a place that needs it. This is evidenced by the hugs shared and tears shed when the team won its second playoff game ever this past season. And the hundreds of people who, after it had lost the NFC championship in Chicago, braved the rain and welcomed the team back with a road-lined celebration at 2 a.m. The team's flight had been delayed, but the party went on.

(As an aside, I read somewhere that all of THREE Bears fans were present at the airport to send the Bears off to Miami. Trust me, had the Saints beaten the Bears, the road to Louis Armstrong Airport would have been packed like a big Mardi Gras parade - both to send the team off, and to welcome them back.)

If the Saints do leave, New Orleans, as well as much of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, would become apathetic about the NFL.

And, if the league dangled the Super Bowl in exchange for losing the Saints, the city would be expected to show a level of artificial excitement for a championship game of a league that allowed part of its fabric to be ripped away.

It would be a hollow party every single year, and the local media would trumpet this fact annually.

Which is why it wouldn't work. And it shouldn't be an option in the first place.

The Saints belong in New Orleans.

The city deserves a fair chance to rebuild and recapture its glory. Perhaps it should host a Super Bowl for the next available slot, in 2011.

Because nobody throws a great football party like New Orleans.

But only if the Saints are still here.

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

A great Saints '06 video tribute

2007-01-29T11:40:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to a terrific video tribute to the 2006 New Orleans Saints, by Logan "Hank" Babin, III of Houma:

Video

Wow - what a season.

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

My response to Chicago Tribune blog apology for Saints fans mistreatment

2007-01-26T11:49:00.000-05:00

Okay, this one is a little off-topic for this site. But I feel compelled to share my response to the Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn, who posted an apology to Saints fans for their mistreatment in Chicago for the recent NFC championship game.

For those of you who don't know, many Saints fans who made the trip to Chicago were met with jeers like "We'll finish what Katrina started" and "you should have died in the flood." They were also openly threatened. As a result, many left the game early out of concern for their personal safety.

Zorn's blog post, which can be read here, included a photo of Bears fans holding up a sign that reads, "We'll finish what Katrina started." It's one of the most repugnant things I've ever seen.

But it doesn't stop there. A person named "Christiana" posted the following comment to the blog:

"...it was equally idiotic and tasteless for the media to go on and on about how an ultimately inconsequential football game was somehow going to magically transform New Orleans.

(If the Super Bowl were being held there, it would be a totally different story. But it's not, so it isn't.)

And as a side note: I went online to read the Times-Picayune on Monday. Can someone please explain to me how people who are still living in FEMA trailers are able to afford Saints season tickets?"

The ignorance is amazing.

For what it's worth, here is my response to Zorn's post and the comment:

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Eric,

I really appreciated your recent blog post, "The silence of the fans", acknowledging that many Chicago fans were an absolute embarrassment to their city and their team in hosting the recent NFC championship game between the Bears and Saints. On the largest Saints message board, numerous posts were submitted telling one horror story after another. Michael Bayham's story unfortunately was not unique in the least. Perhaps that's the real reason why the team decided to only sell available tickets to people with Illinois or northwest Indiana zip codes - to save residents of Louisiana who made the trip north from Katrina taunts, wish-you-died-in-the-flood threats, and so on.

I want to counter some comments to your blog post that ask about how Saints fans can afford season tickets when they have FEMA trailers, which to me is an incredibly insensitive question, particularly when the poster obviously has absolutely no idea what it's like to deal with such a monumental tragedy.

Many of us, not only in the New Orleans and south Mississippi area but also in the southwest Louisiana area (devastated by forgotten Rita), are resilient and have been rebuilding homes and communities, as well as trying to return to a sense of normalcy. A part of that necessarily includes the Saints.

The Saints have become a part of our heritage. Here, families gather on Sunday afternoons to watch the Saints, be it in the Superdome or around a living room television, and for many this has become a tradition passed down from one generation to the next. Maybe they lost most of the time, but this was, and is, our team.

New Orleans (and Louisiana) has a deep-rooted passion for the Saints, not unlike the passion Boston has for the Red Sox, or your own Chicago has for the Cubs. For us, a fall Sunday without Saints football just wouldn’t seem right.

I will concede that in some reports, some Saints season tickets were purchased with FEMA money, but those were very few instances. The remainder who purchased the vast majority of tickets with their hard-earned dollars deserve far better than to be classified as irresponsible spenders. A lot of these people have experienced working all day at a job, then working in the evenings and weekends on repairing their homes, and deserve the respite of a black-and-gold Superdome on eight glorious Sundays in the fall. How dare they be judged by someone who has never dealt with something like this.

Over the course of the last several months, the passion that Louisiana has for its beloved Saints has overflowed. There is a pride that this state has that many who don't live here just don't understand. And, whether they win or lose, the Saints are Louisiana's team, and that feeling has never been stronger, especially after dealing with Katrina’s and Rita’s aftermath, then after almost losing the team because of Katrina, and then after having to fend off a vulturistic San Antonio to keep it in New Orleans.

The above reasons are why the Saints sold out of season tickets for the first time in team history - not because a bunch of trailer-bound morons wasted government money on football tickets and are still looking for another handout to cover the cost.

The magical season that rewarded Saints fans and provided a wonderful diversion - the season that gave us a renewed sense of belief and pride and faith in ourselves - was an added bonus. That’s why Saints fans in the thousands went to Chicago - to bask in the glory of uncharted territory, and to support the team’s continued improbable run. That it ended a game too soon was disappointing. That many Saints fans had to endure what they endured (“We’ll finish what Katrina started”) from Chicago fans was far, far worse.

I leave you with two thoughts:

1. Did Giants or Jets fans have to deal with “We’ll finish what 9/11 started” signs in road games after that tragedy? What would the response have been?

2. Had Chicago suffered a great tragedy on a similar scale to New Orleans, and another city (see: San Antonio) actively worked to steal the Cubs or Bears from it, would people still find a way to buy tickets to help show support for keeping the Cubs or Bears and to maintain a bit of normalcy? What would Chicago do?

They’d find a way.

Just like Saints fans have.

I really do wish people around the country would have a better sense of what is really going on down here, in terms of the problems we face, the struggles we have endured, and the mountains we still must climb.

Having to fight repugnant ignorance in another corner of the country, over a football game, shouldn't be one of those mountains.

Thank you for recognizing that.

Regards,
CG

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Potential Saints relocation called 'horribly cruel'; NFL leaving Saints support to New Orleans; New stadium labeled 'fairy tale'

2007-01-23T10:52:00.000-05:00

Three recent articles on the Saints have mentioned potential relocation for New Orleans' beloved franchise. Here's a rundown:

POTENTIAL SAINTS RELOCATION CALLED 'HORRIBLY CRUEL'
Arizona Republic columnist Dan Bickley has penned a piece, "Moving the Saints wouldn't be a surprise," that notes that moving the Saints would be "horribly cruel."

While it offers little new news, the column astutely points out that eight of the current 32 franchises have relocated from their host cities since 1982 - that's 25 percent of all franchises.

The obvious implication is that the image-conscious NFL has little conscience when it comes to fans in a city that, by league standards, is determined to be subpar.

On the Saints, Bickley writes, "Their owner, Tom Benson, has many ties and many car dealerships in San Antonio. The NFL has a gaping hole in Los Angeles. The ceiling of corporate dollars is too low in New Orleans, and the lure of new money may be too much to resist."

But, Bickley counters to state that of all previous NFL relocations, the Saints leaving New Orleans would be the worst.

NFL LEAVING SAINTS SUPPORT TO NEW ORLEANS
A column by Vito Stellino of jacksonville.com, entitled "Saints success masks big issue", notes a couple of troubling issues for Saints fans.

First, the article quotes NFL executive VP Joe Browne to state, "We want the Saints to succeed in New Orleans, but the business community, especially, has to step up and continue to support them. We already have the best revenue-sharing plans in sports, and that helps teams like New Orleans in a small market."

In other words, the league is done with ponying up any more dough to keep the Saints in New Orleans.

This, after the push to establish a team in Los Angeles meant (and may still mean) the league footing a bill upwards of $1 billion to construct a new stadium there.

Priorities.

And, Stellino points out that "money in pro football comes from luxury boxes, stadium naming rights and sponsorships," meaning Buffalo's ability to hold onto the Bills is in trouble, and the same goes for New Orleans and the Saints:

"That's also why the Saints are in trouble. They sold out their tickets this season, which would have made them viable 20 years ago. Not now. New Orleans doesn't have enough remaining corporate presence that will buy luxury boxes and sponsorships."

Stellino's likely relocation spots for the Saints include Los Angeles and (gag) San Antonio after the team's Superdome lease expires in 2010.

NEW STADIUM LABELED 'FAIRY TALE'
Finally, Jim Mashek of the Sun Herald (MS), in his column entitled, "Saints have these questions to ponder for next year", touches briefly on possible relocation and writes the following:

"The Saints won't have any trouble selling season tickets for next year, but we'd like to see club owner Tom Benson make some real progress on the front of making the Louisiana Superdome the team's permanent home. Benson needs to forget about the fairy tale of a new stadium any time soon. New Orleans has a city to rebuild."

Here's to guessing that the "facility problem" cited by Saints chief financial officer Dennis Lauscha here means the real fairy tale is believing the Saints won't ask for a new stadium in upcoming negotiations with the state.

Should be an interesting offseason...

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Amazing airport welcome reported on ESPN.com

2007-01-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

Friends, here's a real heartwarming story that many of us would have loved to have been a part of - the greeting of the Saints at Armstrong airport after they arrived from Chicago.

ESPN.com's Wright Thompson deserves a lot of credit for putting together "A loss? Not to Saints fans in New Orleans". It's a must-read. Enjoy.

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First 2007 Saints-to-L.A. shot fired by SI's Banks; A thank you to the Saints

2007-01-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

One day after the miraculous, inspiring Saints season drew to a close on a cold snowy field in Chicago, the talk again has started of a Saints relocation to Los Angeles.

Sports Illustrated's Don Banks, in his weekly "Snap Judgments" column on cnnsi.com, wrote the following for today's edition:

"Consider the Saints loss a missed opportunity for the still-rebuilding city of New Orleans. A Super Bowl trip would have further wed the organization to the identity of the city, and might have almost forced the NFL to do everything it its power to keep the franchise in Louisiana. Despite being this year's feel-good story, the Saints' long-term future in New Orleans is far from secure based on this season's success and playoff appearance.

"By making the Super Bowl, the Saints would have made it very difficult for the league to do anything but continue to work on their long-term viability in New Orleans, a city that lost both population base and a slice of its already-thin corporate community in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. But in the absence of a Super Bowl season, it's easier to imagine the Saints potentially packing up for Los Angeles some day."

While it's a shame that it didn't take 24 hours after the Saints' magic carpet ride ended for this kind of talk to re-emerge, it also speaks some truth.

I think it's ridiculous to wed the Saints' prospects for staying or leaving based on whether they reached Super Bowl XLI. But there are some very real problems the franchise faces.

The commitment of the fan base, of course, is without question. The team even recognized the fans with a banner, thanking them for the franchise's first season ticket sellout.

But the high crime rate and slow rebuilding are causing some who did move back to think seriously about leaving again - permanently. The team needs the support of businesses in the area, and it remains to be seen whether the Gulf South region will chip in to help by advertising or buying suites.

The team's lease with the state concludes in 2010, with the annual inducements continuing. A negotiation is set to take place in the offseason between Saints owner Tom Benson and governor Kathleen Blanco to rework the deal and extend the agreement, with the Saints likely wanting a new stadium in the process.

And, with the recent Forbes franchise valuations showing the Saints are valued at some $738 million, knowing that there have been offers made to buy the team for over $1 billion (to relocate the team to California) is not a comforting thought.

Granted, Benson has said he'd never sell the Saints.

But if he did, he'd make a pretty penny, especially considering he bought the franchise in 1985 for $65 million.

It will be an interesting offseason, both in terms of football (seeing how the team addresses its needs) and of long-term viability.

THANK YOU, SAINTS
While this might not be an appropriate spot to send a shout out, I want to thank Tom Benson, Rita Benson LeBlanc, Mickey Loomis, Rick Mueller, and everyone else in the Saints front office; Sean Payton and the entire coaching staff; and every single Saints player (too many to list here, but here's the roster) for an amazing 2006-07 season.

It was a pleasure to watch the franchise's 40th year turn into a weekly magical ride. There are too many moments to remember them all, but the Monday Night game, the Bush punt return, the Hail Mary, the Cowboy crushing, the Second Playoff Win...wow. What a run.

Again, thank you.

And, to Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc - I (along with thousands of other Saints fans) hope and pray that the next 40 years of Saints football, good or bad, will be in New Orleans, where it belongs.

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NY Times: Saints in trouble in New Orleans; Team official indicates need for new stadium; State to again offer inducements; San Antonio still at it

2007-01-17T10:16:00.001-05:00

Amidst the most glorious season in franchise history, today's New York Times has run a story that should have Saints fans worried more than the Bears defense or snow at Soldier Field.

This, according to the article entitled "The Football is Fine, but but the Saints' Finances Aren't So Bright" by Richard Sandomir, which is the first in a long while to focus on the business woes of the team.

The story could be the first strike in leveraging negotiations between Saints owner Tom Benson and likely lame-duck governor Kathleen Blanco.

Saints vice president for marketing Ben Hales is quoted in the piece as saying, “We’re nowhere where we need to be, given the state of the community. The problems we had before Katrina have been exacerbated.”

The article continues, focusing on problems such as the decline in population, the decrease in television market size (from 43rd to 54th), the escalation in crime, and the slow reconstruction.

Sports marketing experts are quoted throughout the piece, including the oft-quoted Marc Ganis, who indicates that the team would need higher annual financial inducements than they currently receive. (The team is scheduled to be paid around $20 million this summer by the state.)

Forbes editor Michael Ozanian states in the article, “I think if they get to the Super Bowl, you’ll see a lot of talk of rebirth, but the numbers just aren’t there, in terms of people living there and in terms of the business there. It’s a real problem for the N.F.L.”

Which is why new NFL commissioner Robert Goodell did not make any sort of long-term commitment after making a quick visit to the Superdome on Saturday afternoon.

The author also writes that the Benson family (owner Tom and owner-in-waiting Rita Benson LeBlanc) "would ever earn enough in New Orleans to satisfy the Benson family, which could earn much more by playing in a larger, more stable and wealthier market." The Saints are estimated to be worth $738 million by Forbes Magazine, which is good enough for 27th of the 32 NFL franchises.

Not good news for Saints fans.

The team, which can opt out of its current lease after the present season by paying the state $61 million, likely won't do so after honoring the fans of the team with a banner in the Superdome commemorating their sellout of the entire 2006 home schedule.

Instead the Benson's will either come to the table seeking an extension of the current lease (which expires in 2010) and a new stadium (yes, you read that right), or will be prepared to exit or sell the team after the 2010 season.

Saints' chief financial officer Dennis Lauscha indicated that the Saints need a new facility to play in. Check out this quote: "“We’re financially viable. We have two big problems, a facility problem and a market problem. If you fix both, you’ll have strong viability.”

So much for the Superdome's renovations being sufficient.

Granted, the state will be planning to continue inducements to the team, according to these quotes in the story by Larry Roedel, counsel for LSED, the Louisiana Sports and Exposition District that oversees the Superdome: “We hope to sit down with the team and discuss an extension beyond 2010, and that would include inducement payments. I don’t know if they’ll want more than what they’re getting.”

Surely they will - if Benson takes the plan he ran with after the Saints' first playoff win in 2000 (when the current $186 million inducement package was first negotiated).

Benson will want a new stadium built, probably with the state footing the bill. And he'll probably want more money for inducements from the state, to bring the team's profits up and make the franchise more valuable.

We shall see.

Saints fans, enjoy the heck out of this run. After the season this great flight might be hitting some major turbulence.

SAN ANTONIO STILL AT IT
You'd think the vultures would have given up by now.

Guess again.

Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News wants you to know that there were a lot of people from his city at the Superdome on Saturday in Tom Benson's suite.

Most of the article actually is positive and true. Benson does have a lot of business ties to San Antonio, and his friends from there want the Saints to succeed.

But the article twists the knife that still exists in the back of Saints Nation by quoting T.J. Connolly, a former spokesman for Benson:

"To go from 3-13 to the Super Bowl under these circumstances is material for a movie. But it doesn't mean New Orleans has the Saints forever. Being in the Super Bowl won't erase the challenges the city faces. It (New Orleans) still faces an uphill battle to sustain an NFL franchise.

"I don't want to dampen the excitement of this weekend or rain on anyone's parade, but you have to be realistic. And I'm not going to back away from saying the Saints are a prime candidate to relocate to San Antonio."

You've got to be kidding me.

News flash: The NFL has zero interest in having a team play there, particularly in an Alamodome that has around half the available suites and hundreds less available seats than the Superdome.

Yes, that Superdome. The one that sold every seat this season. The one San Antonio insisted wouldn't be half full in '06.

Besides, isn't San Antonio Cowboy country? Don't the Pokes conduct training camp there?

That Connolly and Orsborn don't want to rain on anyone's parade is an absolute crock.

San Antonio just won't quit kicking New Orleans and Louisiana while they are still hurting from Katrina and Rita, in an obvious effort to steal the Saints.

Thanks again.

By the way, if a few category five tornadoes rip through and devastate San Antonio, Baton Rouge will happily play host to the Spurs. Maybe they'll unabashedly emphasize San Antonio's inability to support them, and try to keep them there permanently.

Besides, they can't stay in San Antonio forever, can they?

TWO OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST
Here's a couple of links, one somewhat positive and the other downright cold:

"Saint-elsewhere to Heaven-Saint" - Greg Couch, Chicago Sun-Times
"Saints, Hornets future in New Orleans in doubt" - Evan Weiner, New York Sun

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Violent crime a problem that could drive Saints away

2007-01-07T01:02:00.000-05:00

With all the great things that have happened with the New Orleans Saints this season, there is a very major problem taking place away from the football field and without any involvement of the team that could drive the franchise away from its home.

That problem, friends, is the ridiculous crime spree that has recently gripped the city.

I read earlier tonight that city officials are exploring options, including a curfew, in an attempt to fight off the senseless murders and violent crime that have continued to escalate.

Murders and violent crime unfortunately have been a New Orleans staple. Katrina was not able to wash that away, however, and the violence and bloodshed have come back with a vengeance.

Per capita, these types of criminal acts are at an all time high. Aside from that troubling fact alone, there are numerous other reasons to be greatly concerned.

For one, the nation has in a sense stopped paying attention to the city. In many people's eyes, why rebuild a city and send millions of aid when a substantial segment of the citizens are robbing and killing one another? This is especially so when the mayor of the gracious city of Houston has gone on record to state that the severe murder and violent crime uptick that city has suffered is to blame on Katrina evacuees who relocated there.

Why is there such an unencumbered criminal problem with some of these native New Orleanians? Why do these people resort to such violent acts? Why can't they clean up their act, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of innocent victims and, on a larger scale, the benefit of New Orleans?

The muggings and bloodshed are not just stealing the property and lives of innocent victims; they are also stealing the headlines.

Rare is the day that progress in New Orleans is hailed; instead, "several murders in a day" has been a story more often told.

And in that, these vigilantes are stealing potential recovery, and preventing it from truly taking strides forward.

The surge in an already insanely high crime area is discouraging people from moving back to New Orleans. It's also making people who did come back want to leave, and soon.

Businesses will probably be on the way out of town if the city is not reasonably safe, or if they cannot find qualified employees to work.

That brings us to the Saints.

While the NFL may not have wanted a public relations disaster on its hands by taking the team from New Orleans after Katrina, the public may be quite sympathetic to the league for the aforementioned reasons if the team relocates for its own good, and for the good of its employees.

The players, coaches, staffers, and their families who call New Orleans home will be included in the above category if things don't turn around soon.

And, if businesses begin to migrate out instead of into New Orleans, the Saints will probably be left to find another home. The team depends on support of local businesses in more ways than one. Local businesses hire local people, who then buy tickets and merchandise to support the Saints.

Take away part of this necessary lifeblood, and keep up the violence, and the team that once symbolized the return of a great city could also symbolize the impending death of it.

The killings must stop.

The muggings must stop.

The leaders of the city, the state, and the country must pull together, take control, and whip New Orleans into shape.

And quickly.

Because reasonable people and business owners will not put up with it for much longer.

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T-P: Blanco upbeat about new deal with Saints

2006-12-30T23:10:00.000-05:00

Today's New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco is optimistic about reaching a new deal with Saints owner Tom Benson to keep the team in New Orleans beyond 2010, when the team's present lease ends.

The article provides that negotiatons between the state and the team will take place following the present season, which has been an amazing, magical ride with a very real possibility of continuing to unprecedented heights.

Importantly, Blanco states that a new stadium likely will not be possible to build within the next five years.

This might be a sticking point, but notably most other places around the country likely could not offer a new stadium within that same time period either. The five-year window could offset such an argument by the Saints that they could relocate because they need a new facility.

Plus, the renovated Superdome is a better facility now than it was pre-Katrina, and the upgrades that have been made should quell any demands for a new stadium within that five-year time period.

Blanco probably won't get re-elected in '07 - and rightfully so, by this writer's opinion (she has largely been an embarrassment who has mishandled the tragedies that have hit Louisiana). But her successor very possibly will be Bobby Jindal, a former member of the Mike Foster administration. Foster and Benson were able to hammer out the ridiculously lucrative deal that presently exists, and Jindal and Benson likely would work well together.

My reasoning for that thought is that Benson won't be demanding the moon in his next deal, for two reasons: (1) I believe he has turned a different leaf since the NFL's (and ex-commish Paul Tagliabue's) intervention post-Katrina, and (2) the NFL won't want to ruin what has been a very good public relations run in helping rebuild New Orleans by not ripping the city's team (and a lot of economic impact that goes along with it) from it.

An interesting sidebar to keep in mind is that Benson won't be running the ship forever, and that eventually (read: likely sooner than later) his granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, will be handed the reins. Benson won't want to pass the team over to her with a bum deal in place.

Bottom line? This needs to happen. The Saints mean an awful lot both to the economy as well as the psyche of New Orleans, and Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast. They are to New Orleans what the Red Sox are to Boston, or the Knicks to New York. New Orleans and the Saints go together like red beans and rice, and both sides - the state and the team - should recognize that and hammer out the best possible deal for both sides.

Throw out the unrealistic b.s. and the hard-ass bargaining. Go to the table with a common goal, be reasonable, and help one another get this done.

In the mean time, our Saints have the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs. They have a very real chance of making a serious run at a Super Bowl. Let's all focus on pulling our Saints to victory - GEAUX SAINTS, and LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULLER!

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

What's next for the Saints?

2006-12-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's been a month since I've last posted. Things have been going swimmingly with the Saints, so there hasn't been much of a need to report anything of concern.

But, one article in today's New York Times caught my eye. The piece, entitled "Granddaughter of Saints’ Boss Is Getting Ready to Call the Plays" by Lee Jenkins, talks about Rita Benson LeBlanc's future ownership of the Saints.

It's no surprise that Rita will be the next owner, based upon statements made by Tom Benson over the last year or so.

But, what I didn't realize were the extent of the ties she has to San Antonio.

For example, prior to reading this article, I was unaware that the Benson's had a family ranch outside of San Antonio. It's where Rita's mother and brother both live. In fact, Rita's mother runs that ranch.

Of course, there's Benson's car dealerships in San Antonio as well.

This article led me to do a bit more research on Rita, just to see what her background is. This Times-Picayune story from March 2006 by Mike Triplett is a very similar, yet more in-depth, piece on Rita. Here's what it says:

- Rita was born in Houma, but grew up in Johnson City, Texas - a small town just a few miles west of Austin, and a short drive from San Antonio.

- She graduated college from Texas A&M.

- Her parents lived in Cutoff, Louisiana, when she was born, but then moved to San Antonio shortly after, and then to the family ranch in Johnson City when she was 2 years old. (Not sure if this is the same family ranch referred to in the NY Times article...)

- Most importantly, she is quoted to say, "New Orleans is home to the Saints."

Obviously, Rita has an awful lot of ties to central Texas. However, based on her comments to Mike Triplett, she seems to understand where the Saints belong.

But, there are no guarantees. Those central Texas ties are strong, and having the support system of her parents, brother, and grandfather right there with her when she does take ownership of the team might be more important to her than anything.

At least for now, with the team's commitment to Saints fans in not raising season ticket prices for 2007, and the smooth ride that the 2006 season has been thus far, we can hope that New Orleans has proven it wants to be "home to the Saints" forever.

We shall see...

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

L.A. on backburner; Benson would take $1.2B for Saints

2006-11-14T22:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've updated this page, and if anyone is still reading, I was very encouraged to read that the NFL owners have decided that the L.A. thing is now on the backburner.

This column by Foxsports.com's Czar (John Czarnecki) says as much, and also notes that Tommy Boy has upped his asking price for the Saints from $1 billion to $1.2 billion.

In other words, the Saints aren't going anywhere anytime soon. So, as things stand now, Saints fans can hope for two things:
(1) a Super Bowl, and
(2) a great negotiation between Benson and Gov. Kathleen Blanco after this season.

Good times!

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Saints still have hazy future; NFL's L.A. option may be too expensive

2006-10-25T15:44:00.000-04:00

NFL owners met this week in New Orleans to discuss a handful of issues. Because of the locale, the inevitable issue of the Saints' long-term viability came up, and the basic gist of what was said is this:

It's been a great start to 2006, but it's still too early to tell whether the team can remain viable for the long-term future.

According to this Times-Picayune article, Saints owner Tom Benson said that he is "a little disappointed in the business community" because 30 of the Superdome's 137 luxury suites - many of which are still incomplete - have gone unsold. (The number of unsold suites previously was reported as being lower, but that number has increased reportedly because businesses that had committed to buy some of the available suites backed out.)

But, Benson remained optimistic about the future of the franchise in the Crescent City, adding, "[L]ook at what we've done. If we all work together, there's no telling what can happen."

Of course, the stage is still set for negotiations between Tommy Boy and Kathleen Blanco to set up a long-term commitment to New Orleans and Louisiana. And Blanco may be very willing to talk, given that she is up for re-election next year (which looks unlikely at this point...).

For more on the ongoings of this week's meetings, check out the above link.

NFL's L.A. OPTION MAY BE TOO EXPENSIVE
One very intriguing sidebar to the NFL owner meeting is that stadium cost proposals were apparently presented to the owners by groups representing areas in Los Angeles.

This article by Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports explains in part as follows:

"The owners were told that the cost of a new facility in either Anaheim or on the Los Angeles Coliseum site could be between $850 million and $1 billion.

"Coupled with the lack of public support in California generally, there are a growing number of owners who are losing enthusiasm for a return to Los Angeles. At least two owners said privately that they didn't see a need to return to Los Angeles if there wasn't public support. Two other owners said the issue appears to have waned in terms of importance."

Benson stated that the league's move into the L.A. market was "on the backburner", and Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen told Cole that "it's on the radar, but I wouldn't say it's a priority."

The article also astutely points out that all three existing NFL franchises in California are in need of new stadiums or new stadium deals.

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Got a comment? Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Saints on in L.A. for third week out of four

2006-09-29T23:26:00.000-04:00

Well, if the conspiracy is that the league is trying to build interest for the Saints in the Los Angeles market, the television broadcasts are helping support the theory.

For the third week out of four, viewers in Los Angeles will be watching the Saints.

Almost as if they were L.A.'s home team.

In week one, the FOX affiliate there, KTTV, showed the Saints-Browns season opener. But in week two, KTTV opted to show the Giants-Eagles game instead of the Saints-Packers matchup. But it was the only affiliate in the country that had the option between those two games.

Then, in week three, the entire country (L.A. included, of course) watched the Saints on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

Now, in week four, it's Saints versus Panthers - and it's on in L.A. on KTTV.

Here's a map, courtesy of gribblenation.com, showing the television markets for the FOX game this Sunday:

Notice that the California-based San Francisco 49ers are playing a game at the same time as the Saints. So are the nearby Arizona Cardinals (and former USC QB Matt Leinart). Yet the Saints somehow get top billing in southern California.

I guess the fans there get to see Trojan hero Reggie Bush nearly every week - and maybe that's all that should be read into this.

But what if it's the NFL trying to help start establishing a fan base for the city's future franchise?

For the record, I don't think the Saints will be moving away from New Orleans until 2010, unless something goes drastically wrong over the next several months. But if they do leave, they are going to L.A., not San Antonio. The NFL would have it that way.

Forgive me for what may seem like paranoia, but we need to stay as aware as possible of the ongoings outside of New Orleans to ensure the Saints remain IN New Orleans, where they belong.

To be continued...

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Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Post-MNF reaction; San Antonio apology?; Jags in lead for L.A. race?

2006-09-28T10:07:00.000-04:00

It's pretty blatantly obvious that there were a ton of stories about the Saints, their future in New Orleans, and so on, over the last several days, given the significance of Monday's game against the Falcons.

Rather than throw a lot of those stories on this page, I felt it would be better to let the focus be where it belongs - the Saints are back in the Superdome, in New Orleans, where they belong.

What a spine-tingling night it was.

Needless to say, you know by know how things went down on Sept. 25. You know the Saints are 3-0.

And you know there was a media blitz for the game Monday. It would be impossible to link every story on the Saints' future that came out over the last week. Most of what was written by pundits and said by talking heads relative to the Saints' future can be summarized as follows:
- It's great that the Saints are back in New Orleans.
- The league wanted this to happen, to give the city its team back and provide an opportunity for the state and the region to show it can support the team for the long haul.
- There is uncertainty over the Saints' future.
- The team will probably have until 2010 to determine whether it can stay or not.

One of the more interesting notes that kept coming up in numerous sources is that, by reports, the team announced early this year that it would stay through its current lease with the state, which expires in 2010.

I still haven't seen that announcement, but there's got to be a reason it's being repeated. Which is a good sign.

Of course, Tom Benson and Kathleen Blanco are going to be talking after the season. And there's still that pesky $61 million exit clause that Tommy Boy can exercise if he so desires.

But I'm thinking after Monday night that there's no way on God's green earth that that happens.

Thank God.

(And Paul Tagliabue.)

SAN ANTONIO APOLOGY?
One of the more interesting columns I've read about the Saints is linked here. It's a column by Mike Finger, of the San Antonio Express-News, wherein he admits on behalf of his city that it tried to steal the Saints, and that it should be ashamed.

Finger wrote in terms of the guilty conscience of San Antonio for trying to prevent what happened Monday night. Among Finger's words:

"But we, as a city, also tried to steal their football team. And it's about time we stopped denying it."

"In the eyes of many from New Orleans, Phil Hardberger and San Antonio became villains on par with Michael Brown and FEMA. They accused people here of taking advantage of Louisiana's misery, of using a flood to loot a franchise. And you know what? They were at least partly right."

"It's a good thing we failed."

At least someone from San Antonio has gotten it right.

See the previous post on this site (going through a column by the Express-News' Buck Harvey) for evidence that they are still at work to steal the Saints.

Maybe Monday night changed San Antonio's perspective.

Maybe the vultures have had a change of heart.

We shall see.

JAGS IN LEAD FOR L.A. RACE?
Another very intriguing piece to come out was this one from the Washington Post, about the viability of the Jaguars franchise in Jacksonville.

With the Saints getting back into New Orleans, and if support can remain strong there, it would seem that Jacksonville may take its place among the leaders for the L.A. race. The others would be San Diego (and its tremendous stadium issues amidst that city's recent corruption) and Oakland (Al Davis may push to go back to L.A.).

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S.A. Express-News quotes anonymous Benson friend: Saints in S.A. 'this time next year'

2006-09-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

(Credit to Ashley Morris for sending me the link below - Thanks Ashley!)

Those vultures in San Antonio can't stop salivating over the Saints.

In today's San Antonio Express-News, columnist Buck Harvey pours cold water all over the feel-good story of the NFL season - the Saints' return to New Orleans this Monday night.

In his column entitled "Uplifting now, Saints still up in air", Harvey expresses that the Saints still could end up in San Antonio after all - perhaps even after this season.

While stating as a fact that the Saints "are still a franchise looking west," Harvey quotes a friend of Tom Benson's to say the following: "I think, this time next year, the Saints will be in San Antonio."

Thanks for that speculation. By the way, the source was not directly named. So, for all intents and purposes, it could be a made-up quote.

(Wouldn't put that past San Antonio's vulturistic sports media, which has rained a lot of hate on New Orleans and Louisiana over the past year.)

Of course, Harvey goes on to discredit the recent news of a full-season Saints sellout in New Orleans by writing, "Buying football tickets is not necessarily something to be proud of."

Gee - wasn't San Antonio spouting off about how its fans could support the Saints more than those in Louisiana after it sold 60,000 tickets to a single game last season? (That was because 30 percent of San Antonio businesses bought the heavily-discounted tickets, and there were also a lot of giveaways - see the quote in this post about tickets being "practically distributed under the wiper blades of parked cars".

I'd submit that buying the tickets, as opposed to giving them away to bolster a false attendance in hopes of stealing another city's NFL franchise, especially when that city is on its knees, is truly nothing to be proud of.

And, shame on Harvey for talking about what should or should not be something to be proud of, when virtually everything San Antonio has done with respect to the Saints has been shameful at best. As such, it's certainly not an authority on the "pride" subject.

But I digress.

Harvey quotes another anonymous San Antonio source to say that "the Saints people told him, long before any of this, not to believe anything they would say publicly about New Orleans," and that, "[i]n short: They had to go back, and they had to play along."

Harvey further writes that the anonymous source further says that he "thinks Benson will return to his original plan. He says, as evidence, you will never hear Benson commit to the future."

Stirring the pot even further, Harvey writes that Tom Benson is in a very sticky situation, writing from a pro-San Antonio perspective as follows: "After all, if Benson thinks New Orleans will take years to recover, and if Benson wants to relocate, wouldn't it have been easier for him if New Orleans fans hadn't responded as they have?"

All in all, it's a nasty piece by Harvey that does yet another in a long line of disservices from San Antonio to New Orleans with regard to the Saints.

Hey, Buck: Paul Tagliabue didn't want an NFL franchise there. I'm pretty sure Roger Goodell wouldn't want one there either. Jerry Jones wouldn't be too crazy about it either, since the Cowboys are training there and have a large mass of supporters there.

And besides, there's that pesky Los Angeles thing hanging out there too.

Here's to assuming that the next NFL relocation isn't to someplace random like San Antonio, but to someplace on everyone's map, like Los Angeles.

Didn't the Florida Marlins just turn San Antonio down as a relocation possibility too?

(Answer: yes.)

I hope Saints fans don't let this garbage get in their way of enjoying the return of their team to their hometown in their sold-out stadium. Hurricane victims will finally get a taste of something spectacular. The world will be watching Monday night on a Super Bowl-esque stage.

And San Antonio will be in the corner, trying to kill the buzz and steal the show.

Like they have the Saints.

Thanks a lot for raining on the makeshift Mardi Gras in a city that needs something to celebrate.

All I have to say is, I hope Earl Hickey is right about karma.

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More on Saints' sellout; Question regarding T-P article

2006-09-20T10:33:00.000-04:00

An article by Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune today reiterated the sellout of the Saints' 2006 season tickets at the Superdome, with new quotes from Tom Benson - and a paragraph of questionable information.

A few more quotes from Tommy Boy were mentioned, and are reproduced below:

"This is news we're very proud of; that the whole community can be proud of. We're officially sold out for the first time in the history of the Saints for the entire season. We're now competing on that basis with places like New York, San Francisco, Chicago. This is just tremendous. People in New York and other places can't hardly believe what the people of this whole area have done."

"I want to thank our fans for making this happen. I'm so proud to be able to make this announcement. I look forward to a great 2006 season."

"I believe what's happened now is a lot of people are living as far away as Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Maybe they lived closer before. I think those people are involved in doing this. I think the people in what I call the Gulf South, they wanted to show the world . . . this is their way of saying, 'We're here. We're alive. We're not sitting back on our butts. We're alive.'"

"It's not just Jefferson Parish or Orleans Parish. We're out now 150, 200 miles with people supporting us. Now we're all one community. It used to be New Orleans against everybody else."

"We're going to show the world. People think we haven't been doing anything down here."

Got to give the man a lot of credit - he's saying all the right things, and whether propped up by the NFL powers-that-be or not, he deserves a pat on the back.

HOWEVER, one paragraph in the Times-Picayune article gave me hesitation - because it's blatantly incorrect. The paragraph reads as follows:

"Tuesday's announcement is the culmination in the resurgence of a franchise that announced in mid-February that it was returning to New Orleans for the duration of its Superdome lease, which runs through 2010."

No such announcement ever took place. No such statement has been made. Trust me, if it had, it would have been trumpeted all over this site - and a lot of others, such as saintsreport.com (the most informative Saints site out there).

There would have been no question about the team's commitment to the city, or whether it might relocate after the 2006 season via the lease's revised $61 million exit clause.

Did I miss something? Did we all?

In any event, the sellout news is outstanding, and Monday should be a day for the ages in New Orleans.

Wear your black and gold, and show that united support of the Saints.

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Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Saints complete full season sellout - San Antonio, eat your heart out...; Saints having positive impact on N.O. psyches

2006-09-19T21:15:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable.

In the best way imaginable.

On Tuesday, Saints owner Tom Benson announced that the Saints have sold out the Superdome for the entire season. Benson's quotes were thrilling, as he compared the Saints support to New York, Chicago, and San Francisco (presumably during the Montana/Young years). Here are some tidbits:

"We're now competing on that basis with places like New York, San Francisco ... Chicago and other major cities. This is just tremendous. People in New York and other places can't hardly believe what you all have done and people in this whole area have done."

Benson is asking all Saints fans to wear black and gold Monday, and for New Orleans area businesses to let their workers off early to enjoy the festivities around the Superdome - whether or not they have tickets.

It's a great day.

More to come tomorrow...

SAINTS HAVING POSITIVE IMPACT ON N.O. PSYCHES
Here's a link to a great story on how the Saints' return, and 2-0 start, have meant a ton to the New Orleans area.

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Update: FOX in L.A. NOT showing Saints this weekend

2006-09-14T17:46:00.000-04:00

Updating my most previous post, the FOX affiliate in Los Angeles (KTTV) will not be showing Sunday's Saints-Packers game.

Instead, it will air the Giants-Eagles matchup.

So please accept my apologies - I was wrong with my earlier report, at least for what's being aired this weekend.

But I will keep tabs on what L.A.'s FOX affiliate is showing over the rest of the season.

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Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Saints games being shown on FOX affiliate in L.A.

2006-09-11T22:24:00.000-04:00

Interestingly enough, the FOX affiliate in Los Angeles (KTTV) has not been showing the main headliner game offerings this season.

Rather, they have been showing the Saints.

Courtesy of gribblenation.com, a map is attached that shows the broadcast areas nationally for the first FOX-broadcast game from this past Sunday. Note the areas that the Saints-Browns game was shown:

The map reveals that the Saints-Browns game was shown in three areas (identified in green) - the New Orleans market, the Cleveland market, and Los Angeles.

Now, in Week 2, the upcoming Saints-Packers game is also slated to be shown in the Los Angeles area, according to this FOX Sports affiliate schedule.

The likely reason for this is that FOX is giving fans in Los Angeles, where Bush played his collegiate career at USC, an opportunity to watch their favorite Trojan son.

Of course, it also could be that the NFL is establishing a fan base there for their future home team, under the guise of letting Trojan fans follow Bush's pro career.

At this point, of course, it's speculative and too early to tell. But the NFL will get a team in L.A. at some point, and if negotiations go poorly after the season between Tom Benson and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco, the Saints could be the team to fill the L.A. void.

By most recent estimates, the NFL wants a stadium to be operational by 2010 or 2011 at the latest. A team could possibly relocate prior to that if need be. Coincidentally, the Saints' current lease with the state of Louisiana concludes in 2010.

As always, I'll be keeping a close eye on the situation.

And Los Angeles will be keeping a close eye on Reggie Bush and the Saints via their local FOX affiliate.

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Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Goodell: No guarantee Saints will stay in N.O.

2006-09-11T17:41:00.000-04:00

New NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown around 4:30 p.m. CST, being interviewed by Chris Mortensen. Mortensen asked the new commish directly whether there were any guarantees that the Saints would stay in New Orleans for five years into the future.

Goodell's response wasn't encouraging. Initially, he said that there are a lot of good things going on, including Reggie Bush, but upon further inquiry by Mortensen, he stated that there were no guarantees for the Saints to stay put, that there are issues in New Orleans market-wise, and that the league would be looking at them over the next couple of years to assess the viability over the future.

No comments were made about season ticket sales (which are a record-shattering 65,000), or about Tom Benson's positive talk at his press conference earlier this week (text in below post). Also, there were no encouraging words about a desire to stay put.

Did I expect a full 100-percent commitment to New Orleans for the next five years? Not necessarily, but for the aforementioned reasons, it was not an encouraging interview and it puts something of a damper on a big season-opening win over Cleveland.

I don't have exact quotes, but will try to get them and post them once I get them.

Developing...

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Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.

Full text of Benson press conference

2006-09-06T18:05:00.000-04:00

The following is copied verbatim from neworleanssaints.com:

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The full text of remarks made by Saints Owner Tom Benson at a press conference at the Saints facility in Metairie on Tuesday afternoon:

Welcome and thank you for coming today. Today I am pleased to have nothing but positive news to report.

As we get ready for opening weekend of the 2006 NFL regular season this weekend, I wanted to make myself available to talk about this upcoming season and to THANK our fans for their loyal support.

There are so many negative stories one year after Hurricane Katrina, that I felt compelled to come out today to talk about a positive story...our team and our fans and their support of this team as we start the 2006 campaign.

To date, we have sold 65,000 season tickets and we only have a little more than 3,000 left. That is a positive story.

At the pace in which we have been going, it will be a certainty that when we open our regular season home schedule on September 25, we will not have any tickets left to sell, in other words, we will be sold out for the entire season.

This is the first time in the team's history that this has happened. And all of the credit goes to the fans of this team. That is a positive story.

Also, I am pleased to report that the sale of our box suites has increased and the activity in that area has been very positive. Of 137 suites, we only have 37 left to sell...

As I stated some months ago, we understand the tough times that face the many businesses here so it is important that we thank those companies that have stepped up thus far...I promise those companies that they are in for an exciting year.

In addition, we have all seen the progress being done on the Superdome to get ready to host this game on September 25, as I stated in Shreveport, we need to thank Governor Blanco for her support in making this happen.

We have spoken so often about the return of football to the Superdome and what this will symbolize, but we do not need to look any further than the resolve of our fans in this community and the way they have rallied around our team.

There will be many stories that week when we return to the Superdome, the return of football to the city, the reopening of the Dome, but I think the real story is our fans, the people who have lived through this terrible tragedy and their return to the Superdome as well in record numbers...That is the positive story.

As I said earlier, it will be a shame to not be in that number and be part of history, we have recently made history here in this city for some not so great things, but I think this is a start to something good in our city...the Saints have been working both on and off the field to improve, we have been working hard in our community...

As I speak to you today...our running back Reggie Bush is at it again along with a host of other players, donating four tons of food downtown to nearly 800 needy families.

These are the special things that mean so much to me as the Owner of this team...the fact that when we host the Falcons on September 25, we will have more than 500 media outlets here covering the game from Japan to London and from Los Angeles to New York...unprecedented coverage of our city and our team at a time when people need to be reminded...and I think this will be a shining example of something very, very positive as they see a sold out Superdome...

Looking back, we have had a great training camp in Jackson, Mississippi and we hosted two preseason games in Jackson and Shreveport and the crowds were tremendous and the energy was fantastic...

We all look forward to that same energy in the Superdome this year, we do not want an empty seat, we have all heard about the 12th man at Texas A&M and in Seattle, but there is no comparison to the 12th man in the Superdome, so we encourage everyone to use their tickets or make sure they get used.

We have made many changes to our roster recently and I am like many of you, still learning these players, but I do know that I like what I have seen from Mickey and Sean and I look forward to opening this season this weekend in Cleveland and than back here in late September.

Thank you.

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Benson: 65,000 season tickets sold, only 3,300 left; Benson to meet with Blanco after season regarding extending lease

2006-09-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

Saints owner Tom Benson held an impromptu press conference yesterday afternoon outside Saints headquarters in Metairie to announce that the team has sold a record-shattering 65,000 season tickets, leaving 3,300 remaining for the upcoming 2006 campaign. Plus, a total of 100 suites have been sold, leaving only 37 remaining.

Benson also stated that he expects to meet with Governor Kathleen Blanco after the upcoming season about extending the Saints' lease in the Superdome past 2010.

Also, he spoke in terms of "our community" and about how important the Saints are to Louisiana.

And, he showered local support with praise - which is a complete 180 from what he was doing during the summer of 2005 (pre-Katrina).

Thus far I've read two articles on the very positive announcement, with the MSNBC piece having many more quotes from Benson:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14688468/
http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1157522419143380.xml&coll=1

Below is a compilation of Benson's quotes gleaned from the above articles:

"This is unprecedented. This is the start of something good, real good -- maybe even something great."

"There are so many negative stories one year after Katrina, so I felt compelled to come out and talk about a positive story. We have spoken so often about the return of football in the Superdome and what that symbolizes. You do not need to look any further than the resolve of fans and businesses and the way they have rallied around our team."

"As they see this worldwide, then I think this is really the rebirth of everything that’s going to be good for our community."

"They think we’re going to have a good football team and they’re going to show the world we’re here, we’re back and we’re doing things."

"The governor’s been well informed of what’s been going on and she’s been very supportive of the Saints. Everybody in this state, including her, feel like we’ve felt a long time (about) how important the Saints are to our state."

"The storm affected every business in the Gulf South, but the Saints have been a leader in rebuilding the city. We're doing it. That's what everybody has to do."

"I think our commitment to New Orleans and the Gulf South has been there, and I like what I see of the commitment in return."

"There will be many stories that week about the Saints returning to New Orleans and the re-opening of the Dome. But the real story is the fans, the people that lived through this terrible tragedy and returned to the Superdome in record numbers."

I must say this, but I am thrilled with Benson's comments - it almost sounds like Paul Tagliabue in a Tom Benson mask. But if Tommy Boy has "seen the light", even if he's done so under the guidance of Saint Tags, Saints fans are all the better for it.

Other information that came from yesterday's news:

- Multiple businesses have been teaming up to buy single suites in the Superdome.
- Benson said he envisions the Saints being similar to Green Bay in that he wants to draw a regional fan base.
- Five hundred media outlets from around the world - with 1,000 media credentials issued - are expected to be present for the Saints' home re-opener against the Falcons on Monday Night Football.
- The Superdome's seating capacity will be 68,354.
- The team recently entered into a "major sponsorship deal" with Chevrolet Motor Company.

Great news for the long-term future of New Orleans...Now, I hope everyone who bought a ticket makes it to the games...

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UPDATE: Bradshaw transcript from On The Record

2006-08-29T19:44:00.000-04:00

After reviewing the video link of last night's On The Record With Greta Van Susteren, I've compiled a transcript of Terry Bradshaw's appearance regarding the Saints' future in New Orleans:

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Greta: Terry, let’s talk football for a second. Any chance the New Orleans Saints will ever leave this city?
TB: Um, unfortunately, there is. The NFL, as you know Greta, has poured about $40 million into the Saints and rebuilding the Dome to get the Saints back into that Dome this year. Had they not done that, it would not, probably would not have been ready for this season. So there’s a chance. The problem, obviously, is this: we lost so many businesses in the state, primarily in New Orleans, who have moved out and not totally moved back in, and so therefore…We’ve lost several thousands of, at one point, over 200,000 residents had left that city, so there was, really were not enough people or enough businesses really to support an NFL franchise, and that’s one of the reasons they moved, as you know, over to San Antonio where owner Tom Benson lives, and where they had played, and then they went to Baton Rouge, and then eventually now this year, they’re going to come back to New Orleans, but there’s probably, Greta, about a two-year window where that franchise will be evaluated and, once again, by the NFL, and to be honest with you, there is a possibility that the Saints will be, uh, will leave. I’m not saying “will be leaving”, but will or could leave the city of New Orleans.
Greta: Terry, I know how much the Steelers are important to Pittsburgh, my beloved Packers to Green Bay. If the Saints left the city of New Orleans, what would it mean to these people?
TB: Well, it would be a devastating loss. It’s not that big a city, but it’s a very famous city, as you well know. For a city like New Orleans to be able to have a professional franchise – as we know, it’s a billion dollar industry to any metropolitan area, to a state, to a city, the money that is brought in just by having an NFL franchise, not to mention the fact that when you have an NFL franchise, Greta, all of a sudden you are one of the elite cities in America. Even without the Saints, of course, New Orleans would’ve been that, as we well know. But that city, with the Saints, makes them awfully awfully beautiful. Don’t forget, too, we have the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in the Dome, we have the Saints in the Dome, and if you take away the Saints and move them out, all of a sudden, you’re looking at a big facility that a lot of money has been put into that would not be generating capital for the city of New Orleans.
Greta: How’s Reggie Bush going to do for the Saints?
TB: Reggie Bush is going to be great. As a matter of fact, that’s a great – Reggie Bush is perfect for the Saints. He’s a great kid, an extremely talented kid, explosive, exciting. The fans are there. You know they’ve sold, they’ve sold that thing out. The problem you’re having now, Greta, even with Reggie Bush coming to town, as you know, is big business pouring the money into the luxury boxes, and that’s where these owners make their money and are able to put out all these big bonuses. Reggie Bush has helped fill that stadium up. It has not yet filled up all of the luxury boxes, but I think this year if they’re exciting enough and the city keeps coming back, and we don’t have any more hurricanes, and we get our levees up, and we get our pumps going, and get that city secure, where we can instill some confidence into the business community, so that these folks will come back in there, I think the Saints will show to everyone, in that city especially, that they can pick up where they left off, and Reggie Bush will be a key part of that.
Greta: All right, Terry, and I hope people are listening to you, because I’d like to see the Saints stay; I’d hate to see New Orleans lose the Saints.
TB: I don’t want them to leave.
Greta: I don’t either. I hated when the Colts left Baltimore too. Alright, Terry, thanks.

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Good job, Terry. Keep fighting the good fight to keep the Saints home in New Orleans.

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Bradshaw: Saints have approximately two-year evaluation window

2006-08-28T22:53:00.000-04:00

NFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback and Louisiana native Terry Bradshaw made an appearance Monday night on Fox News' "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren". The topic, obviously, was the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and Bradshaw was asked to address the Saints' situation in New Orleans.

Among Bradshaw's comments, he said that he believes the Saints have around a two-year window to evaluate the franchise's future, and that there is a distinct possibility that the team could be relocated because of a lack of business environment to purchases suites and sponsorships. He also mentioned that without the NFL's $40 million Superdome renovation contribution, the Saints might not be playing this fall in New Orleans.

Bradshaw also mentioned that the Saints generate millions of revenues for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, and that newly drafted marquee running back Reggie Bush will play a large role in the future of the team in the city.

Finally, Bradshaw stated that he sincerely hopes the team stays in New Orleans.

Many other stories along these lines may follow in the coming days, and we'll be on the lookout for them - and for any information that might be gleaned from them to shed some light on the Saints' long-term future.

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New commish viewed as favorable to New Orleans

2006-08-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

With the passing of the NFL commissioner's torch from Paul Tagliabue to Roger Goodell, my personal thoughts were whether Tags would also be passing along his desire to keep the Saints in New Orleans.

It is apparent that many involved directly with the situation feel that he has.

Today's Times-Picayune features an article by Brian Allee-Walsh entitled, "For Saints, new boss is heaven-sent." In it, various persons are quoted with a completely positive perspective of the new man in charge.

Arnold Fielkow, previous Saints executive and current New Orleans Councilman-at-large who wants to keep the team in New Orleans, had this to say:

"I think Roger's selection is a tremendous one both for the NFL and for the city of New Orleans. He's a tremendous leader who is very intelligent, very compassionate and he understands the challenges that New Orleans faced before Katrina and will face in the future. He has always been a great friend of the Saints and of our city. Commissioner Tagliabue has been fantastic in every way. His successor brings those same qualities to the table in terms of wanting to be of help to New Orleans in its rebuilding efforts."

Also, Doug Thornton, regional vice president of SMG, the company that runs the Superdome for the state, was quoted as telling the Times-Picayune:

"I think the NFL made a great selection. Roger has a full grasp on what we're doing with the Superdome and has been instrumental in helping us put the Dome back together. I am very pleased. We've got a great relationship with him. I don't see that changing. I think he'll continue to be supportive."

And, to quote the article, "Tim Coulon, chairman of the Louisiana Superdome and Exposition District, echoed Thornton's sentiments, saying Goodell has 'a soft spot for the city and the Saints and our recovery.'"

So, it seems, another step up the ladder has been taken in keeping the Saints in New Orleans, where they belong.

As always, we'll continue to keep our eyes open on developments...

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Eat your heart out, San Antonio: Saints officials expect season ticket sellout

2006-07-28T10:18:00.000-04:00

Well well well...just a few months after folks in San Antonio were harping about how New Orleans hasn't and wouldn't support the Saints like they could, team officials are expected to announce within days that they are expecting a full season ticket sellout.

According to this article on the WWL 870AM radio site, Saints VP Mike Stanfield has said that the team is expecting to run out of available seats soon.

That would mean nearly 65,000 season tickets sold, easily eclipsing the previous franchise record by over 10,000.

It also would mean that there would be zero tickets available for individual games.

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

2006-07-26T14:00:00.000-04:00

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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Tags tours Dome, waxes positive; Photos from walkthrough; Dome could have name sponsor soon; Columnist expresses support for keeping Saints in N.O.

2006-07-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

NFL commissioner (and Saints fans' biggest ally) Paul Tagliabue made his seventh trip to the Gulf Coast - and fifth visit to New Orleans - today when he accompanied Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and Saints owner Tom Benson in a one-hour Superdome walkthrough.

Afterward, Tags, making his first visit to the city since early April, had a lot of positive comments on what he saw.

According to this article by Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune, Tagliabue said, "When I was last here (in December) there were concerns about the availability of materials, the availability of a skilled labor force and disputes on FEMA funding. It seems like all those things have worked out...There are some really tremendous new features in the renovation from the standpoint of the fans. It's going to be a much better fan experience."

And, according to this piece by Stacey Plaisance of the Clarion Ledger, Tagliabue also added these comments: "We're working hard with the business community. It's a great opportunity for large businesses...I think there are some terrific features in the renovation. There's a feeling of openness, freshness."

Tags further spoke about the franchise record-high season ticket sales, in the near-60,000 range, saying, "Fan support is reflected in the season ticket sales."

According to the Times-Picayune story, Tagliabue also asked a worker for his yellow hard hat, which had a Saints and Packers logo, so that he could include it in an exhibit commemorating the restoration of the Superdome in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It's all positive developments for keeping the Saints in New Orleans. A Canton exhibit recognizing the post-Katrina renovations of the Superdome probably wouldn't be put together if the team was ready to cut and run in January. Plus, the stadium could end up meeting Benson's previous expectations of renovations. And, it's obvious that the huge season ticket sales have made an impression.

PHOTOS FROM WALKTHROUGH
Here are some photos from today's Superdome walkthrough:
(Looks like Tommy Boy is studying the Tagliabue official
keep-the-Saints-in-New-Orleans-or-else script ;o)...)

(Looks like Tommy Boy is now on script - which is in his grasp under his left arm...)

DOME COULD HAVE NAME SPONSOR SOON
According to the above-quoted article in the Clarion-Ledger, the Superdome could have a named business sponsor by the Monday Night Football home opener against Atlanta on Sept. 25.

The story states that a large corporation could buy the Dome's naming rights soon, and stadium officials are actively working with a team of sports marketing consultants to strike a deal before then.

Such a deal would be a tremendous boost to the long-term prospects of keeping the Saints in New Orleans. If the Dome has a corporate naming sponsorship, that deal would likely be in place only if the Saints were staying put. Plus, these deals typically are for long terms, not just on a year-to-year basis.

Also, the value of the sponsorship would be vastly less, and could even be a poor move from a public relations standpoint, if the Saints left town and the company was somehow tied to them.

COLUMNIST EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR KEEPING SAINTS IN N.O.
Foxsports.com NFL columnist John Czarnecki writes the following in his latest work, "If I was NFL commissioner...":

"Tagliabue definitely has the right idea about New Orleans. Those devastated people need to keep their team. It has cost the NFL $30 million thus far, but it's a gesture worth continuing because the league can afford it. Now, Saints owner Tom Benson is a different cat. He made his fortune as a car salesman, and those guys tend to be sneaky and slick; but allowing him to move to San Antonio makes no sense. We'll fight that move because San Antonio still is Cowboys' country, and we can build so much good will by remaining in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. If Benson won't listen, we should take the franchise away from him. We all know that the NFL really understands good public relations. The league's second-best commissioner, Pete Rozelle, started in PR."

Well said.

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Saints exit clause payment reduced by $20M; Was Bush-to-NO an NFL conspiracy?

2006-07-14T10:55:00.000-04:00

One of the most interesting developments in months on the Saints relocation front is news that the NFL's $15 million grant to help repair the Superdome was approved by the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (LSED). There's an additional $5 million that also could be gained from the NFL grant, if the state ponies up $5 million of its own dough.

However, the most important news by far in this (buried in the sixth paragraph of this story in today's Times-Picayune) is that the team's exit penalty clause in the Saints-Louisiana agreement is amended, favorably to Tom Benson:

If the Saints decide to leave New Orleans before 2010, the team must pay the state $61 million instead of the previously-installed $81 million.

The next opportunity for the team to exercise that clause comes after the upcoming season.

Which means, in spite of everything Saints fans might do to shower the team with support (including buying season tickets in droves), Tommy Boy still might cut and run - at a cheaper price than before.

Stay tuned...

WAS BUSH-TO-NO AN NFL CONSPIRACY?
There has been a lot said since the April NFL draft about how in the world Reggie Bush fell into the Saints' laps. One line of thinking argues that the Texans simply liked Mario Williams better, and that with Gary Kubiak at the helm, they don't need a star RB to succeed on offense. The other side contends that the NFL had its hands in the Texans' top pick, so that Bush would be taken by New Orleans.

It's an interesting conspiracy theory. The potential for NFL involvement is two-fold. There are two situations that emerge if Bush goes to the Saints as opposed to the Texans:

(1) Bush brings massive fan and business support to New Orleans, thus ensuring that the team remains there. Bush further helps lead the team to victories, ensuring same.
(2) Bush comes to a team that still doesn't get sufficient fan and business support by Benson's standards. The NFL wants a team in LA, and Bush is already a star in LA, making the Saints an easy candidate for relocation (and an instant hot ticket in LA when they get there). Plus, the price tag for a prospective buyer goes up with Bush included in the package.

Couple that with the reduction in exit penalty charges ($81M to $61M), and the league sure seems to be hedging its bets.

None of this would have been possible if the Texans had taken Bush. The Saints would have selected AJ Hawk instead, and it would have killed both (1) the potential increase in fan support to keep the team in NO, and (2) the potential relocation value to LA.

So was there a conspiracy? I don't know...but it sure is funny how clean all this fits together - especially considering Domanick Davis is still nursing a bad knee that hasn't healed right after surgery. He didn't participate in minicamps and is a questionmark for training camp, leaving the Texans thin at RB. Their other options are Antowain Smith (age), Vernand Morency (coach's doghouse plus injury) and Wali Lundy (rookie).

But the Texans were already well-stocked on the defensive line, and had just signed FA Anthony Weaver (Baltimore) to play DE. Plus, their first round pick in '05 was a DE (Travis Johnson). Now, with Mario Williams also in the mix, the team is overstocked on the defensive line...and understocked at RB.

Plus, if Casserly really wanted to get into the NFL front office, is it conceivable that he encouraged the Texans to take Mario over Reggie for NFL purposes?

There's a lot of smoke...

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Yes, I'm saying it - Get off Benson for the Millsaps training camp move

2006-06-25T10:07:00.000-04:00

A lot of criticism has been directed toward Saints owner Tom Benson for his decision (or his endorsement of new head coach Sean Payton's decision) to move Saints training camp from Metairie and to Millsaps College in Mississippi.

I say, kudos to Benson and Payton for making the move.

Why?

As Tommy Boy is quoted in this critical article from the Opelousas Daily World, "We want these to be the Mississippi Saints - as well as the New Orleans Saints and the Louisiana Saints - and this is a major start in that direction...We have a large fan base in Mississippi and the whole Gulf Coast region, and it's very important for us, today more than ever, that we have a regional team."

It follows in step with past pronouncements by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue about keeping the team in New Orleans. The team must have a regional fan base, especially now since so much population was lost in New Orleans. It's important not just for ticket sales, but also for ad revenue and corporate sponsorships and suite sales.

Spread the fan base. Grow the fan base. Gain support. Keep the Saints in New Orleans.

See the connection?

So after multiple posts critical of Benson's antics, he's done a great thing with this move, and he is making a big-time effort at keeping the team where it belongs.

If the Saints don't train in Metairie so that they can stay in New Orleans, so be it.

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54,969: Saints set franchise record for season ticket sales...and it's only May!

2006-05-17T20:16:00.000-04:00

In a stunning show of support from the Saints fan base, the team announced today that a franchise record for season ticket sales has been set.

The new record? 54,969. That surpasses the old record of 53,728 set in August of 2003.

It also shows that this record number of season tickets has been snatched up three months before the old record was set. Rumors indicate that there may not be any single game tickets available this season. And...could a season ticket waiting list actually come into existence?

How's that sound, San Antonio?

It's unbelievable support by any stretch, and garnered much-deserved praise from Saints' brass (see below)

One minor problem I had with the reaction was that Tom Benson said he was "very disappointed" with the sales of corporate suites to businesses, which at the moment is at 81 of 137 so far. But there's still a lot of time to go, and I wish Benson would have more encouraging words to offer after such amazing sales news.

Otherwise, big-time kudos to him and Rita Benson LeBlanc, who both offered great comments such as:

"I want to thank the devoted and loyal fans who have shown tremendous support for the New Orleans Saints. This is a great day for the Saints and the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

"To sell a record number of tickets four months before our first game is unbelievable."

"It's truly inspirational to see these fans rally around the team and the city."

Looking forward to this season...

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NY Times: No NFL in L.A. until 2010 or 2011; Chargers in the lead if relocation is utilized; Bush makes first appearance in black and gold

2006-05-14T12:20:00.000-04:00

The New York Times has a great and somewhat encouraging article by Judy Battista today entitled "N.F.L. Considers Its Options in Los Angeles." The link features a grand artistic rendering of the future L.A. Coliseum if the league accepts the stadium's plans for reconstruction within the present structure.

Of more interesting notes relative to the Saints, Battista reports there won't be a team in Los Angeles for at least another four years, with a first entry made in 2010 or 2011. To quote from the article's second paragraph, "The red carpet will not be rolled out for professional football in Southern California for at least another four years..."

That's great news for Saints fans who are worried that the team may bolt west. If L.A. is the lone spot where relocation will occur, then it's apparent New Orleans could will be given an opportunity to rebuild and show its support of the Saints for longer than this year.

Speaking of bolts, the article also reports that if relocation is utilized to fill the NFL void in the City of Angels, the current frontrunner is the San Diego Chargers, not the New Orleans Saints.

Battista quotes stadium sports consultant Marc Ganis to state: "If the Chargers cannot find a new stadium site within San Diego County by the end of the year, they will become the most likely team to move to Los Angeles, Ganis said." And, the article notes, the Chargers franchise roots actually are in Los Angeles, where it started as a member of the American Football League.

Of course, the article also mentions the Saints and Vikings as other possible relocation targets. The Saints are included for obvious reasons (post-Katrina concerns), and the Vikings are having issues involving a new stadium to replace the Metrodome.

Relocation still is the most likely scenario, for two reasons:
(1) The league currently has 32 teams. Adding an expansion franchise would result in an imbalance and would create chaos to the relatively simple scheduling conducted now.
(2) Perhaps even more importantly, an expansion fee combined with the cost of a stadium in L.A. (the league plans to foot the bill for an L.A. stadium) could cost owners over $1.5 billion, according to the article above. Relocation would mean spending far less.

So, while the Saints are not yet out of the woods from being moved to L.A., perhaps such a move won't take place for at least four years. And unless the Chargers can pull off another stadium lease in San Diego County in the next seven months, they'll take the pole position in the drive to the Coliseum.

Of course, there exists the possibility that we'll hear rumblings that the Saints got Reggie Bush because he's an L.A. guy who played college ball in the Coliseum, and that they're spending the money to sign him to give the team more value before a sale to L.A. investors. But that's all unsubstantiated speculation. The Saints are New Orleans' team, and Louisiana's team, and evidence indicates that the selection of Bush is going to bolster support for the team like never before - making it practically impossible to move the team anywhere.

But I digress...

BUSH MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE IN BLACK AND GOLD
Enough talk about possible relocation to L.A. Let's see a sight for sore eyes:

Notice a couple of things here:
(1) Bush's ankles are stronger than mine.
(2) Does he prefer Nike to Adidas, which he is sponsoring?

Other than those minor observations, it's an exciting and almost unbelievable photo: Reggie Bush in black and gold.

I think he's going to be stunned by the crowd reaction to him in his first home game in the Superdome...

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Benson as born-again New Orleanian?

2006-05-08T10:23:00.000-04:00

Having said and done a lot of the right things since the intervention of NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Saints owner Tom Benson is being lauded.

This terrific AP piece by Brett Martel on the WWL-TV web site, entitled "Benson as born-again New Orleanian?", gives praise to Benson for truly bringing FAITH back to Saints fans in Louisiana. Give it a read.

Again, I'll join in and give a big pat on the back of ole Tommy Boy. He just might have seen the light. And the Saints just might be staying put after all.

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Bush thanks N.O. for support in T-P ad

2006-05-04T13:56:00.000-04:00

In a move similar to that of Drew Brees some months ago, newly-drafted Saints tailback Reggie Bush (I love writing that) took out an ad in the Times-Picayune this week to thank the city of New Orleans for the tremendous support it has shown him since being drafted.

The ad's text reads as follows:

"THANK YOU NEW ORLEANS. The welcome and support that I have received from the organization, the City of New Orleans, and the entire Saints community has been amazing. I am both excited and ready to do whatever I can to help this team and community move forward. There is a resilient, hopeful, and winning attitude in New Orleans and with the Saints, that is contagious. I'm looking forward to an amazing career in New Orleans.

Reggie Bush
New Orleans Saint"

Great job by Reggie to give props to everyone there.

Now, if he can just get signed to a contract so we can all see him in the black and gold...

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Draft reaction, and kudos to Tommy Boy

2006-05-01T10:34:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a weekend. What a turn of events. And what a historic day for the Saints.

It all started Friday night, with the Texans' stunning announcement that Mario Williams would be the No. 1 pick in the draft. No offense to Williams, who seems like an incredibly nice and humble guy, but the Texans flat out blew it. Here's to hoping Mario wasn't the direction of the boos both at Radio City in New York and the draft day "party" at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The Texans' brass bears the blame, and should get the boos for deciding to go with a guy with "potential" rather than the highest-graded and most proven draft prospect in NFL history. Houston fans were teased with Vince Young and Reggie Bush for months. After a grueling 2-14 campaign, don't Texans supporters deserve better than an end that got sacks in just 16 of 36 games?

Oh well. It all spells sweetness for New Orleans, which happily accepted Houston's gift of Reggie Bush as the No. 2 selection.

And here's one you won't see often on this site - a congratulatory kudos to Saints owner Tom Benson. Tommy Boy, you've taken some pretty bone-headed stances over the last couple of years, but when given the opportunity to draft someone of Bush's caliber, you told your guys to make it happen. Saints fans haven't been this excited since the playoff win over the Rams six years ago. You gave Saints fans a reason to believe and to buy season tickets. From what I've heard, they're going to be selling like hot cakes.

The pick also gives fans a reason to have FAITH that you do intend to keep the Saints in New Orleans. When presented an opportunity to trade down and get someone at a lower price, you rejected it and went with the more expensive - and right - move for the Saints, their fans, and the city of New Orleans. The team will be better just for having such a tremendous offensive weapon in its arsenal. The fans, who have been through so much, are thrilled with their team's potential. And the Superdome will be packed every Sunday this fall, providing a boost to New Orleans' economy.

So Tom Benson, I say great job. Keep up the good work, and keep fighting the good fight. Because you won't see passion from fans anywhere else in the country like you saw Saturday afternoon when Reggie Bush donned the fleur-de-lis for the first time, and when he made his first appearance in Metairie.

The Reggie Bush Pick may well be remembered as the moment that truly saved the Saints from relocation. And, with a little help from Houston, Tommy Boy made it happen.

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CG Mock Draft No. 2 (Top 10 only)

2006-04-26T17:31:00.000-04:00

After hearing more and more news (and seeing the smoke begin to clear), here's how I see the top 10 shaking out Saturday:

1. Houston Texans - Reggie Bush, RB, USC - Don't believe the Mario Williams versus Bush hype. The Texans shrewdly changed the debate in Houston from Vince-or-Reggie to Mario-or-Reggie, making a Bush selection far more palatable for locals clamoring for Vince in red and blue. The team made its mind up long ago, and it'll be made official soon. Great pick, by the way. The guy will be a bona fide star.

2. New Orleans Saints - D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia - Again, don't believe the hype on Mario. Poor guy's getting used more than a two-dollar hooker. The Saints need the Brick to shore up the line for Brees, and that need surpasses anything else available to them at this spot.

3. Tennessee Titans - Vince Young, QB, Texas - Word is that the Titans brass are far higher on Vince than on Matt Leinart. No word on whether that has anything to do with the fact that owner Bud Adams (who I believe still resides in Houston) still wants to stick it to Houston. Nothing would make Texans fans cringe more than to see Vince against them twice a year as a hated Titan. And that might be the biggest edge Vince has here.

4. New York Jets - Mario Williams, DE, NC State - Again, it comes down to the best available player also filling a team need. The Jets traded John Abraham, and Mario would be a great fit here. They'll need him, too, because the offense won't score too many points.

5. Green Bay Packers - AJ Hawk, LB, Ohio State - Well, Brett Favre is coming back. He won't be happy with this pick because it doesn't help the offense, but the team won't pass up Hawk over a tight end like Vernon Davis, because they already have Bubba Franks. Again, I think Hawk will be the bust of the top 10. Enjoy your farewell season, Brett...

6. San Francisco 49ers - Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland - The team needs a playmaker for QB Alex Smith. Here ya go.

7. Oakland Raiders - Matt Leinart, QB, USC - - Because you can't have Aaron Brooks as your sure-fire top QB. And because Leinart is a huge celebrity in southern California.

8. Buffalo Bills - Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida St. - Again, I have no idea who the Bills should take. I'll switch out one DT for another. Good luck with that.

9. Detroit Lions - Michael Huff, DB, Texas - Safe pick, great player, will be an instant starter.

10. Arizona Cardinals - Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt - Because Kurt Warner is as fragile as Glass Joe's jaw on Mike Tyson's Punchout.

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LA push for NFL to peak next week; Are the Chargers the team?

2006-04-26T12:46:00.000-04:00

Several media outlets including the L.A. Daily News are reporting that officials from Los Angeles will make their pitch to an NFL committee early next week in Dallas for at least one franchise to relocate to their city.

According to the Daily News, the itenerary is as follows:

1. An 11-member committee of National Football League owners is to meet Monday and Tuesday to hear presentations from Los Angeles, Anaheim and Pasadena on locating a team in their cities.

2. The committee is scheduled to submit a recommendation to the owners of all 32 franchises when they meet May 21 in Denver.

3. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said Tuesday that he expects the owners to make a decision at either their May meeting or at another set for October.

The Daily News also quoted Tagliabue to say, "We're at a defining moment. It's time to make a decision - whether it's up or down. The owners are making a decision and it's their investment. It's their vote."

Given all the effort put into making this happen, and Tagliabue's previous assertions that returning to L.A. was a goal of the NFL, expect that the owners will give a thumbs-up to the L.A. proposal.

If that happens, you can fully anticipate a rumbling from fans of a handful of teams this summer or fall as to which franchise will make the move.

Of course, as the story points out, it is entirely possible that two franchises could relocate to Los Angeles. However, the likelihood of this happening, and both franchises playing in the same stadium, are low in my opinion.

This is because it's blatantly obvious that the Coliseum (after remodeling) is the clear front-runner to be cleared to host an NFL franchise. And, with USC still playing football there as its home stadium, it would make field upkeep practically impossible with three teams playing on the same turf.

Of course, they could install field turf or something of that nature there. But I don't see that happening.

In any event, it is highly likely that one present franchise will be packing its bags in the very near future. Who could it be?

I think the leader now is San Diego. The Chargers' stadium lease is probably going to expire and the team likely will be granted freedom to negotiate a new lease anywhere else in the country. L.A. would be a perfect fit.

Of course, the Saints are up on the list too, given the league's uncertainty surrounding the future of New Orleans - in spite of Tagliabue's extensive dedications to keeping the Saints in the Superdome. Jacksonville could also be on the chopping block, as could Buffalo.

But the leader in my eyes for the moment is San Diego. Which should be outstanding news for Saints fans if that is the case.

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Chargers take lead in running for L.A. spot; Of course, S.A. is interested

2006-04-22T09:25:00.000-04:00

According to this article on cnnsi.com, San Diego's mayor has told the city that it cannot afford to help pay for a new stadium for the Chargers, and that the team may be able to be freed from its lease with San Diego County by Jan. 1, 2007.

Through an amended lease the city will be considering, the team will have through the end of the year to seek a new lease with another location in San Diego County. After that point, however, the team would be free to negotiate a deal anywhere in the country.

This naturally includes Los Angeles, where the NFL will likely place a present franchise before the end of the decade.

And, of course, San Antonio has invited the Chargers to play in the Alamodome. (No word on whether they're waiting for an earthquake to devastate San Diego before taking in that city's team. Or whether S.A. mayor Phil Hardberger got the memo that the NFL doesn't want a team permanently residing in his city.)

So, at least for the moment, the Saints may have taken a back seat to another franchise in the NFL's quest for Los Angeles. (Of course, keep in mind that NFL commish Paul Tagliabue has stated that L.A. could house two teams. Stay vigilant and supportive, Saints fans...)

That, along with the return of New Orleans' only Fortune 500 headquarters to the CBD (Entergy), makes for a good week's worth of news for Saints fans.

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CG Mock Draft No. 1 (at least the top 10)

2006-04-21T13:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, since the NFL draft is finally getting somewhat close, I thought I'd throw out my own mock draft for the first 12 picks:

1. Houston Texans - Reggie Bush, RB, USC - Forget all you've read about the Texans taking DE Mario Williams, or trading the pick, or whatever. Bush will be a Texan come draft day. He's the top prospect to come out in the last decade. His college highlights are on par with those of Barry Sanders. The guy is special, and he'll be showing his skills in Reliant Stadium for years to come.

2. New Orleans Saints - D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia - This pick just makes too much sense for the Saints. Why take Matt Leinart when you just signed Drew Brees to a big contract? Why take Mario Williams when you have quality guys like Will Smith at the same spot? The Saints just traded away their starting left tackle, and the Brick is a perfect slide-in for that spot. Plus, he'll help protect the Brees investment and create holes for a rejuvenated (hopefully) Deuce McAllister.

3. Tennessee Titans - Matt Leinart, QB, USC - The Titans are getting a QB in this draft, period. It's either Leinart, Vince Young, or Jay Cutler. Leinart would be a perfect fit for ex-USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow's offensive scheme, plus head coach Jeff Fisher has USC ties of his own. Young wouldn't fit here because of the situation with Steve McNair. Since McNair is Young's mentor, and with the Titans-McNair relationship in the toilet, bringing in McNair's protege just wouldn't make sense.

4. New York Jets - Mario Williams, DE, NC State - Why Williams? Because the Jets have signed two QBs already, and they traded away John Abraham in the offseason. Williams would be a perfect fit there. Of course, no matter who the Jets pick, Jets fans will be miffed and you'll hear some boos.

5. Green Bay Packers - AJ Hawk, LB, Ohio State - The Packers are headed for a rebuilding, and Hawk seems to be their guy from what I've read. I'd also go ahead a nd note that I don't think Brett Favre is coming back. He's waiting for some wholesale changes to make a last run at a Super Bowl, but current management just doesn't want to buy a year by mortgaging the next five. I'll also add that I think Hawk is the bust of the top 10. He is the second coming of Andy Katzenmoyer.

6. San Francisco 49ers - Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland - One of the biggest potential playmakers of the draft goes to a team that needs something to help last year's top pick, QB Alex Smith. Davis could be the next Antonio Gates. Or he could be the next Ben Watson.

7. Oakland Raiders - Vince Young, QB, Texas - I think Vince Young has a lot of potential to be great; of course, he also could be the next Aaron Brooks. Which is bad, since that'll be who he learns from as a Raider. Young has some great athletic gifts, but was in a college system that usually doesn't translate well in the pros. He's also got a sidearm delivery, happy feet and a tendency to force throws he shouldn't. But - he also possesses some great leadership intangibles, and a solid work ethic. If he does develop into a strong QB, he'll be tough to stop with RB Lamont Jordan and WRs Randy Moss and Jerry Porter at his disposal.

8. Buffalo Bills - Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon - I guess the Bills could use a defensive tackle here. Honestly, I don't know much about the Bills other than they need help. And I don't know much about Ngata either. A toss up no matter how you slice it.

9. Detroit Lions - Michael Huff, CB, Texas - No word yet on whether Matt Millen will convert Huff to WR, since he always seems to take a WR in the top 10. (Which is probably why he always has a pick in the top 10.) Jokes aside, Huff is a solid, quality player who would be a great addition to any defensive backfield.

10. Arizona Cardinals - Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt - What, you think Kurt Warner is going to make it though the season without an injury? Cutler could be the heir apparent to a potentially explosive offense, featuring new addition Edgerrin James alongside WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

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Bills set to stay in Buffalo; How does it impact the Saints?

2006-04-20T16:50:00.000-04:00

With most Saints fans' eyes focused on the upcoming NFL draft, the prospects of a franchise relocation are still running amiss in the background.

After much vocal criticism was heard from Buffalo on a potential Bills' relocation, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue traveled there and reassured Bills fans that the team was going nowhere, according to this piece on espn.com.

The concern centers on the new NFL labor agreement, and its impact on small-market teams. Bills owner Ralph Wilson had been extremely concerned that after he passes away, the next owner would be forced to move the Bills to a larger market due to the profit-sharing model accepted by the owners earlier this year.

Tagliabue told reporters, "What we're striving to do is focus not just on the Buffalo Bills but on all the small market teams," and specifically noted Jacksonville, Kansas City, and Green Bay.

One team he did not specify is the New Orleans Saints. That could, of course, be a very minor oversight, but it is worth noting.

It's no secret that Buffalo has supported the Bills tremendously through the years, and Wilson absolutely does not want the team relocated anywhere.

Wilson's attitude is in stark contract to that of Tom Benson, who was negotiating a move to San Antonio just a few months ago, and was openly criticising the Saints fan base prior to Hurricane Katrina.

Buffalo is on some people's lists of teams that could relocate to Los Angeles, as per the NFL's stated goal. Other teams include Jacksonville, San Diego, and New Orleans.

If Buffalo is a no-go, it increases the odds that the Saints could find a new zip code before the end of the decade.

And here's something else to chew on - if the Saints decide to draft ex-USC QB Matt Leinart, and keep him, the writing is on the wall in permanent marker.

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Ferrell: Saints still could move to L.A.

2006-04-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

I know, I know - Easter Sunday is an odd time to make a post about the Saints. But nevertheless, here goes:

Shreveport Times columnist Scott Ferrell has an intriguing piece in today's edition, entitled "Here is some reality to mix with Saints' hopes". In it, Ferrell notes that in spite of the NFL's commitment to the Saints, there exists a very real possibility that the team may relocate to Los Angeles in coming years.

In spite of an NFL-endorsed regionalized approach to building the fan base (and goodwill for some alienated by Tom Benson's antics last fall), Ferrell quotes Gary Roberts, deputy dean of Tulane's law school and a person with tremendous sports law knowledge, as follows:

"Frankly, I cannot imagine in the long term the Saints being in New Orleans. How many years that is, I don't know. But the Saints were at a high risk of leaving before the storm. Now, the situation is far more precarious than before...My gut guess is that some number of years down the road, maybe five, six, seven years, the Saints will be playing in Los Angeles. The NFL is working hard to get a stadium deal done in L.A. and once that is done and in place, they are going to need a team to go there and it seems to me the Saints are the prime choice."

Of course, much will be determined this fall with how the Saints are supported in New Orleans.

So, as always, we shall see what happens.

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Tags wants maybe two teams in L.A.; NFL to review L.A. sites May 2; NBC's Ebersol supports L.A. move; Saints fans happy about team's return home

2006-04-13T14:55:00.000-04:00

While the attention presently is focused on the upcoming NFL Draft and the 2006 season, Saints fans should stay aware of the behind-the-curtain ongoings on a possible franchise move to Los Angeles.

Bob Mathews of the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle reports that outgoing NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is on record as saying he'd like one or two NFL franchises in Los Angeles, adding that expansion is not an option.

The concern is rampant in Buffalo circles that the Bills may be near the top of the list of L.A. candidates. Bills owner Ralph Wilson is voicing his perspective that he's having a tough time competing in such a small market, and that he may need state subsidies to remain competitive. Sound familiar?

With that, Billy Witz of the L.A. Daily News - a highly informed source of the NFL-to-L.A. situation - notes that representatives from the three main stadium sites in the Los Angeles area will make presentations to Tagliabue and a group of 11 NFL owners on May 2 in Dallas.

The primary two candidates, the Coliseum and a new Anaheim location, are set for one hour presentations. A Pasadena rep also will be present to advise as to the status of a lagging-behind Rose Bowl proposal, though it's expected that the real choice will be between the other two sites.

After that, there will be an NFL owners meeting on May 22-23 in Denver. At that meeting, Tagliabue desires to select an official stadium site for a present NFL franchise to inhabit as a new home.

In a different L.A. Daily News article, Witz reports that NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol sees an NFL franchise in Los Angeles as "very, very important."

Ebersol's input is interesting given that NBC just signed on to a substantial broadcasting agreement with the NFL for the Sunday night games this fall. As an aside, the network also has brought aboard perhaps the best game broadcasting group in the league, including John Madden and Al Michaels in the booth and Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth and Jerome "The Bus" Bettis at the network studio.

Witz further notes that the central candidates for relocation to L.A. include the Bills, Jaguars, Vikings, Chargers, and...the Saints.

Tagliabue, of course, has been extremely supportive of keeping the Saints in New Orleans. In fact, if it weren't for him, Tom Benson would have moved them to San Antonio last fall after Katrina.

Now, with Tagliabue on the precipice of retirement, and with two stated commitments - keeping the Saints in New Orleans, and getting at least one team to Los Angeles - on the table, one can only wonder how (and if) the two are intertwined.

Without any doubt, ticket sales and attendance this fall will be crucial to the Saints' future in New Orleans. But three other considerations will have to be (1) availability of corporate sponsorships, (2) success of rebuilding New Orleans, and (3) whether another catastrophic hurricane hits southeast Louisiana this summer. Between lack of support, failure to rebuild or garner much business support, or destruction inflicted by another large-scale hurricane, any of those could be enough for Tommy Boy (or Rita Girl) to pack the team up and move to the west coast.

The only thing we can do at this point is wait, watch, and hope the Saints don't botch the draft. (I predict a foundation for success will be built with the Saints' first pick, starting with a large Brick...)

THANKS FROM SAINTS FANS FOR RETURN HOME
An article by Glenn Guilbeau voiced the sentiments of several Saints fans who were overjoyed by the team's return to Metairie. Some choice quotes from Guilbeau's article:

"I really appreciate what Mr. Tagliabue has done. He did so much for this city in keeping the team here. I really feel his retirement could hurt the city. I'm still wary of Mr. Benson. Most of the blame for what happened after the hurricane I would put on Tom Benson."

"If Tom Benson is willing to come back, I'm willing to meet him halfway."

"It's great to have the team back, especially because I didn't think they would be back."

"The fan base is coming back and coming back strong."

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Outstanding T-P editorial lauds Tagliabue

2006-03-23T11:42:00.000-05:00

The Times-Picayune's editorial page today features a terrific read, entitled Thank you, Mr. Tagliabue. It's an absolute must-read.

The editorial notes that because of the efforts of outgoing NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the Saints will play a full schedule of games in New Orleans in 2006, a concert and fan experience will be held there on the season-opening weekend this fall, a New Year's Eve game is planned, and an NFL owners meeting will take place there this fall.

It also states that Tagliabue "has committed to remain involved in the Saints return to New Orleans and the metro area's recovery."

Which is the best news of all, and a tremendous cap to a very well-run tenure as NFL commish.

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Tags steps down, Benson responds, what's next?; Kudos to Brees for T-P ad

2006-03-20T14:29:00.000-05:00

As expected, highly respected NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced today that he is retiring from the position, effective at the end of July.

Tagliabue, who served as commissioner for over 16 years, will remain on board with the league through May 2008 in an advisory role for his successor.

Saints owner Tom Benson released a statement shortly after the announcement, which reads as follows:

"Paul and I have worked for many years on many critical issues that have faced our league and he has been a tremendous asset to our league and the direction we have taken. We have experienced very positive growth in the area of revenue sharing and broadcast contracts, we have secured long-term labor peace and have also even encountered some of the worst of times following 9/11, but through it all Paul has been a leader, a friend and a voice that many others within our league and other leagues have followed."

Interestingly, there is no mention of Hurricane Katrina in Benson's statement. But I find little to fault in that. Perhaps "the worst of times following 9/11" is meant to encompass many things, including the war in Iraq as well as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In any event, Tagliabue has been by far the most ardent supporter of the Saints' remaining in New Orleans post-Katrina. In fact, without Tagliabue's work, the Saints would be in San Antonio at this very moment.

It is of vital importance to restate that though Tagliabue is retiring from his role as commish, he will stay on board as an advisor through May 2008. The Saints' current agreement with Louisiana can be revoked by Benson after the upcoming season. If Tagliabue's words of a long-term commitment to New Orleans are to be seen to fruition, it is key that he remains in a position of influence through 2007.

Granted, the level of influence he will possess is unknown. However, even given that uncertainty, I cannot imagine an owner trying to bully through something as controversial (they always are) as a franchise relocation in the new NFL commissioner's inaugural year.

(Of course, I didn't think Benson would try to sweet-talk San Antonio as a permanent stay for the Saints in the weeks following Katrina. Stranger things have happened...)

KUDOS TO BREES FOR T-P AD

Many kudos to new Saints QB Drew Brees for taking out a half-page advertisement in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, thanking the city for providing him and his wife Brittany with such a stirring welcome.

The ad, attached on the right (courtesy of saintsreport.com's message boards), has a headline in bold that says, "We're proud to call New Orleans home" and reads as follows:

"My wife Brittany and I would like to thank the New Orleans Saints and Saints fans across the entire community for their support and well-wishes during our visit. New Orleans is now our home and everyone has welcomed us with open arms. We will work hard with the entire Saints organization to give this city the winner it deserves. Thanks again and Go Saints!"

Sports Illustrated's Peter King even referenced the saintsreport.com message board site (though not expressly by name) in relaying Saints' fans admiration and gratitude for Brees. In King's Monday Morning Quarterback, in a section entitled "Nice Guy Gesture of the Week," King reports that some saintsreport.com posters were so grateful for the ad, they were trying to collect money to send to Brees to cover the ad's costs.

Fans like these don't just deserve a winner; they deserve a firm commitment from Benson (and the next NFL commish) to keep the team where it belongs.

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Saints season tix sales up 600 percent, could go up with addition of Brees

2006-03-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

According to this article on wdsu.com, Saints season ticket sales are up a whopping 600 percent over the same time a year ago.

That's right, sports fans. Six hundred percent.

It's a solid signal to the NFL brass that the Saints will be supported in New Orleans.

These sales could increase with the addition of sought-after free agent quarterback Drew Brees, who said the following at his introductory press conference as a Saint:

"I think people in the rest of the country that haven't been here, and I was one of those people. I think you just assume that much of the area was devastated, and I think you just kind of have this picture in your mind of what it looked like. (But I saw) the city is very alive, and you've got a lot of great citizens of New Orleans that are very committed to rebuilding the city and that are just so excited about Saints football."

Reportedly, even Tom Benson was elated with the signing of Brees - at the tune of $60 million for six years. Perhaps ole Tommy Boy has turned a corner?

Well, let's just wait and watch, shall we...

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Tagliabue future could impact Saints

2006-03-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

One of the more intriguing aspects of the recent labor dispute and resolution in the NFL this week is this story by Don Banks of Sports Illustrated. In it, Banks states that the agreement reached between NFL owners and the NFLPA could signal the end of the Paul Tagliabue era of the league.

As Tagliabue was an instrumental part of bringing the two sides together and getting to a deal, it could be his crowning achievement at the end of a long and fruitful career.

And, it could mean the end of the Saints in New Orleans.

You see, Tagliabue has been the Crescent City's biggest ally in the Saints debacle. Without him, we'd be talking about the San Antonio Saints right now.

Tagliabue was also the one who dedicated the NFL to re-establishing the Saints in New Orleans long-term. It seems to be one of his more passionate causes in the league today.

But all that could be washed away if Tagliabue decides to step down as commissioner. Without his support, the Saints could be on the way out of New Orleans before the end of the decade.

It's definitely worth keeping an eye on.

As always, we shall see how this turns out...

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Saints ticket sales going well; Feds to chip in for Superdome repairs; All for naught?

2006-03-03T16:21:00.000-05:00

In my first update to this site in a month (if anyone's still reading!), it's great to see that Saints season ticket sales are doing well and earning praises from the front office brass.

I also thought it was interesting to see the US government will be contributing $91 million to the reconstruction costs of the Superdome. I'm probably behind the ball on both of these positive developments.

Of course, just as things are starting to take a positive turn, the NFL labor dispute is rearing its ugly head. It was slightly encouraging to see the Thursday deadline pushed back to Sunday night. Will the owners and NFLPA be able to reach an agreement, or will they decapitate the golden goose that has made the NFL the success it is? This situation, especially the revenue sharing issue, will impact the Saints' situation more than anything else at this point.

That gorilla in a china closet aside, there are a couple of things I can see the team doing in coming weeks:
(a) I think the team will cut, among others, Aaron Brooks. This is because I'm pretty sure they'll be taking a QB in the draft.
(b) Unless he screws up, Matt Leinart is going to be a big-money NFL ad guy. Having said that, I'm not so sure the Saints will take him at No. 2. I could see them picking Jay Cutler because of the hype that has enveloped him, and because it could cost the team less to sign him than it would for Leinart. I somehow see Leinart getting reunited with Norm Chow, and joining another coach with USC ties in Jeff Fisher, in Tennessee. Just a hunch.

In the meantime, let's all just watch whether the NFL powers-that-be will come to their senses or not in this labor debacle.

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NFL to chip in $20 million for Superdome repairs

2006-02-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

(NOTE - I hope to continue updating the site with more news in the near future. Busy aspects of my life have prevented me from doing so as of late. My apologies to those who have been frequent readers.)

The NFL has agreed to pay $20 million to help rebuild the Superdome in New Orleans as a sign of its commitment to the city's recovery and the Saints' future, according to this article in today's New Orleans Times-Picayune.

It's a great signal that the league has strong intentions of truly giving the city and surrounding area a shot at showing its ability to support the Saints through this difficult reconstruction period.

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Superdome to be ready by Sept. 1

2006-01-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

WWL-TV reports today that the Superdome will be ready to host football by September 1. It means the Saints could play their entire schedule at home, though some nice amenities such as granite countertops in the suites won't be complete until later in the season.

More to come on this and the recent developments with Tagliabue and Benson...

(NOTE - Time is short when other commitments come up. My apologies to those of you who have kept up with the blog awaiting more frequent updates. The news has been great as of late, and I hope to have more detailed info and my opinion on it all, for whatever it's worth, very soon.)

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Tags: Saints to be in N.O. beyond '06, city could get future Super Bowl

2006-01-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

Though there have been few (read: zero) posts since the Tom Benson press conference a couple weeks back, here's some big news for Saints fans.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue returned to New Orleans, and announced yesterday that the Saints would remain in the Crescent City beyond 2006.

Tagliabue also stated that the Saints should be able to play their entire 2006 schedule in the Superdome, and that the NFL is looking into a possible future Super Bowl for the city.

More comments on this great news later this evening...

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HUGE: Benson, NFL enter into agreement to return Saints to La. in '06; Benson has little legal ground to oppose; More links

2005-12-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

(Note - this post is being modified often today, as new information becomes available.)

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Saints owner Tom Benson have entered into an agreement for the Saints' return to Louisiana for the 2006 season.

Tagliabue has long been in the corner of Louisiana and New Orleans, which has been proven in large part today.

The agreement likely ends the potential for Saints games in San Antonio for the foreseeable future. The team will practice at its Metairie facility and play in Baton Rouge's Tiger Stadium and the Superdome in New Orleans.

It also ends the likelihood of a law suit by Benson against the NFL in coming months. (See below for more.)

A short news conference in New Orleans took place today at 2:15 p.m. with only Benson making remarks and taking no questions.

Among Benson's comments, he said that FEMA kept the Saints away from their Metairie practice facility at gunpoint, that he wants to be an integral part of the rebuilding of New Orleans, and that the Saints have a big economic impact on Louisiana. He also said that his staff gave him a plaque that says, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

(No word on whether the plaque actually said, "When the going gets tough in New Orleans, the tough get going to San Antonio.")

Earlier today, a memo from Benson to team members was circulated, reading as follows: "Today we are very pleased to advise our entire organization -- coaches, players and staff -- that we will be returning to Metairie in January. We are working in Louisiana to play as many games as possible in the Superdome, which may be ready in September."

Of course, Benson lied in the memo as well: "Recently I met with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and told him that I wanted the Saints to resume operations in our training and practice facility in Metairie."

Benson does not want that to happen. Based on his actions for the past four months, he wants the team to be in San Antonio.

But I digress...

Players and staff were told of the news by Tagliabue himself, who visited with them in San Antonio today.

Tagliabue informed the team that the Superdome should be football-ready by mid-September, according to this article in the Times-Picayune by Brian Allee-Walsh.

Doug Thornton, the regional vice president for SMG, the organization that runs the Superdome, indicated to Allee-Walsh that if the facility is ready by mid-September, it won't be finalized and there will still be some ongoing construction.

San Antonio mayor Phil Hardburglar told WOAI in response to today's news, "The enthusiasm and support displayed by the individual fans and our local corporate citizens over this season will pay dividends for our city for years to come. Whether it's professional baseball or the NFL, owners around the country are turning their attention to San Antonio. There is no longer any doubt that San Antonio is a city on the move."

Like Benson, Hardburglar also lied in his statement: "Our only goal was to prove to the NFL that San Antonio is a city that is ready for a team, and we have done that."

No, the intention stated several times - including as recently as Wednesday's comments on encouraging Benson to sue the NFL to get the Saints to San Antonio - was to get the Saints permanently from New Orleans.

Again, I digress...

(No word on whether Benson and Hardburglar will still be negotiating after this season. Okay, enough on that...)

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is quoted in this Boston Herald article to say, "After 30-plus years of supporting the Saints, it is somewhat encouraging that the Saints will play the next season in our city and state. We are happy that New Orleanians who have lost so much will have an NFL team next season to call their own. We look forward to the day when the Saints organization will fully commit to this community and be a vital part of our recovery for many years to come."

To allay Benson's financial concerns for returning to New Orleans, the NFL may help the team through subsidies generated by revenue from visiting teams' shares of gate receipts. Assistance also may be provided for attracting free agents.

However, it is crucial to note that the agreement only runs through the 2006 season, after which it is entirely conceivable that Benson will attempt to relocate the Saints permanently to San Antonio.

Here are links to a few stories on this huge bit of news:

ABC News/ESPN: Saints, NFL have deal to return to Louisiana in '06
San Antonio Express-News: Saints will leave San Antonio
KSAT: Saints to march back into New Orleans

And, for a laugher, be sure to read how the Saints' official web site spins today's news in a light heavily favorable to Benson.

BENSON HAS LITTLE LEGAL GROUND TO OPPOSE
A great piece by Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune points out that Tom Benson would have little chance of winning a case against the NFL to keep the Saints in San Antonio permanently.

Quoted in the article is Gary Roberts, deputy dean of Tulane's law school and sports law expert, who said: "I don't think Tom Benson has a snowball's chance in hell of winning an antitrust suit against the NFL."

Roberts also notes that Tagliabue has situated things in his own favor, which is to keep the team in New Orleans.

And, Roberts says, Benson is not the most cunning of foes. Raiders owner Al Davis succeeded in suing the NFL in the 1980s to move from Oakland to Los Angeles. But, said Roberts, "If it gets to court, the league will win that standoff. Tom Benson is not gong to outmaneuver Paul Tagliabue. Al Davis 25 years ago is one thing. But Tom Benson is another."

Maybe that's why today's news is about the agreement between Tags and Tommy Boy.

---LINKS---

PLAYER CONCERNS
An article by Mike Triplett in today's Times-Picayune points out that Saints players are looking for stability more than anything.

However, some also have expressed concerns that the only good thing about returning to New Orleans is the Metairie training facility - something they did not have access to in San Antonio.

Offensive lineman Kendyl Jacox said, "You're asking us to take our families back to a place that you don't even know if it's clean or not. I'm just not willing to do that. I mean, I don't want to leave New Orleans like this. But it's a difficult situation."

Other players apparently have sold their homes in New Orleans, and would have to find new living arrangements.

Another offensive lineman, Jamar Nesbit, said he has not sold his home on the North Shore, and that he is looking forward to returning.

And others seemed that they would just be happy to get clarification of the 2006 situation, one way or the other.

WHAT ABOUT THE DRAFT?
Two of the more concerned minds on the Saints' 2006 location are USC's Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

The Trojan superstars are likely to be the top two picks in the 2006 NFL draft, and if the Saints lose Sunday at Tampa Bay, it's highly likely they will have one of the top two picks.

This interesting piece, by Billy Witz of the Los Angeles Daily News, looks at the perspectives of both players, the sponsorship impact of being picked by the Saints, and the view of a potential agent for both, Leigh Steinberg.

Steinberg is of the belief that if the Saints pick either player, it could be great since the Saints might still end up in Los Angeles.

Said Steinberg, "I believe Los Angeles is definitely in line to get a franchise and the Saints are as likely a possibility as any. Again, not to be presumptuous, but the first pick of a Los Angeles franchise will feel like they died and went to heaven. For Matt or Reggie, it would be an absolutely spectacular opportunity, a marriage made in heaven."

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Saints announcement set within the next week; Tagliabue to meet with team Friday; McCombs thinks Saints headed to S.A.

2005-12-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

According to this USA Today article on the status of the Superdome, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the paper that an announcement will be made within the next week by the league on where the Saints will practice and play next season.

Aiello also told USA Today, "We would like to have the Saints play as many games as possible in New Orleans next year."

This coincides with a meeting scheduled Friday in San Antonio between NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, owner Tom Benson, and Saints players and staff.

The Times-Picayune indicates that the Saints players are less than enthused with Tagliabue or the Friday meeting.

While the Times-Picayune acknowledges that it's not known whether Tagliabue will inform the team of where the NFL will have it practice and play in 2006, it's likely that he will make such an announcement to the team given Aiello's indication of such an announcement within the next week.

Said cornerback Fred Thomas: "The only thing he could tell us at this point is if we're going to be here or Louisiana."

Such an announcement has been left up to the NFL, pursuant to papers signed by Benson that pushed back the Saints' exit clause in the Louisiana lease to after the 2006 season.

This article by Bob Tompkins of the Alexandria Town-Talk discusses the Saints' legal situation, and indicates that the NFL has this right.

Beyond 2006, however, the situation gets murky.

And, for what it's worth, former Minnesota Vikings owner and San Antonio resident Red McCombs thinks NFL owners would approve of a move from New Orleans to San Antonio, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

McCombs said of Tagliabue's dedication to Louisiana following Katrina, "What would you expect Tagliabue to say after seeing that destruction in Louisiana?"

McCombs also told the Express-News:

"It's just common sense. All of these owners are going to be facing the same thing someday, one way or another, with their own franchises. They will be facing transfer, possible relocation, a number of these same issues Benson faces, and they will be reluctant to keep a guy from doing what he wants to do with his franchise.

"(San Antonio) is in a very good position. The situation is complicated, but the bottom line is Benson wants to come here. That's the key.

"I don't have any doubt now it will come to pass."

McCombs, who also once owned the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, had hopes of moving the Vikings to San Antonio, before selling the club earlier this year.

Benson and McCombs are long-time friends, according to this 1998 article from the Houston Chronicle. In it, Benson is quoted as saying, "I'm a Red McCombs supporter."

The two men have known each other since 1956, and both made their fortunes in car dealerships in the San Antonio area.

In that same article, McCombs said, "An NFL team in San Antonio would be a smash, but the Vikings are an institution in Minnesota."

As are the Saints in New Orleans.

Of course, McCombs has been pushing to get a team to San Antonio for 40 years now, according to a different Houston Chronicle article from 1998.

In it, McCombs commented on the possibility of moving the Vikings to San Antonio. There, the Vikings' lease with the Metrodome was slated to end in 2012, but there was an exit clause that could allow the team to relocate.

About that, McCombs said, "You don't break a lease just because you have the money."

No word on Benson's opinion on that.

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S.A. officials upset with Tagliabue; Columnist calls on Benson to sell; Water Cooler lauds S.A. attendance through easily accessible tickets

2005-12-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is scheduled to make a trip to San Antonio this week to meet with Tom Benson about the future of the Saints.

City officials there, however, are offended that Tags doesn't want to meet with them, reports the San Antonio Express-News.

Of course, after San Antonio's politicians have slammed Tagliabue as, for example, being "off his rocker," should they be all that surprised?

It's also notable that the Express-News itself has blasted Tagliabue, saying in one column that he "couldn't spell Alamo if you spotted him the vowels."

Today's Express-News article notes that Tagliabue has stated he doesn't want the NFL moving to any small markets, especially with a vacant Los Angeles.

With that, ex-San Antonio mayor Nelson Wolff told the Express-News, "They are adamant that this is a small market, and the truth is we are a small market...Regardless of what anyone says, we are a small market."

So, is Wolff off his rocker too?

COLUMNIST CALLS ON BENSON TO SELL
The Mobile Register's Neal McCready penned a column for today's edition that calls on Tom Benson to sell the Saints.

Bits from McCready's piece:

"But the majority of the blame falls at the feet of team owner Tom Benson. The Saints didn't play a home game all season, set up temporary shop in San Antonio and were cast aside by a league infuriated at Benson. It's been a mess, on and off the field, and it promises only to get worse before it gets any better."

"Benson didn't cause Katrina, of course, but the rest of this disaster of a franchise is of his making. Because of Benson's horrid public relations skills and his utter lack of empathy for the people of Louisiana, the Saints will have to be resold to a fan base that once loved them regardless of their warts."

"Until Sunday, all of those issues can be buried thanks to the presence of a football game on the schedule. On Monday, however, there can be no more denials. Changes will likely come quickly. Benson should make the process easier by putting his team on the market. And if he won't, Tagliabue should find out just how powerful he and his league are."

Nothing would make Saints fans happier.

WATER COOLER LAUDS S.A. ATTENDANCE THROUGH EASILY ACCESSIBLE TICKETS
The San Antonio Express-News "Water Cooler" column, which has frequently bashed Louisiana in regard to the Saints fiasco, had this to offer in its most recent edition:

"No respect, I tell ya... - The Saints-to-San Antonio bandwagon has gone stealth, but you have to commend those still cracking the whip. The near-capacity crowd for the Lions game Christmas Eve rates as the Miracle on Commerce Street. It's official: San Antonio, despite having less of an attachment and less incentive, outdrew Baton Rouge by a 3-2 margin for Saints games, and it doesn't matter that Lions tickets were practically distributed under the wiper blades of parked cars.

"So what's the city's reward? Next up: Another possible insult from Paul Tagliabue, who has plans to fly to S.A. this week and meet with owner Tom Benson and Saints players. He's not scheduled to meet with city officials in a city that bought 54 percent of all Saints home tickets this season, and in only three games."

Comments on, and links to, other offerings of the Water Cooler can be found here, here, and here.

How about acknowledging the fact that Benson destroyed his public relations in Louisiana, or that tickets were not so readily distributed in Louisiana to give the impression that is so proudly proclaimed in this article? In other words, it does matter that tickets were "practically distributed under the wiper blades of parked cars."

One city was praised by Benson; the other has been bashed by him. Where's the mention of that???

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Benson: 'You know how much I like San Antonio'; Saints mall kiosks?; L.A. Times supports Saints return to N.O.; S.A. task force?; More...

2005-12-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

After the Saints' Christmas Eve loss to Detroit in San Antonio's Alamodome, Tom Benson told the San Antonio Express-News that he wants at least some of the 2006 Saints schedule to be played there.

Benson's quote: "Divide it up, you know how much I like San Antonio."

The same article notes that Benson and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will meet later this week in San Antonio to discuss the Saints' future.

Benson also seemed to concede that the NFL will dictate where the Saints play next year. However, he also stated that he will control where the team practices.

Benson said, "The commissioner sets the schedule, all I can say is where we practice. He sets the schedule, and the league, you know, so I don't have a lot of say so in that."

Then, the article goes on to report that when asked where Benson wants the Saints to practice in 2006, he told the paper, "It all depends on where we have to play, most probably we will know more soon. (After) a couple more meetings, something will happen."

The Express-News then points out the obvious: "Benson's actions since moving to San Antonio, where he has strong business and personal ties, indicate that he wants the team to remain in San Antonio to practice and play next season."

San Antonio mayor Phil Hardburglar also was reported in the article to say, "Tom and I are going to sit down after the first of the year (to negotiate). I am very hopeful that we are going to get a majority of the games next season, but there are things happening at the NFL that are really out of our control."

SAINTS MALL KIOSKS?
Another article in the San Antonio Express-News points out yet another glaring discrepancy between game marketing by the team between there and Baton Rouge.

An interview with a Saints fan revealed that tickets were being sold, at half their face value, at a mall kiosk by Saints officials. To quote the article, the fan "bought $70 tickets for $35 at a kiosk the team had set up at North Star Mall."

No such efforts were made to set up similar facilities in Baton Rouge, and no such discounts were extended either.

The article also verifies that the $70 tickets in the lower bowl of the Alamodome were being discounted in half to individual buyers, and not to groups.

L.A. TIMES VOICES SUPPORT OF SAINTS RETURN TO N.O.
An editorial in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, entitled "Saints can be morale builder," calls for someone to help make the 2006 home opener in New Orleans happen sooner than Nov. 1, and states that "to visit New Orleans during football season is to know that the Saints mean a lot to the sports public in that hurricane-devastated town."

The editorial further notes that "Franklin D. Roosevelt, as America's 1940s president, asked big league baseball and football to continue their schedules during World War II because sports boost morale. And as the world knows, New Orleans' morale could do with a bit of boosting."

S.A. TASK FORCE? ANOTHER TIE BETWEEN HOLLYHILLS, BENSON
There's a lengthy piece on msnbc.com from the San Antonio Business Journal entitled, "City leaders have faith Saints are coming back."

The report states that San Antonio may put together a task force committee to increase the courtship of the Saints from New Orleans.

A local business executive who has had a significant role in trying to get the Saints to move to San Antonio, Jim Greenwood of Valero Energy Corp., said, "After this season, we need to move appropriately to see what our options are for next season and beyond. It has been mentioned...that we need to formalize a group to codify the commitment from the business community to bring the NFL to San Antonio permanently."

And, the article states that the HollyHills Group bought 10,000 tickets to Saturday's Saints-Lions game in San Antonio with a mindset that it would not be the last game played in the Alamodome.

More importantly, the article notes that the HollyHills Group spokesman quoted in the article, T.J. Connolly, also worked for Benson for several years after he bought the Saints in the late 1980's. (It's another tie between HollyHills and Benson. The company has expressed an interest in constructing a sports megacomplex in San Antonio with an NFL stadium for the Saints, and then made the aforementioned lump ticket purchase.)

With that, Connolly told the San Antonio Business Journal that HollyHills "didn't (purchase the tickets) under the impression that it's the last game we're going to see played in the Alamodome...HollyHills would not have invested in the Saints' last hurrah."

TIDE TURNING AGAINST N.O.?
A scan of the most recent national news coverage of the Saints seems to indicate a turning tide against returning the team to New Orleans.

Take this piece from the Hattiesburg American by Stan Caldwell, entitled "Saints' stint in New Orleans full of lowlights."

In it, Caldwell writes, "I am convinced that the Saints will never return to New Orleans."

His reasoning is as follows:

"Four months after Katrina, most of the corporations that filled up the box suites have set up shop elsewhere, and aren't in any big hurry to come back to New Orleans.

"And the rank and file - the ones who scrape up for season tickets or just manage to come up with the wherewithal to attend one or two games a season - aren't any more eager to return than the corporations.

"It is estimated that about half of the one million people who lived in the New Orleans metropolitan area before Aug. 29 have left the city, and a lot of them aren't ever coming back."

Caldwell also voices a sort of support for Tom Benson the Business Owner, based in part on attendance numbers in Baton Rouge versus San Antonio:

"Saints' owner Tom Benson has been portrayed as an ogre for his stated desire to move the team to San Antonio, and his curmudgeonly attitude certainly hasn't won him any friends.

"But Benson is right when he argues that he's a businessman with a business to run.

"And the numbers speak for themselves.

"The Saints drew enthusiastic crowds over well over 60,000 in the three games they played at the Alamodome this season. They drew apathetic crowds in the 35,000 range in the four games they played at Baton Rouge."

Caldwell fails to point out Benson's (and his organization's) different treatment of Baton Rouge and San Antonio, with an obvious effort at making one look better than the other in terms of supporting the Saints.

For at least one person, Tommy Boy seems to have succeeded.

Then there's Ray Buck of Knight-Ridder, who wrote, "San Antonio hopes to land Saints; Strong attendance a sign city is NFL-worthy."

Buck also points out the attendance figure differences, writing that San Antonio, not Baton Rouge, is expected to play host to the Saints until the team returns to New Orleans for the latter part of the '06 campaign:

"San Antonio is expected to host the Saints home games next season until the Superdome is ready for play. And San Antonio has shown that it can be a great "second home" for an NFL franchise. The Saints played three games in the Alamodome, averaging 62,666 in paid attendance. By comparison, four home games played at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., averaged 40,310."

Buck further reports that Benson is unlikely to garner the required three-fourths support of NFL owners to permanently relocate the Saints to San Antonio.

Then there's Forbes' Monte Burke, who identified the following on his "watch list":

"New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson. Faced with a tough choice: stay in New Orleans or abandon the city and go to Los Angeles. Will pay a price with either call."

And Burke's "bold prediction" of the future?

"The New Orleans Saints will move to Los Angeles."

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST
Tom Benson was smacked in this Austin American-Stateman "Hootie Awards" article:

"Probably not the best time to break out the 'disaster' analogy - Saints owner Tom Benson was booed and harassed by fans in Baton Rouge, La., because of the perception that Benson would use the hurricane as an excuse to move his team to a more profitable city. Angered by his treatment, Benson declared that he would not attend any more of this teams' games in Baton Rouge, describing his trip there as a 'total disaster.'"

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was drilled in the San Antonio Express-News' "Winnners and Losers of 2005":

"NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, rejecting San Antonio as a candidate to become the new home of the New Orleans Saints, said the league had no plans to move into small markets, thus angering a "small" town with big dreams."

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Thirty percent of tickets to Saints-Lions game bought by S.A. businesses; Telling S.A. quote; Express-News: Saints 'happy to be home' in S.A.

2005-12-23T23:23:00.000-05:00

It seems that the people of San Antonio have purchased around 42,000 tickets to Saturday's Christmas Eve game between the Saints and Detroit Lions in the Alamodome.

The rest of the tickets, 18,000 or so, have been bought by San Antonio area businesses with an interest of making a good impression on NFL officials (and, obviously, Saints owner Tom Benson), according to this article in the San Antonio Express-News.

The article notes that Benson was impressed with San Antonio's business and fan support and that he is "very fond of San Antonio," and also reaffirms that Benson has informed city leaders there that he wants to move the Saints there permanently.

Bottom line - That's 42,000 tickets sold in a 65,000-seat stadium, after what previous articles have indicated were increased marketing, and after some hefty ticket discounts.

In other words, calling tomorrow's game a near sell-out is a misnomer.

It's a game with just over 42,000 tickets sold, and around 18,000 ticket giveaways.

That's nearly one-third of the Alamodome seats just being given away.

But we know how it'll be spun by Tommy Boy and his cohorts...

Heck, it's already been spun by San Antonio mayor Phil Hardburglar, and by San Antonio media, and by the Saints' web site.

Perhaps all of them need an asterick for Christmas.

As for the whole story, here's an outstanding review in today's Times-Picayune by Mike Triplett.

Triplett notes that thousands of seats have been sold at a hefty discount rate for today's game.

He also adds that the Saints' "offices" in San Antonio are an abandoned water works building that has been slated to be bulldozed in 2006 and turned into a parking lot, and if the team somehow does stay there next year, that will be where they are based.

If that happens and the building doesn't work out, at least San Antonio has shown it will allow the Saints to practice on the parking lot.

TELLING S.A. QUOTE
In Triplett's article, here's a quote from Bexar (TX) County judge Nelson Wolff, a San Antonio bigwig and ex-mayor who has been a proponent of the Saints moving there:

"I'm sure they'll have a good crowd (today); a lot of tickets have been given away."

Enough said.

EXPRESS-NEWS: SAINTS 'HAPPY TO BE HOME' IN S.A.
Today's San Antonio Express-News does it yet again.

On the main sports page of their website today, the headline glaringly blares, "Saints happy to be home."

For today's game in San Antonio between them and the Detroit Lions.

Hmmm...

"Home"?

Aren't they still the "New Orleans" Saints?

The linked story doesn't do much better. The headline there is "Football: Saints return to San Antonio where they are glad to hang their hats."

And the story itself makes the same argument eschewed above: that ticket "sales" there are superior to ticket sales in Louisiana.

It also takes a tongue-in-cheek pot shot at Louisiana, saying about today's game: "For now, the players are just happy to be back playing in front of what is expected to be a friendly packed house."

Nice.

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Louisiana formally asks Saints to return to N.O.

2005-12-23T09:39:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to an AP article stating that Louisiana officials have formally requested the Saints to return to New Orleans, and to begin using the team training facility in Metairie by January.

The state also enclosed copies of letters from FEMA and the National Guard, stating that neither have any use for the facility.

According to this link from WWL-TV, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw also received copies of the letter.

Note that attorney Phil Wittman, who represents the Saints, confirmed that Tom Benson had received the notice in a letter from Louisiana officials, but that he wouldn't be making his mind up until after the season.

Of course, we all know that Benson has made his mind up, and that as things stand now, he and the NFL will be in court over it.

Happy Holidays!

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Full text of the letter:

Gentlemen:

The State of Louisiana (State), acting through the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District (LSED), has secured written confirmation from the military and from FEMA that there is no current or future need for or intention of the authorities to use the Training Facility for any purpose.

Further, the State and the LSED are taking all necessary steps to repair the minor storm-related damage, which repair can be accomplished concurrent with the use of the Training Facility by the team.

As you know, the NFL representatives (including Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Players’ Association leader, Gene Upshaw) toured the facility on December 5th. Both gentlemen deemed the facility to be in “excellent condition” and publicly confirmed its “readiness” for the team to return in early 2006.

Accordingly, the State and LSED respectfully request that the team return to the Training Facility in January 2006, and conduct its operations (including preparation for the 2006 season, the 2006 draft and training camps) in Louisiana, consistent with the Amended and Restated New Orleans Saints Professional Training Facility Lease (the “Training Facility Lease”). The State and the LSED consider the Training Facility Lease to be valid and in effect.

If you have any questions, please call. We are available for a conference call among all interested persons and entities at any time.

Sincerely,
Larry Roedel, Counsel

For the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District

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Benson, S.A. peddle 'sell-out' spin; Alamodome director: 'Gulf Coast region...doesn't exist anymore'; Benson slammed again; A pro-Benson column?

2005-12-22T16:14:00.000-05:00

Tom Benson and San Antonio's media outlets continue to paint the picture that it has better fan support than does New Orleans, and thus the city should keep the Saints.

Today, the New Orleans Saints website, the San Antonio Express-News, and the San Antonio Business Journal all proudly puff their chests and report that Saturday's Christmas Eve tilt between the Saints and Detroit Lions is nearly sold out.

Kudos to them. Except that it's a blatant mischaracterization of the facts.

Fact One is that San Antonio citizens were granted special sales packages not extended to fans in Louisiana.

Fact Two is that, according to this San Antonio Express-News article, marketing has been ramped up in San Antonio to achieve this goal of getting a hefty attendance Saturday. The same article also misrepresents Fact One, saying that ticket discounts were for groups, when that simply isn't the case.

Where was the increased marketing in Baton Rouge? Oh yeah - it was Benson shoving a TV camera and telling Baton Rouge to go to hell.

Fact Three is that a company with direct negotiating ties to Benson snatched up 10,000 tickets, or nearly one-sixth of the Alamodome's total capacity, to give away to the military. Nothing of the like took place in Baton Rouge, presumably because of Fact Two.

Fact Four is that San Antonio is not spending money repairing houses covered with blue roofs. In fact, San Antonio's media would have you think the Saints were just escapading through central Texas just to get away from Louisiana, and that New Orleans and San Antonio are evenly matched. Katrina, Rita, and Facts One through Three negate that notion.

And Fact Five is that you will not see Facts One through Four in any San Antonio publication. Sure, the HollyHills 10,000 ticket bailout makes a brief splash, but there is no talk about the company's proposed development of a sports megacenter in San Antonio involving the Saints.

So we'll watch Saturday, and hear uninformed television commentators (including Boomer Esiason) talk about how much better support is in San Antonio than in Baton Rouge, without reference to the Facts.

And we'll hear people like Christian Archer, San Antonio mayor Phil Hardburglar's chief assistant, say things like, "We've made the case. We've done everything we can do to prove we're an NFL city."

(Except for that charitable thing the NFL so prides itself on. Is stealing from a helpless place NFL-worthy?)

The Express-News also notes that "San Antonio officials, most notably Hardberger, have toned down their rhetoric after some public comments about moving the Saints resulted in their being portrayed as looters."

Perhaps Archer didn't get the message.

As for the rest of them - It's not just the comments, guys, it's the actions as well.

At least the NFL and Paul Tagliabue are aware of the Facts, and are willing to give New Orleans and Louisiana a genuine fair shot at supporting the Saints in 2006.

Even if Benson isn't.

ALAMODOME DIRECTOR: 'GULF COAST REGION...DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE'
In an interview on San Antonio's KENS-5, Alamodome director George Michael Abington said, "The entire gulf coast region...the communities...it doesn't really exist anymore...and that's their (Saints) ticket base."

It is a cold and shallow assessment of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and another of many slaps in the face to residents living in and returning to those areas.

It also fails to take into account the Saints fans who do exist in other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and elsewhere.

It seems that this is the real perception of San Antonio officials. Or it's at least a rationalization for their putrid, vulture-like treatment of New Orleans.

In any event, an apology should be in order.

BENSON SLAMMED AGAIN
In USA Today's Inside Scoop yesterday, the following was written about the Saints: "A haggard Jim Haslett is expected to force his way out of an ugly situation to try to pursue another position. The Saints coach was never granted the contract extension that owner Tom Benson promised in the spring. Haslett's expected departure after doing a thankless job is just the latest example of Benson's mismanagement of a team that has already lost several front office people. The likelihood now is that the Saints will be forced to settle for a younger, less-experienced head coach because of the team's unsettled future and an owner who has alienated the team's fan base. Aaron Brooks also is expected to be out in New Orleans after his failure to develop into a more consistent quarterback and leader." Great work, Tommy Boy.

A PRO-BENSON COLUMN?
Imagine where you might find a column supporting Tom Benson...

If you guessed San Antonio, give yourself a sarcastic pat on the back.

Here's the link to the San Antonio Express-News column by Buck Harvey.

Okay, so it's not necessarily pro-Benson. It does offers some light criticism. But on the whole, it puts him in a positive light.

Only in San Antonio...

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NFL deja vu? Stunning parallels between Benson, ex-Seahawks owner Behring

2005-12-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

With all the hoopla surrounding this Saints circus these past few weeks, it may be telling to review the NFL’s most similar encounter with this relocation scenario.

While an enormous disclaimer must be made for the fact that no city before now has been seriously impacted by a natural disaster like Katrina, it is important to keep in mind that the NFL is on record as wanting to give New Orleans a reasonable chance to prove it can sustain support for the Saints during rebuilding.

With that being said, the closest resemblance to Tom Benson’s current San Antonio courtship occurred in 1996, when then-Seattle Seahawks owner Ken Behring badly wanted to move his club to a recently-vacated Los Angeles.

A quick initial comparison of Benson and Behring reveals that both made their pre-NFL fortunes selling cars (Benson in Texas and Louisiana, and Behring in Wisconsin). And both had businesses in their desired relocation locales, with Behring being a California real estate developer and Benson having car dealerships in San Antonio.

But the parallels only begin there. (Normal text for Behring, italics for Benson)

Behring, you see, was desparate to get out of his Kingdome lease with Seattle’s King County. At the time, the lease, ironically enough, was set to run through 2005. Behring wanted no part of the Kingdome because he deemed it as an inadequate facility, and he and his attorney concocted an argument that the lease was invalid because the Kingdome was not built to withstand earthquakes.

This argument was presented at an NFL owners meeting, where, according to an article by Paul Attner in the March 25, 1996 edition of Sporting News, owners had to hide their laughter.

This, of course, is not unlike reports that Saints’ employees had to cover their mouths when Benson told them not to return to New Orleans because it is unlivable and that FEMA and the National Guard still occupied the damaged Saints training facility in Metairie.

And, with the Superdome scheduled to have renovations and upgrades completed by Nov. 1, 2006, the stadium clearly would be adequate to support NFL football.

But Behring’s ludicrous contention was all the more humorous, given that his solution to his alleged earthquake fears in Seattle was to move his franchise to Los Angeles of all places.

As things continued to fall apart, Behring, who had promised fans otherwise, issued a press release on Feb. 2, 1996, stating that the Seahawks were leaving Seattle permanently. He then hastily loaded up the team’s workout equipment into moving trucks, and shipped it to Anaheim.

The Seahawks’ equipment was shipped from an abandoned but perfectly fine training facility in Seattle, to an old elementary school in Anaheim. Behring also shut down his Seattle offices in early February 1996, and employees with nowhere else to go had to work from home. Then-head coach Dennis Erickson had no office either.

The obvious present-day Benson comparison to that situation is the Saints’ abandoned training facility and team offices in Metairie. The players are training and practicing in a parking lot under tents, and dress out in a high school baseball field locker room. The coaches have no offices, except for an abandoned water works building in San Antonio.

Like Benson now, Behring had no firm plans in place for such a move.

In the above-cited Sporting News article, Attner wrote: “But, as long as Behring is owner, plans are to conduct the draft from Anaheim and then hold training camp in southern California. Where? Don't ask for specifics, please, because there are none. So much of this is being done on a fly-by-night basis, which is a heck of a way to run a franchise valued conservatively at $180 million.”

So, no specifics existed for Behring’s hasty move to L.A., and none exist for Benson either. See the above comments about the Sants’ present conditions. Benson also is running his Saints on a fly-by-night basis, which, using Attner’s words, is a heck of a way to run a franchise valued conservatively at $700 million.

At least Behring promised to leave the Seahawks’ name, logo, and colors with Seattle for use of a future franchise.

For his actions, Behring was sued by the Washington Attorney General for a litany of reasons including antitrust and unfair trade practices. The suit, which can be read here, is a virtual copy-and-paste of arguments that could be made by Louisiana against Benson. Some language from the suit appears below:

“In contrast to the discipline, teamwork and spirit of fair competition displayed on the football field, the Seattle Seahawks' current owners, through a variety of unfair methods of competition and monopolistic practices, are attempting to take unfair advantage of the state and its citizens by moving the Seattle Seahawks to southern California. They have also engaged in deceptive tactics in the sale of tickets and have deprived the state of the benefits of the contract executed between SSI and King County.”

“Fans make decisions to purchase tickets not just because games are played in Seattle on Sundays, but because the team is the 'home team' for the Pacific Northwest. The community closely identifies with the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Seahawks have established themselves as partners with the community. This is exemplified by a letter from David Behring to the season ticketholders in 1995 which claims:

"'[T]hank you for your continued support of the Seattle Seahawks. We are highly optimistic about our future. The Pacific Northwest is a fantastic community that we are proud to be a part of, we think your spirit and dedication will be the envy of the entire league. As always, we are committed to winning both on the field and in the community. Public service is a high priority and we will do our best to brighten the lives of those around us.'"

Quotes on the situation at the time were made by King County executive Gary Locke, who told AP sportswriter Jim Cour in this Feb. 3, 1996 article, "One has to seriously question whether Mr. Behring was ever serious about staying in Seattle.”

Senator Slade Gorton, R-Wash., also told Cour, "It's totally outrageous. Two weeks ago Behring was in my office assuring me the team was staying in Seattle. It is as plain as all get out that he (Behring) planned this all along, and it has nothing to do with the Kingdome."

These same types of comments should be expected from Louisiana politicians such as Kathleen Blanco, David Vitter, and Ken Hollis, all of whom have been reassured by Benson that his intentions are to keep the Saints in Louisiana.

Shortly after the suit was filed, Behring countered with his own suit that alleged King County was in violation of the Kingdome lease for failing to correct the aforementioned earthquake deficiencies.

No doubt, such an action is brewing in Benson’s legal quarters.

In 1996, a judge, citing a specific performance clause, prevented Behring from moving the Seahawks. The lease still had 10 years remaining, and Behring was locked into the contract.

Behring, who did not apply for relocation, also drew the ire of the NFL, which neither approved nor supported such a move. As an aside, the league’s owners (Behring included) had entered into a signed agreement that they would jointly determine what to do about relocating a team to Los Angeles.

In the present Saints situation, Benson has entered into a signed agreement with Louisiana wherein he extends his lease cancellation date to 2007, and gives the NFL the express authority to determine where the Saints will play their 2006 schedule.

In fact, the NFL was so upset that commissioner Paul Tagliabue informed Behring that he would be fined $500,000 if the Seahawks continued to practice in Anaheim, for “conduct detrimental to the league.” Tagliabue’s threat came with a firm order to return the Seahawks to Seattle.

Tagliabue also said at the time, "It is incoherent to destroy what it took 75 years to build. We want to maintain continuity and tradition."

As for the Saints today, it would be outstanding to hear Tagliabue come out and publicly reprimand Benson with a comment like, “It is incoherent to destroy what it took 39 years to build. We want to maintain continuity and tradition in helping to rebuild New Orleans.”

And undoubtedly, Benson's activities have been nothing less than "conduct detrimental to the league." They've been detrimental to his own image and legacy as well. He should be fining himself.

Behring’s response to the litigation and to Tagliabue came in a press release, quoted in this March 22, 1996 AP article: “Rather than enduring the costs and distractions of litigating with the National Football League at this time, I have chosen to ask our players and conditioning coaches to return to our facility in Kirkland for the rest of the offseason condition program.”

While Behring tucked his tail between his legs and humbly returned to Seattle, the citizens and politicians there sought new prospective owners. They found one in Microsoft co-creator Paul Allen, who also owned the Portland Trailblazers at the time.

Citizens and politicians in Louisiana have sought out and found two groups of prospective buyers. One group is headed by Terry Bradshaw and James Davison, and the other is led by Dickie Blossman.

Behring had also vowed, according to the above-cited Attner article, that he would never sell the Seahawks. The reasoning behind Behring’s change of heart, wrote Attner: “But being treated the fool is not a pleasant experience. If your peers aren't looking at you seriously, what's the sense of staying in the club?”

Benson, meanwhile, has also said he will never sell the Saints. But the longer this ridiculous charade continues, the less respect his NFL counterparts will have of him. News that the ownership committee overseeing him and the New Orleans situation will vote unanimously to keep the team in New Orleans is evidence of that.

Amidst public disdain and lack of peer respect among NFL owners, Behring entered into an agreement with Allen to purchase the Seahawks in 1997, with the lynchpin being a new stadium proposal put to voters.

The proposal passed, the sale went through, the stadium was constructed with taxpayer funds and $100 million of Allen’s own money, and nine years later, the Seahawks are the top team in the NFC.

As for re-establishing trust and faith with Seahawks fans throughout the Northeast, Seahawks President Bob Whitsett told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in a Dec. 16, 1999 article: "We didn't have to do a lot of market research and wonder if Seattle and the whole Northwest would support an NFL team. We knew they would if the team did things like they were supposed to do. They didn't burn all the bridges up there with the previous ownership, they blew all the bridges up. I think people wanted them to be rebuilt, but just because Paul bought the team didn't mean that people were automatically coming back.”

This would definitely be the case in southeast Louisiana and on the Gulf Coast, as Benson has “blown up all his bridges” there as well. But after investing so much emotional capital into the Saints, people in Louisiana do want the bridges to be rebuilt.

So, in a very basic conclusion, here is a short rundown of final comparisons between Behring and Benson:

Behring - wanted to move from Seattle to L.A. because of earthquake threat to Kingdome
Benson - wants to move from New Orleans to San Antonio because of “unlivable” conditions of New Orleans

Behring - had no facilities to move into for upcoming Seahawks campaign in L.A.
Benson - has no facilities to move into for upcoming Saints campaign in San Antonio

Behring - team trained in Anaheim until ordered back by NFL
Benson - wants team to train in San Antonio, NFL threatening to order them back to New Orleans

As always, we shall see what direction this roller coaster will take.

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Committee to vote for return to La., could hinder relocation; Haslett, players acknowledge possibly leaving La.; Benson labeled 'Grinch'; More links

2005-12-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

Foxsports.com NFL columnist Jay Glazer is reporting that the NFL committee of owners formed to monitor Tom Benson will have a conference call Tuesday and vote unanimously to keep the Saints in Louisiana and have them return to their Metairie practice facility this offseason.

Glazer writes that the committee's official recommendation could come very soon.

Glazer also notes that the league will seek to back-load the 2006 Saints schedule to maximize appearances in the Superdome, which is slated to be ready for NFL football by Nov. 1, 2006.

Considering that there are eight owners on the committee, and that relocation in the NFL requires 24 of 32 owners to vote in favor of such a move, it is highly unlikely that Benson would receive the necessary support to permanently move the Saints to San Antonio in 2006.

The members of the committee (officially labeled the "New Orleans Saints Advisory Committee") are Denver's Pat Bowlen, Kansas City's Lamar Hunt, New England's Robert Kraft, Philadelphia's Jeff Lurie, Chicago's Mike McCaskey, Carolina's Jerry Richardson, Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney and Jacksonville's Wayne Weaver.

It's a list of some of the heaviest hitters in NFL ownership. Without their support, Benson's hopes of relocation are slim to none.

Even if Benson swayed half of them, he'd still be left fighting for 20 other votes from the remaining 24 franchises. Presumably voting against such relocation would also be Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair. It's an uphill climb, to say the least.

Benson, for his part, is "compiling a portfolio of reports presenting him in a negative light or personally attacking him aired on or written in New Orleans media" to submit to the other 31 NFL owners, according to the great Third Battle of New Orleans site, which cites WDSU-TV in New Orleans for the report.

Not that Tommy Boy has given any reason to be portrayed in a negative spotlight.

Also, I wonder if he'll be compiling a list of negative press from across the country as well. There's more than enough to go around. It ain't just New Orleans that sees him as The Worst Owner In Professional Sports History. Go do a news search and see for yourself.

But back to the foxsports.com column...If this is the case, such news puts serious doubt on thoughts that the NFL could be engaging in a good-cop, bad-cop scenario whereby the league and Benson conspire to move the team out of New Orleans, with Benson being the fall guy.

So, the ultimate result would be litigation.

Benson v. Tagliabue - coming to Court TV this spring!

HASLETT, PLAYERS ACKNOWLEDGE SUNDAY'S GAME COULD BE LAST IN LA.
Several Saints players and coach Jim Haslett commented on the possibility that Sunday's loss to Carolina at Baton Rouge's Tiger Stadium could be the team's last appearance in Louisiana.

Haslett, according to the above-linked foxsports.com article, told the team Saturday night to give it their all because it could be the last time the Saints play in Louisiana.

After the game, according to the Times-Picayune, Haslett said, "I'm saying it's a possibility. Our players understand that and they understood that going into the game, who knows what's going to happen? And I feel bad because we wanted to put on a better performance. It's a shame we had to go out this way."

Defensive tackle Brian Young told the Times-Picayune, "I'm not from New Orleans, I've only been here for a year, but yeah, it does suck. If we're not back here next year, it does seem like we're trying to run out on them, but it's really not our call and I don't want anyone to think we're trying to run out and leave on them. Nobody's looking at it that way. Everyone is just trying to figure out where we are going to be and everyone just wants to be somewhere where we have the best chance of winning some games."

Defensive end Charles Grant offered the most optimistic perspective, saying, "If it was the last game in Louisiana then we love you fans. We hope ya'll always support us no matter where we go and just keep believing because if you believe, this team will be back here...Listen to me, I don't think this franchise will move. I think we'll be back. Believe it."

Grant was said to be tearful in this Gannett News Service article from the Lafayette Daily Advertiser.

Fred McAfee told Gannett News Service, "This is really tough. We talked about the importance of getting this win because it might be our last game here. If we do leave, it'll be a sad day. I just hope it doesn't end this way."

Fahkir Brown said, "This is our home state, our home fans and we feel bad we couldn't get a win for them. And the fact that there might not be any more football after this year makes it worse."

Added Fred Booker: "I hope not. It would be terrible, especially since this loss happened in Tiger Stadium where I played my college ball. To come here and not win one game; it hurts that this is what we left the fans with."

Wide receiver Joe Horn told the San Antonio Express-News, "I would love to come back, because the way we left was so hard for me. But I don't know what will happen. (Benson) has the right to do what he pleases."

And finally, offensive lineman Wayne Gandy told the Express-News, "You don't care where it is. We'd take a win in a parking lot somewhere."

If the Saints do move to San Antonio, Gandy can be promised that at least the team will practice in a parking lot somewhere.

BENSON LABELED 'GRINCH'
Saints owner Tom Benson has been called a lot of things. With Christmas coming this weekend, Tommy Boy has now been labeled a Grinch.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune's Peter Finney writes, in a column entitled "Would Grinch dare to pilfer Saints?", Finney notes that a sign at Sunday's Saints-Panthers game proclaimed that Benson was the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Finney also wrote Benson is completely preoccupied with the pending legal battle against the NFL over where the Saints will play in 2006:

"My reading of Benson is, at the moment, he is so wound up in his war with the commissioner, that bringing in a new coach, which would mean a new staff and many new contracts, is on the back burner. There are reports Benson is considering going to court to make San Antonio the team's headquarters against the obvious wishes of Paul Tagliabue."

For Tommy Boy, being called a "Grinch" is a definite step up.

At least it's something the kids, too, can call Benson. It is Christmas, after all.

MORE LINKS
- Photos of signs from Sunday's Saints-Panthers game can be found here, courtesy of The Third Battle of New Orleans.

- The Charlotte Observer wrote the following after Sunday's Saints-Panthers game in Tiger Stadium:

"The NFL has a mess on its hands. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has said he wants the Saints to play in Louisiana next season. If some renovations can be made to the Superdome, and the Saints can play there late in the year, great. But playing other games in Baton Rouge, La., is a bad idea. The field was torn up long before Sunday's game, and the facilities aren't exactly major league. Saints owner Tom Benson wants to move the team permanently to San Antonio. That's not going to help the effort to rebuild the Gulf. But Benson owns the team and he's got a viable argument about the facilities in Baton Rouge and the fact the Saints don't draw there."

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Reports: Benson to seek relocation to S.A. permanently, registers ownership entity in Texas

2005-12-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

Several reports are indicating today that Tom Benson will seek to relocate the Saints permanently to San Antonio.

The news comes as the last of Saints games in Louisiana was played today before a sparse crowd in Baton Rouge's Tiger Stadium.

WWL-TV reported that Benson has told Saints players and employees to maintain their leases in San Antonio, because the team is going to stay there.

A source told WWL-TV that Benson is considering suing the NFL if it forces the Saints to return to New Orleans.

NFL vice president of communications Joe Browne told WWL-TV that NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will decide where the Saints will play next year, but noted that teams can apply for a franchise transfer or relocation up until mid-January.

With this in mind, the Baton Rouge Advocate is reporting that Benson revoked his controlling interest's registration with the Louisiana secretary of state's office, and registered with the Texas secretary of state on October 31 - one day after the WWL-TV camera incident and on the same day as his email to NFL offices bashing Baton Rouge.

The Advocate importantly notes that this move may force any legal action between the NFL and the Saints to Texas courts.

It should also be noted that San Antonio mayor Phil Hardburglar was once a judge in Texas, before his election to his present office.

Continually escalating...

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HUGE NEWS: NFL, Benson could be on crash course for litigation over 2006 Saints home

2005-12-17T18:27:00.000-05:00

In major breaking news this Saturday afternoon, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that Tom Benson and the NFL could become adversaries in litigation over the Saints' future location.

It's the biggest bomb yet dropped by Benson, who is apparently so adament over moving the Saints to San Antonio that he's willing to go to court.

Mortensen further reports that NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is expected to order the Saints back to their Metairie training facility and to New Orleans for the 2006 season. Sources indicate that NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw told Saints players recently to not renew their residential leases in San Antonio.

Benson, however, apparently will refuse such an order and seek to keep the club in San Antonio with hopes of relocating there permanently.

Major development...

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Hardburglar spins S.A. ticket 'sales'; Saints expect free agency troubles

2005-12-17T12:07:00.000-05:00

WOAI's website reports that San Antonio mayor Phil Hardburglar made some comments about ticket sales to the Christmas Eve game between the Saints and Detroit Lions in the Alamodome.

Said Hardburglar, "I believe we'll be knocking at the door of 60,000 on this one... which is remarkable really, considering it's Christmas Eve."

The story notes that "as of Friday more than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the Saints / Detroit Lion's game at noon on Saturday December 24th."

Both Hardburglar and WOAI conveniently don't mention the fact that a real estate investment group that also is trying to court the Saints bought 10,000 tickets earlier this week.

Also, neither Hardburglar nor WOAI mention the San Antonio-specific single ticket discount for the game.

Both facts make the ticket sales to the Saints' Christmas Eve game a bit less "remarkable."

Hardburglar is trying fairly obviously to spin the San Antonio ticket sales against those in Baton Rouge.

But nobody is buying one-sixth of Tiger Stadium's capacity, and nobody has extended a gracious single-ticket price discount for games in Tiger Stadium.

No such similar offer or opportunity has been extended to fans in Louisiana, where it is important to note that Tom Benson has burned all his bridges and pissed on the ashes.

SAINTS EXPECT FREE AGENCY TROUBLES
Several Saints players have told the San Antonio Express-News that they believe the team will have a lot of trouble attracting free agents for 2006.

Veteran running back Antowain Smith, who played with the Patriots during their first two Super Bowl title runs in 2001 and 2003, said, "It'd be hard for somebody to come to a situation like that. The weight room is a damn tent. Nobody is going to want to come to that environment." Smith signed a one-year contract with the Saints for this season, and is looking forward to being "free as a bird."

Tight end Ernie Conwell added, "I know I wouldn't (sign as a free agent). No way I'd want to put my family through that kind of turmoil...I can guarantee you, a lot of guys have had their fill. I'm sure they're thinking, 'I'm out of here.'"

Stability and a state-of-the-art training facility are very important to these players, and to countless others.

Which is precisely why they should return to New Orleans, practice in Metairie, and play their 2006 campaign in Tiger Stadium and the Superdome. It's the right thing to do for the players, the coaches, the fans, and the league.

The only one who it's not right for is Tom Benson. And, I suppose, by extension, Phil Hardburglar.

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Upshaw ESPN Radio transcript reveals his disgust with Benson

2005-12-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw commented on the Saints' current situation and their future on ESPN Radio's Game Night. A review of the audio revealed the following notable quotes, many of which show a disdain for Tom Benson:

"What I heard earlier was, no one cares about what’s going on with the Saints, and how can the NFL allow teams to be in San Antonio? You have to understand, the NFL, the NFLPA, I wish we did, we do not own the New Orleans Saints. The New Orleans Saints are owned by Tom Benson. It was his decision on where they went. It is his decision where they are right now. All we are trying to do is change this and put this in a better place for 2006 than it was in 2005."

"Guys are frustrated because they’re not getting the leadership from upstairs, and you know what that means. I don’t have to tell you what that means. It doesn’t get down."

"I told the players we are looking at 2006 as a starting point, and we’re going to work back. We want the players to play and practice in the vicinity or as close to where they’re going to play their games. We want them to live and practice there. And when we went to Metairie, I want to tell you, that facility is actually in better shape than it was when the Saints left it."

"I don’t think you can play all the games in New Orleans next year under the best of circumstances. The architectural report was released today. They are predicting, and hopefully they can stay with this schedule, that the Dome will open Nov. 1. If the Dome opens Nov. 1, that means that you could have at least four games in New Orleans in 2006. So you kind of work back from that, hoping that that date stays. That’s what I told the players. Obviously I’m trying to tell them the information as we are putting it together."

"We’re putting together a playing schedule. We want to get that out in the next few weeks or in the first of January. Paul Tagliabue will do that, and he is looking at all of the options. We are now very concerned about what we see in New Orleans, and Paul is also, and he’ll tell you this, he set up and has his own person now on the ground in New Orleans. We have an office there. We have Eddie Jones, a former general manager with the Dolphins who has agreed to come over and run our office. We have some marketing people that are going down to try and help sell suites, and to help sell tickets, and to do all of that, so that we are on the ground trying to do what needs to be done in New Orleans, but we do not own the team. It’s still owned by Tom Benson. And he makes the decisions."

"There are some things I can’t comment on, and I won’t do it on the air, but there are things that we have to just let happen. What we also have to let happen is the city and the state and the whole surrounding Gulf Coast...We don’t want to be in a position that we abandoned them in a time when they are doing everything that they can do to possibly recover. They look at the NFL as an icon, the Saints. They don’t care about the mayor’s family living in Houston, or the basketball team playing in OKC. What they care about is where the Saints are."

"At the end of the day, Paul Tagliabue does not own the Saints. It’s owned by Tom Benson."

After hearing this interview first-hand, I was left with the very distinct impression that Upshaw is completely disgusted with Tom Benson, and that he believes that the team would be in a far better situation if someone else owned the Saints. How many times did Upshaw note that Benson owned the Saints? If you listen carefully, he even laughed during one of those instances.

The next few weeks are going to be extremely interesting, but could become monumental if Tagliabue and Upshaw have similar thoughts about Benson, and the other NFL owners get the same feeling.

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S.A. paper skews truth; Fielkow speaks; DeShazier pens great column; Benson slammed yet again; Mortensen: Ultimate Saints destination is L.A.

2005-12-16T10:22:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that a meeting between NFLPA president Gene Upshaw and Saints players resulted in a general belief that the team will return to Louisiana for the entirety of the 2006 campaign.

The San Antonio Express-News, however, has a completely different take.

Today, the Express-News ran a story today by Mike Finger, entitled "Saints' future like the present: no easy answers." The article paints a picture largely favorable to San Antonio and Tom Benson.

Finger wrote that the Saints' meeting with Upshaw was "contentious and largely unproductive," and because of that, players were "reaching new frustration levels."

Of course, that has nothing to do with Finger's own admission that national media is swelling to see "an NFL team with no home, with a tent for a weight room, with a high-school baseball stadium for locker rooms."

All while a "pristene" (courtesy ABC's Al Michaels) and "first class" (courtesy NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue) training facility sits unused in Metairie, contrary to Benson's bent beliefs.

Finger affirmed a heavily discussed story involving Benson telling his staff in San Antonio that New Orleans was "unlivable":

"Benson has told his staff that a return to Louisiana isn't possible, saying the state doesn't have the infrastructure to support the Saints while it recovers from Hurricane Katrina."

Finger further notes the blatantly obvious:

"Benson, who already has severed ties with many employees who were in favor of staying in New Orleans, is pushing to keep the team based in San Antonio and to play home games in the Alamodome, which is keeping most of its fall 2006 weekends open to accommodate the team."

And obviously, the San Antonio Express-News is doing its part for Benson by skewing the truth.

The paper has failed to point out that the aforementioned meeting between Saints players and Upshaw resulted in numerous comments indicating that the NFLPA is advocating (and Saints players are expecting) a full return to Louisiana for a split schedule solely between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. (See here for that paper's only other report on the Upshaw meeting.)

Heck, Upshaw himself was on ESPN Radio yesterday, saying that there could be four games in New Orleans based upon Superdome repair projections. This goes along with the Saints' players statements in the Times-Picayune that the NFLPA was hoping for four games in the Superdome and four in Tiger Stadium.

It's a solution to the Saints' chief concern: not having a central home base next season.

Upshaw has noted that the team's Metairie training facility is in great shape. It beats the hell out of, quoting Finger again, "an NFL team with no home, with a tent for a weight room, with a high-school baseball stadium for locker rooms."

(Again, for photos of the training facility in its present state, see here.)

And, Upshaw told ESPN Radio that Saints players are frustrated due to a lack of leadership in the front office.

Perhaps (again quoting Finger) that's why the team is "reaching new frustration levels" and players are so "contentious"?

But then again, what do we expect? The paper is based in a city whose vulturous leaders have continued to willfully slither to a new disgusting low in courting Benson, truth and righteousness be damned.

FIELKOW SPEAKS
Well, not technically. But Arnold Fielkow (ex-Saints VP fired by Benson for his pro-New Orleans stance) did write an amazing must-read op-ed for today's Times-Picayune, entitled "Team Players: Our economy, and our hearts, need the Saints."

In it, Fielkow writes,

"The Metairie training facility is ready; players' doctor's offices, clinics and hospitals are open, and even the players' hotel is operating. Everything may not be perfect, but it is certainly better than the nomadic existence in San Antonio that so many players and staff have complained about."

Fielkow effectively chips away at Benson's statements that New Orleans is "unlivable" and appeals to Benson to have the Saints "truly be 'Saints' and do the right thing for our community."

It appears Fielkow will continue to be a great advocate for New Orleans, and a tremendous thorn in Benson's side.

DESHAZIER PENS GREAT COLUMN
Today's Times-Picayune features a great piece by John DeShazier, entitled "Bringing Saints back to N.O. is right thing to do."

In it, DeShazier writes:

"As much as Saints owner Tom Benson has made it obvious he wants the team's stay in San Antonio to be an extended one, it's a no-brainer that the Saints should begin and end the 2006 season in New Orleans. Practicing at the team's training facility in Metairie, playing a split schedule (if need be) at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and the Superdome. ...

"The coaching staff and players are unanimous in their desire to be in one place the entire season, to again have all the trappings and comforts that accompany being an NFL franchise after being shuffled from city to city, flying to play five home games and eight road games, being shoved out of the Alamodome and into a high school locker room in favor of the NCAA volleyball championships and the Alamo Bowl.

"The only 'indignity' they'll suffer from practicing in Metairie and playing in Baton Rouge is the bus ride to home games."

DeShazier also calls on players who have no home-grown ties to Louisiana to voice support for such a return, given the lack of insufficient facilities and required travel that a split schedule involving San Antonio would necessitate.

BENSON SLAMMED YET AGAIN
And the hits just keep on coming, this time from Houston Chronicle columnist Richard Justice.

Justice, in a piece about the Texans, its owner Bob McNair, and his newest hire Dan Reeves, writes near the end of the story:

"This is about you showing this city you're more Bob Kraft than Tom Benson."

The clear reason for this is that Kraft, the Patriots' owner, is the absolute best in the NFL, while Benson is on the total opposite end of the spectrum.

And Tommy Boy is well on his way to anointing himself (through his actions) the worst owner in professional sports history.

MORTENSEN: ULTIMATE SAINTS DESTINATION IS L.A.
ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen writes on his ESPN Insider page (to which I do not have access) that he believe the Saints' ultimate destination will be Los Angeles, and presumably (based on the ESPN NFL front page linking to the Mortensen story) that current USC coach Pete Carroll could be the coach in such a scenario. Check it out if you're an Insider...

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Pics from training facility prove Benson is a liar

2005-12-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

An excellent blog site following New Orleans' recovery - aptly titled The Third Battle of New Orleans - has posted some outstanding photos of the Saints' Metairie training facility, taken this afternoon. (Two of the photos are reproduced below.)

As you can see, the facility is in great shape, and is quite obviously vacant.

Which runs completely contrary to Benson's assertions to his staff yesterday that the facility was occupied by FEMA and the National Guard, or that the facility is unusable.

Makes you wonder: What the hell is Tom Benson thinking?

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S.A. group with interest in Saints buys block of tix for last game in Alamodome; NFLPA: Louisiana a major possibility for Saints in '06

2005-12-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

An international real estate development company with regional headquarters in San Antonio has purchased 10,000 tickets to the Christmas Eve Saints game against the Detroit Lions in the Alamodome.

The company, HollyHills Group, will distribute the tickets to military personnel around San Antonio.

While I applaud supporting our military, I am admittedly suspicious of possible ulterior motives on the part of the HollyHills Group.

You see, this is the same group that is proposing to construct a sports and entertainment district in San Antonio, fully equipped with a brand new NFL football stadium. In fact, the first linked San Antonio Express-News article above states that HollyHills Group CEO Joe Heitzler told the paper that "the Saints are very interested in the stadium component of the sports and entertainment district."

(More details of the HollyHills plan can be found here.)

Purchasing nearly one-sixth of the Alamodome capacity to the Saints-Lions game on Christmas Eve is an act of good faith toward Tom Benson, who clearly has full intentions of moving the Saints to San Antonio by any means necessary (be it lying to staff or making his team practice in a parking lot).

Notably, this 10,000-ticket purchase also shows that there were about 40,000 seats sold for the game, since the official Saints news release states, "The generous donation swells the Saints' ticket count for the Dec. 24 clash against the Lions to well over 50,000."

(Use of the word "swells" shows that publicizing a large crowd at the Alamodome, whether by actual fan ticket purchases or large donations, will be relied upon by Benson in trying to sway the NFL to vote his way.)

And no, the crowd in Tiger Stadium for this Sunday's Panthers-Saints game may not be as large, but it must be pointed out that Benson has not treated the citizens of San Antonio or the state of Texas in nearly the same disrespectful and disingenous manner as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Louisiana.

A lot of ill feeling has "swelled" towards Benson throughout Louisiana, which undoubtedly has driven down ticket sales in a state that has ardently supported the Saints through thin and thinner for nearly four decades.

It's also a direct contrast to the following story...

NFLPA: LOUISIANA A MAJOR POSSIBILITY FOR SAINTS IN '06
According to this article by Brian Allee-Walsh of the Times-Picayune, a Wednesday meeting conducted by NFL Players Association President Gene Upshaw with Saints players in San Antonio revealed that Upshaw's desires are for the team "to return to their training facility in Metairie and split their eight home games between Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and the Superdome."

Saints defensive end Darren Howard, who by some accounts is likely to not be with the team after this season, told the Times-Picayune:

"The impression I got from (Upshaw) is we'd be back next year in New Orleans and play four games in the Superdome and four games in Baton Rouge. He didn't say it like that, but that's the impression I got.

"I guess that's what he's arguing for and the commissioner is pushing for. If I had to guess, if I had to put my money on it, I think we'll be back in New Orleans next year. But it's all hearsay until it happens."

The San Antonio Express-News, however, refused to report this development in its edition today. A five-paragraph blurb made note of the meeting, but nothing was mentioned regarding a potential return of the Saints to New Orleans.

If this plan works out, it would alleviate player concerns about staying in one place if at all possible during the 2006 season, and ensure that NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue's promise of giving New Orleans another chance will not go unheeded.

It would further guarantee that Tommy Boy will yet again embarrass himself in some fashion at some point.

In fact, one has to wonder whether Benson lied to his staff yesterday, about the team's training facility and the state of the city, after hearing about Upshaw's meeting.

As always on this rollercoaster, we shall see.

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Benson tells staff that training facility still occupied by FEMA and National Guard; Manning comments; Report: Haslett asks to be fired

2005-12-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

WWL radio reports this evening that Tom Benson has told Saints employees at a meeting in San Antonio today that the team's training facility is still occupied by FEMA and National Guard troops, and that employees must stay away from New Orleans as it is "unlivable."

WWL radio's Bobby Hebert and Kenny Wilkerson sports show is still discussing the situation at this hour. Wilkerson has contended that many employees had to cover their mouths to keep from laughing at Benson's comments.

This may be the biggest indication yet that Benson has gone right off the deep end in his disdain for returning the Saints to New Orleans.

First, it is without any dispute that the Saints' training facility in Metairie is pristene and in first-class condition, and is ready and waiting for its rightful suitors to return. FEMA and the National Guard are not occupying the facility in any respect. This comes just over a week after NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue personally toured the facility and deemed it in "first-class" condition.

Second, to say that New Orleans is uninhabitable is a direct slap in the face of those who are presently living there or who are returning there.

Benson's direct, irrational lies to his staff may be the biggest occurrence to date in the Saints' ongoing fiasco.

Developing...

MANNING COMMENTS
Saints legend Archie Manning appeared on the WWL radio program with Bobby Hebert and Kenny Wilkerson, and had the following comments about Benson's antics today:

"That's the most unbelievable thing. It seems to me they could've been back here (in New Orleans) for the open date. The mood, disposition, and attitude of the coaches and players would be 200 percent better. We know why he (Benson) didn't - he wants to move the team over there (to S.A.)."

"The team is getting some bad info if it's blaming Tagliabue."

And, finally, on whether the Saints should play any games in San Antonio in 2006:

"No. I don't think so. I know the NFL doesn't want to be in S.A., I can guarantee you that."

REPORT: HASLETT ASKS TO BE FIRED
The NFL Network is reporting that Saints head coach Jim Haslett has asked Benson to be fired, or he will step down at the end of the 2005 season.

More to come on this...

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Brooks benched...but why?

2005-12-14T17:57:00.000-05:00

WWL-TV reports this afternoon that longtime Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks has been benched for the remainder of the 2005 season.

This comes just days after Brooks blasted Saints owner Tom Benson in an interview with Jim Gray, which aired on Westwood One radio Monday and partially on CBS's NFL Today pregame show Sunday.

It also comes on the same day reports are making the rounds that a reconstructed and upgraded Superdome is expected to be NFL-ready by November 2006. (You don't suppose benching Brooks today could be an effort to overshadow the positive Superdome news, eh? Nah. Benson wouldn't do that...)

It leads to the obvious question: After so many woefully bad games (two moments that I can recall involve Brooks throwing the ball to a group of defenders off his back leg while falling into the endzone, and running out of bounds while trying to run out the clock late in the game), all of a sudden Brooks is getting yanked now?

His poor play over the last few seasons obviously hasn't been enough to get him benched. Even when Brooks was injured, he still started games. Even when the backup was a guy by the name of Jake Delhomme (who, ironically, will start Sunday for the Carolina Panthers against the Saints).

Now, it seems all too clear that his comments off the field, and not his play on it, have cost him his starting role with the team.

Especially since a Saints spokesperson felt the need to make sure to assert that the benching has nothing to do with Brooks' criticism of Benson or NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

(Yeah, right. And Tommy Boy doesn't want to move to San Antonio either.)

To me, it's an indication that Benson is inflicting upon Brooks the same punishment he gave Arnold Fielkow.

Fielkow was fired for wanting to keep the Saints in New Orleans, making Benson unhappy.

Brooks has been benched and will be fired for criticizing Benson for being greedy and having his team practice in a parking lot and dress in a high school baseball stadium, making Benson unhappy.

(Benson probably would fire Tagliabue if he controlled the NFL too.)

None of it looks good on Benson. The glaring implication is that it's either Tommy Boy's way, or the highway. Even if it means abandoning a hometown city in need, or allowing players to practice in conditions that would embarrass even the smallest college program.

The real lesson: No matter how hard the NFL tries, it cannot prevent ole Tommy Boy from continuing to be an all-out public relations nightmare.

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NFL to subsidize Saints?; More on Superdome reconstruction; Benson bashed for S.A. conditions

2005-12-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

A post on the saintsreport.com message boards indicates that WDSU-TV's Fletcher Mackel reported yesterday that the NFL has agreed to subsidize the Saints due to the conditions in New Orleans.

Most importantly, the subsidy would only apply if the team remains in New Orleans.

Apparently, according to other posts on the forum, Mackel also noted that inside sources indicated Benson had refused the subsidy in order to keep open his option of moving the team to San Antonio. Benson also could use such a subsidy as a bargaining chip with San Antonio in relocation discussions.

If this is correct, it is a striking blow made by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, showing a true devotion to returning the team to its rightful home.

And a complete opposite on Tommy Boy's part.

MORE ON SUPERDOME RECONSTRUCTION
Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune provides more specific details on the Superdome reconstruction in today's edition.

The article notes that the Dome could be open for NFL football by November 1, 2006, with new enhancements throughout the facility such as "renovated luxury suites and open-air club rooms with new furniture and flat-screen TVs; glass walls on the corners of the building; VIP entry ways to club lounges; and state-of-the-art electronics, including new scoreboards and a high-definition "halo" board like the one in New Orleans Arena."

Most improvements to the luxury suites and club rooms wouldn't be finalized until the start of the 2007 season.

The article goes on to state that the cost of the repairs and enhancements are estimated to range from $154 million to $182 million, not including possible increases due to shortages of materials and labor post-Katrina. State insurance and FEMA would cover nearly 90 percent of the costs, with the state having to pony up the remaining amount.

Among the options for the state to come up with the money is refinancing the Superdome's bond debt, which could result in $50 million.

Another notable portion of the article, reproduced below from Duncan's article, focuses on the findings of an architectural study of the Superdome:

- The Dome's structural frame was unaffected by the storm.

- The exterior aluminum skin on the sides of the building received minor aesthetic damage.

- All of the 53,000 square feet of carpet, 30 percent of the Sheetrock and 15 percent of the ceiling tiles will need to be replaced.

- Nearly all of the furnishings in the 165 luxury suites were damaged and will need to be replaced.

- Fifty percent of the food-service equipment in the concession stands were damaged.

- Thirty-five percent of the seats received water damage.

- The synthetic turf football field was ruined by contaminated water and will need to be replaced.

- Eleven of the Dome's 38 escalators and six of the 15 elevators will need some repair or replacement.

- All four corner scoreboards were damaged and will need to be replaced.

BENSON BASHED FOR S.A. CONDITIONS
Even fantasy football writers are chiming in on the reality that is the Saints' dismal conditions in San Antonio.

Take foxsports.com and rotoworld.com columnist Gregg Rosenthal, for example. In his latest piece, he offers the following commentary as the lead:

"My favorite part of Monday Night Football was the footage of a Saints walk through. The team had been kicked out of their newest practice home by the latest rodeo or NCAA fencing tournament that appears to be so popular in San Antonio. Saints owner Tom Benson spares no expense making his team as uncomfortable as possible.

"The Saints players were all wearing street clothes, some with winter coats on, one player with camouflage shorts, a backward hat, and what looked like flip-flops. A few players had their hands in there pockets, turned away from the action. They had all the energy of a bored high school basketball team forced to run a layup line."

These comments echo those of Aaron Brooks, and are part of a slowly but surely growing perspective on the team's situation.

It's becoming more and more apparent that the Saints' conditions now are not so much because of what Katrina has done, but rather are due to what Tom Benson won't do.

Benson could have his team practicing in Metairie, living in their own homes (reports indicate that only one of the Saints' players' homes was destroyed by Katrina), and preparing to play the second half of 2006 in the refurbished and upgraded Superdome with a certainty about the future.

In doing so, Tommy Boy could give New Orleans a real chance at recovery by being a leader in a time where leadership there has been in doubt. He could show some FAITH in his home town.

Or, he could have his team practice in a parking lot, dress in a high school baseball field, work out under an outdoor tent, live in apartments, and have no idea what lies ahead for them or their families. In doing so, he could completely alienate most of his players, as well as one of the most unbelievably loyal fan bases in professional sports.

I think all of us in Louisiana have seen over the years that Tommy Boy will try to get whatever HE wants, without a hint of conscience about anyone and everyone else harmed in the process.

Players, coaches, front office employees, fans, New Orleans' recovery...Apparently, nothing matters more to Tommy Boy than money from a new place where people haven't been soured on him.

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Entire Brooks interview transcript reveals stinging quotes; Consultant: Superdome can be ready by Nov. 1, 2006

2005-12-13T17:43:00.000-05:00

Below is the entire transcript of the interview between Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks and Westwood One radio's Jim Gray. (You can listen to the interview here.) The bold portions are the most telling in regards to Brooks' take on the Saints' situation in New Orleans:

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Jim Gray: Aaron let me ask you, how challenging has this season been for the team with everything that’s going on?

Aaron Brooks: Well, it’s been very challenging. It’s been one of the most difficult seasons thus far to really just maintain focus and concentrate on the job at hand. So hey, that’s the hand we’ve been dealt. Like any other thing, you just have to deal with it best you can.

JG: You know, a lot of fans wonder this and I think that if you can be as candid as possible - I know you don’t want to jeopardize your standing or anything but do you think about the Hurricane in the aftermath ever while the game is being played?

AB: (Laughs) Wow, you know I don’t think so….

JG: I know that my mind wanders sometimes at work if I’m having problems. Obviously, nothing quite like this has occurred in my life which has occurred to all of you. But my mind wanders at work.

AB: Right, I don’t think so, but it’s like deep down in your heart when you’re not winning, when you’re not performing up to par, you kind of only wish you know that things were better across the board. You know, you wish things wouldn’t have went the way it did, and you try to think of ways to…, situations would have been better. Should have, could have, would have type things. And like I’ve said, you know it’s just tough to deal with, and we are out there trying our heart out, man, but it just hasn’t been going our way. And it happens sometimes on football teams so….Hey man, (laughs) that’s all right, we’re just dealing with it man, that’s all. Best I can say man, it’s been very unusual.

JG: Aaron, commissioner Tagliabue stated that he thought the Saints would probably play some of their home games next year in the Superdome. What is you and your teammates thoughts on that?

AB: Wow. One, we don’t know how that’s going to be possible. It’s gonna take a miracle to do that. And two, how loyal are our fans? Are they loyal to the point where they would go back into that Superdome so soon knowing that what happened, what occurred in that Superdome during the evacuation? You know there’s just many questions. And I think as a football team, right now, I don’t know if we can say that we can agree with that.

JG: Would you feel apprehensive about playing in there?

AB: You know that’s tough to say. I can’t even answer that right now. I mean I really don’t know. I could say yeah today and no tomorrow.

JG: Do you think that the league has dealt with the Saints fairly throughout this whole tragedy?

AB: No (pause), not at all. I feel that more should have been done. And if they want to put the burden on the owner, I think some needs to fall on the Commissioner, on the NFL. I think everybody’s involved in the situation. I felt like the Commissioner should have came down and spoke to us immediately after it happened – regardless if anyone, whether it was the coach or owner who denied him the right to come down, I thought he should have came down anyway. Because he’s first of all the Commissioner of the NFL. Everything goes through him and the owners and our team needed to be addressed from that standpoint. And I think a lot of it has been swept under the rug. I think it was more of a political platform than anything. And I say that because our first home game was in New York after we just finished traveling from Carolina and other places to play a home game in New York. And when we get there, we got the Commissioner, we got the President, we got all these politicians on the football field in our way so that we can’t warm up. So, I took it personally. I had had to cuss him out. I told him [NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue]: ‘Get the hell off the football field.’ And I thought that was [b.s] because it wasn’t about that. It was a great cause, and I hope all the money went to all the shelters that were needed but I just thought it was [b.s.] and I think that they (inaudible) enough to help us out in the situation. And for those who don’t understand, come down to San Antonio to see what our conditions are like and what we are going through, and see our facility is being shuffled from month to month. And, it’s just bad. And, it’s just uncalled for. The league is worth over billions of dollars and you can’t accommodate a football team that’s probably worth over $600 million better than what we’ve been treated. I just think it’s [b.s.], Jim.

JG: And when you told the commissioner what you had to say, did he respond? Did he get back to you?

AB: Well, it was just too much of a political platform for him to have even acknowledged. And from my standpoint, I felt like he wanted to make it convenient for him. But from my standpoint, I felt like he needed to come down and address this football team personally.

JG: Aaron, what would you have liked to have heard? What could anyone have said to you guys or have done that would have made you guys feel better?

AB: He [Tagliabue] could have lied out of his teeth as long as we could have saw him up there, as long as he was in front of us, and tell us anything. He could have told us anything – that the moon is green. He could have told us anything. The fact that he would have came down, would have at least sat with us, and say that at least he came down. He may not have had much to say or didn’t tell us anything that we needed to know, but he came down. And he just didn’t do that. And I thought that it was just wrong from his standpoint. I don’t give a damn what had transpired.

JG: Moving forward in the future, would you like to meet with him? Would you like to have the team meet with him before you guys enter into the next season?

AB: Jim, It’s too late. For what? Nothing he can say or do to help us out. I mean you guys, it’s not just the players. We have our whole staff that wanted to hear from him. We have secretaries that are part of it - have second doubts about their jobs and what the NFL will do for them. There’s nothing he can say or do for us at this point because it’s over. People have recovered to the best of their ability and gone on with their lives, moved on with their lives. So like, it’s no longer an issue anymore. The hurricane’s came and gone, and the situation that people are in pretty much are settled in now. So, there’s nothing he can say.

JG: Would you like to see the team return to New Orleans, or would you like to see them move on to San Antonio or Los Angeles or wherever else?

AB: Only if the city is feasible. If the city is feasible enough to where we have working hospitals, a working facility, a conducive environment that people can come back and feel enjoyable, comfortable. The schools are back intact, libraries, everything that a working city has and needs for it to be upwardly mobile, yeah I’d come back. But if it’s not up to par, there’s no need to go back Jim.

JG: Aaron, would you like to see Mr. Benson sell the team to someone like Terry Bradshaw?

AB: Hey man, Mr. Benson can do whatever he wants with the football team. That’s not for me to really get into or for me to have an opinion on. So, it’s his choice. He can do whatever he feels like. He’s his own man, and he will do whatever is best for him and his family.

JG: Aaron, how do you feel he (Benson) has handled the players and the circumstances?

AB: Well, yeah, that’s just another situation. For me, I’m quite sure he could have done a better job. I’m quite sure he could have done a better job. I don’t know exactly what he was dealt with, and I’m not trying to leave him out of it either. You know, if he sells his team, he walks away with 600 million. I don’t think a couple of million would hurt him to make his players feel very comfortable every week. So, I’m more than sure he could have done a lot more. I’m very sure he could have done a lot more. But hey, it’s over with and there ain’t nothing I can do about, nothing you can do about it. We just gotta wait on a decision that we will have no input on.

JG: Has he (Benson) addressed the team continuously and has he been involved in your guys’ lives?

AB: No, he hasn’t. No, he hasn’t, and neither has the GM. Nobody know what’s going on. We don’t know if we gotta let go of our leases or rent an apartment, rent homes. We don’t know whether the off-season programs are going to be here in San Antonio, back in New Orleans. We don’t know anything. The hurricane happened on August 29th, and we still have no answer on what’s gonna happen, where we’re gonna be, what’s going on. C’mon man, be for real.

JG: How can you guys possibly concentrate on the games with all that’s going on?

AB: (inhales) Man, [expletive], we trying our best man. We may not put the best performance out there but we tryin’ our best and the guys are sticking together. You know our situation. We know things are messed up right now. We know it, we know it, and we just try and go out there and play our heart out and hope for the best.

JG: How come we have not heard all of this all season?

AB: ‘Cause they didn’t want to hear this. They didn’t want to hear this. They didn’t want to come to me and talk to me like man, like you have, and ask me about these situations. People didn’t want to hear that. Lot of all this stuff happened behind closed doors. They don’t want to step up and ask these questions to us and talk to us like young men about the job that we do every day. They ain’t gonna do that. That’s why it’s just now getting out. We said…several of us as players have said it from time to time in the paper, but it was just small talk and downplayed and such and such because I guess it’s something you know that we as players didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for us. But no one addressed the real issues that you brought up today.

JG: Do you support the coach, Jim Haslett?

AB: [LONG PAUSE] I support him. As long as I’m here, I support him. I support this organization as long as I’m here.

JG: Quite frankly, Aaron – and with all due respect – that sounds lukewarm.

AB: Hey man, it is what it is, man.

JG: Well Aaron, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us this evening, and we wish you better luck as things go on. And I most appreciate your being so candid with me.

AB: Thank you, Jim. Take care, man. Have a nice day.

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CONSULTANT: SUPERDOME CAN BE READY BY NOV. 1, 2006
A consultant's report released today states that the Louisiana Superdome can be NFL football-ready by November 1, 2006. This would allow for Saints games in New Orleans in the second half of the 2006 season.

Developing...

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Brooks bashes Benson, Tagliabue; Monday Night Football talk; Saints involved in PSA

2005-12-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Saints starting quarterback Aaron Brooks lashed out at team owner Tom Benson and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue on a recent NFL Today interview with Jim Gray.

Portions of the interview transcript can be found here. The entire interview was aired on Westwood One radio last night.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune ran a story today on Brooks' comments. The most notable of his rant was as follows:

"If (Benson) sells the team, he walks away with 600 million (dollars). I don't think a couple million would hurt to make his team feel very comfortable every week. So I'm more than sure he could have done a lot more. I'm very sure he could have done a lot more. And for those who don't understand, come down here to San Antonio and see what our conditions are like. It's just bad."

Brooks also said that Tagliabue should have talked to the Saints immediately after Katrina to address potential issues such as the ones the team has endured.

The Times-Picayune notes that frustration has mounted with the Saints' conditions in San Antonio, and that standout defensive lineman Darren Howard may have become such a distraction in expressing his frustration that the team may place him on the inactive list for the remainder of the season.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TALK
Last night's game on ABC's Monday Night Football between the Saints and Atlanta Falcons featured numerous comments about the Saints' situation.

Al Michaels commented on footage from the Saints' practice facility in Metairie, saying that it looked "pristene." He also stated that the team's future is in question, and at one point early in the broadcast he noted that the Saints were, at least for the time being, from New Orleans. Michaels also said that the Superdome may be ready by late October to host football games - the earliest assertion I've heard thus far.

John Madden added that the league will play games in San Antonio and New Orleans next year, and noted that Baton Rouge is likely not to be a host. This is the first I've heard of such a plan.

Both apparently seemed to think that the team's players were very interested in returning to New Orleans. Whether they discerned that from personal interviews with the team, or just were stating what they believed the team felt, wasn't known.

Of course, it's unclear how much homework Madden or Michaels conducted on the extensive developments involved in this situation before their broadcast yesterday, so some of what was said by both should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

Saints wide receiver Joe Horn also offered pre-recorded comments in an interview during the game, stating that he wanted Louisiana to have an opportunity to support the team in New Orleans.

Horn also has made comments supporting a Saints move from Louisiana too, so take his words with a grain of salt as well.

SAINTS INVOLVED IN PSA
A public service announcement on emergency preparedness has been filmed for Homeland Security involving Saints head coach Jim Haslett, Brooks, Horn, and wideout Donte Stallworth.

More on the spot, which will be distributed to nationwide television stations this week, can be found here. A link to the ad is also provided, though that site apparently hasn't been updated with the ad.

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Too many links for a single headline to cover

2005-12-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

A quick scan revealed that a lot's been said about the Saints over the last couple of days or so. Here's just a run-through of links:

Dome upgrade expected in 2006 - Jeff Duncan, New Orleans Times-Picayune - Apparently, the LSED state will look to add such things as "modernized club rooms, updated luxury suites, high-end concession stands and state-of-the-art electronics, such as high-definition scoreboards and halo boards." A press conference is scheduled to further reveal the upgrade plans tomorrow.

Things really are horrible for Saints - Paul Attner, Sporting News - Attner comments on the recent San Antonio practice development, asking, "Huh? This is the setup for a NFL team?" Attner further acknowledges that "with an owner who has become the league's public relations nightmare and a practice and playing schedule set up to produce failure, the season has become wrenching."

Saints punter Berger rips Tagliabue - TSN.ca (Canadian sports site) - The story is basically a list of Berger's comments, including such gems as, "If I was a free agent this year I'd go anywhere but our team."

The Dirty Dozen - Jon Heyman, New York Newsday - Heyman comes up with a list of Worst Sports of the Year, with good ole Tommy Boy at No. 2 (just behind Terrell Owens and his agent at 1 and 1a):

"2. Tom Benson, Saints owner. Never should be allowed to own a team called the Saints. Effectively spit on New Orleans by making clear his intention to move seemingly within minutes after Hurricane Katrina struck. When Benson was booed and cursed at in Baton Rouge, he whined via e-mail to commissioner Paul Tagliabue that his trip there was a 'total disaster.' No, he is."

Bears 'D' has Chicago in Super Bowl Shuffle - Gary Myers, New York Daily News - In Myers' Quick Hits section of this article, he writes:

"The NFL is not ready to bail out on New Orleans just yet, even if Saints owner Tom Benson puts up a fight. So, another unsettling season comes up in 2006. The plan is for the Saints to play games in Baton Rouge and San Antonio again next year and, if the Superdome is ready, play a couple of late-season games there. The Saints' practice facility near the New Orleans airport is in good shape, which could allow the team to move back home. If New Orleans is not able to show it can support the Saints in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, then moving to Los Angeles becomes very realistic."

Marlins' president says Alamo City is a Major League contender - W. Scott Bailey, San Antonio Business Journal - This story includes comments about NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue being wrong about San Antonio's size and ability to support an NFL franchise. Major League Baseball's Marlins may think differently.

Richardson seeks advice on bringing NFL team to New Mexico - AP - New Mexico governor Bill Richardson told the Associated Press recently that his office was in direct contact with Tom Benson last spring about relocating the Saints to Albuquerque. We already knew this, but it's just interesting to note again that Benson also had talked to San Antonio around this time.

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More Saints practice photos from S.A.

2005-12-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

Here's another photo of the Saints' practice in San Antonio, on the bare concrete floor of the Alamodome while wearing street clothes. Along with that is the photo already posted in the previous post.

Brooks weighs quitting?; Saints impacted by cold weather in S.A.; Comments made on Tagliabue press conference; S.A. mayor comments (UPDATED)

2005-12-09T09:21:00.000-05:00

Saints starting quarterback Aaron Brooks is quoted in a foxsports.com story today,in response to more facility difficulties in San Antonio, as saying, "We move one more time and I'm quitting."

No word yet on whether Saints coaches or fans were trying to orchestrate another move to call the overpaid and underachieving Brooks' bluff.

The comment was spurred by freezing temperatures that forced the Saints to change plans from having a morning walkthrough at a parking lot to going through their motions behind the stands in the Alamodome, which is preparing to host the NCAA volleyball championships.

According to this article in the Times-Picayune, and
this photo by the Associated Press, the team had its walkthrough in jeans, sweats, jackets, and stocking caps.

After the makeshift walkthrough, the team went back to its dressing room - at a local high school baseball field.

The team is also working out in a weight tent in the high school baseball field parking lot, which has air conditioning and heaters powered by generators.

Saints head coach Jim Haslett was quoted in the same article as saying, "You don't hear anybody complaining. Nothing's like home, but this is the best we could do."

Too bad that "first class" training facility in Metairie is going unused.

Of course, there are other alternatives, according to wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who told the Times-Picayune, "I want to play all our home games in Rio de Janeiro."

Jokes aside, offensive lineman Kendyl Jacox was quoted in the same article as saying, "This is just awful. For us to be a professional team, to get bounced around like this, it's really unimaginable."

And, in this San Antonio Express-News article, kicker John Carney was quoted as saying, "This should be embarrassing to somebody. If the public knew this is how an NFL franchise operates, they would be shocked."

COMMENTS MADE ON TAGLIABUE PRESS CONFERENCE
For the first time since NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue held a press conference in New Orleans earlier this week, wherein he proclaimed that it was highly likely there would be a split schedule involving Baton Rouge and San Antonio again in 2006, members of the team were able to offer their thoughts.

By far the strongest reaction came from offensive lineman Kendyl Jacox, who told the Times-Picayune:

"I don't think anybody wants a split schedule. We're tired of traveling for home games. I don't think it's fair to us. They say they're going to take care of us. Is that how you do it? No. It's all about money. Period, point blank. And I want them to stop lying and saying that it's not...(Tagliabue's) been saying a lot of stuff since the hurricane hit. I don't believe nothing he says. And you can quote me on that. I don't believe a thing he says."

When Tagliabue appears to be the biggest ally to New Orleans in this ordeal, comments like that are not comforting.

Another offensive lineman, Wayne Gandy, told the paper that it was nonsensical to have any games in San Antonio if the team is going to use its practice facility in Metairie.

True. Tell that to Tagliabue.

But Gandy also told the San Antonio Express-News, "LSU is not a home game. Home to a player is where he doesn't have to get on a plane. All he has to do is wake up Sunday morning, go crank up his car and drive to the stadium. That is a home game."

Of course, the most important part of this article comes further down - a poll of which I was unaware.

The Times-Picayune conducted a poll of Saints players recently on their scheduling preferences, which revealed the following:
- 33 Saints players would rather practice and play their entire 2006 schedule in San Antonio
- Six would rather practice at the team's facility in Metairie and play its games in Baton Rouge
- 15 were undecided or had no preference.

I wonder if that poll was taken again after visiting the training facility in Metairie versus that high school baseball field parking lot, whether the results would come out differently.

In any event, that's not good news for New Orleans. We can probably guess how Gandy voted.

As for San Antonio, mayor Phil Hardburglar was quoted in the aforementioned San Antonio Express-News article as saying, "We furnished a home for them once and, at their request, we will furnish a home to them again."

Check out those photos in the above post. What a grand home San Antonio has presented.

Hardburglar added, "And if they do choose to play here, we will continue to fill the stadium for them."

With San Antonio-specific choice ticket discounts and giveaways, no doubt.

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Big shocker: Saints last in ESPN fan satisfaction survey

2005-12-08T17:46:00.000-05:00

In what should come as no surprise, the New Orleans Saints have ranked dead last out of 91 franchises for ESPN.com's fan satisfaction survey.

This, friends, isn't because the Saints are hated in Louisiana. Quite the contrary.

No, it's because of Tom Benson, plain and simple.

The kicker of this small article is a quote from Saints spokesman Greg Bensel:

"Eighty percent of companies in New Orleans haven't been able to reopen yet, but we are keeping this company in business. We relocated to San Antonio so we can stay afloat. We remain a Louisiana corporation, and we're paying $25 million into the state income tax fund this year. All anybody wants to do is criticize Mr. [Tom] Benson, but they're barking up the wrong tree."

Really, Greg? How about Benson's jab at a television camera, or his email wrongfully blasting Baton Rouge? How about his being in bed with San Antonio instead of exercising some FAITH in New Orleans?

How about his derogatory comments about Saints support before Katrina hit? How about his negotiation stances with Louisiana?

It's pretty damn clear that ole Tommy Boy is responsible for such a bad perception that his team ranks dead last in fan satisfaction.

Imagine that. And the fans are the ones barking up the wrong tree.

After all Saints fans have had to put up with over the last several years, especially in 2005 both before and after Katrina, this comes as zero surprise.

And, for that matter, neither does some Saints spokesman attempting to sway the blame from Benson, all while posturing for a move to San Antonio.

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Orlando Sentinel columnist: Saints shouldn't return to N.O.

2005-12-07T14:27:00.000-05:00

Orlando Sentinel columnist Jemele Hill, in a column titled "Road Alone," asserts that the Saints should not return to New Orleans for financial reasons, and that Tom Benson should not be cast as an evil guy for wanting to move the team. It's worth a look. The link is here.

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Benson's acts harming N.O. in more ways than one?

2005-12-07T12:32:00.000-05:00

Today's Houma Courier features an insightful opinion piece by Ryan Chatelain entitled "Team's lies could hurt N.O.'s efforts."

The article states that Tom Benson's assertions that New Orleans lacks health care and schools to support his team's employees are "bold-faced lies" that may be hampering other former residents from returning home.

It also notes that there are traffic jams in Kenner (a suburb of New Orleans) during rush hour, indicative of a return to some sense of normalcy.

And, Chatelain points out that Saints coaches' and players' homes were largely unaffected by Katrina, and that instead of being able to sleep in their own beds and practice in a first-class training facility, they are being used as "pawns in Benson's game" to try and move the team to San Antonio.

It makes for a good read (even with the annoying required registration).

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Analysis of Tagliabue press conference; Jones comments on WWL; S.A. 'Water Cooler' again rips La.; S.A. courting Marlins

2005-12-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

Having reviewed the articles regarding NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue's press conference and visit to New Orleans on Monday, a lot of things passed through my mind.

One, there was not a lot of mention regarding Tagliabue's assertion that the Saints are under no obligation to play in New Orleans next year, since the lease apparently provides that if the team cannot play one game in the Superdome, it doesn't have to play any games there.

Perhaps Tags was seeking to express that the NFL is being generous in spite of this. But it came off a little differently. I'll try to take the "glass half full" perspective, since by all accounts he is New Orleans' biggest advocate in this debacle.

For example, Dave Dixon was quoted in the Times-Picayune after hearing from Tagliabue to say, "The commissioner has the best interests of New Orleans at heart. I sincerely believe that."

Which is why I think Tagliabue pegged ex-Saints president and LSU alum Eddie Jones to be his eyes and ears in New Orleans. Jones left the Saints as president and chief operating officer when Tom Benson took over, and will make a genuinely fair determination of the situation, above and beyond Benson's jaded assertions. (A previous post on Jones, including his history, can be found here.)

Speaking of Benson, who was not spoken of at the Tagliabue press conference, he gave a brief speech at a breakfast Monday and was described by more than one source to be "conciliatory."

Too bad he hasn't made any effort to bridge the enormous gap between himself and Saints fans.

Benson was quoted at the bottom of this Baton Rouge Advocate article as stating that "nothing would make me happier" than to return to New Orleans, but that the Saints will lose "a lot of money" in 2005 and that 'he can't continue to operate at a deficit.'

Tagliabue also stated that it is very likely there will be Saints games in San Antonio again next season. To which many in Louisiana replied, why?

Why does the team have to play in San Antonio? Understandably, LSU cannot play host to every Saints home game; it's got eight Tiger home games to prepare for in 2006. And the Superdome's most optimistic re-opening date is November 1, notwithstanding any other weather predicaments that may occur.

So why not the recently renovated 53,000-seat Independence Stadium in Shreveport? Why not keep the Saints in Louisiana? Granted, it's not as nice a facility as the Alamodome, but it's a means to an end. If you're going to move the team several hours away from its home site, why not at least keep it in the home state? No other NFL franchises exist between New Orleans and Shreveport; the Houston Texans sit between New Orleans and San Antonio. Plus, San Antonio is a grueling eight-hour drive from New Orleans on I-10. Shreveport is a little over half that.

Also, it would give the team a better opportunity to utilize its, as Tagliabue himself put it, "first class" training facility in Metairie, instead of having to sit in an abandoned water works building and dress out in a high school baseball locker room (as it is presently doing in San Antonio).

It's a temporary fix that could spread the Saints market without jeopardizing a permanent move to a vulture city like San Antonio. It also would instill confidence in Saints fans of the league's true dedication of a return to New Orleans, which probably would help boost ticket sales.

Tagliabue himself stated, "We are trying to gather as much information as we can in the next four to six weeks to make some decisions to eliminate the uncertainty in a way that's suitable for the players, coaches, the entire Saints organization, and most of all, for the fans."

Making a schedule that includes San Antonio, seven hours from Baton Rouge and (as stated above) eight hours from New Orleans, is not the way to do that for fans, players, or coaches.

But I digress...

San Antonio, of course, was thrilled with this news. Mayor Phil Hardburglar's chief assistant was quoted in the San Antonio Express-News as saying, "[T]here will be a lot of games played in San Antonio next season."

And, the Express-News points out that the average attendance over two games in San Antonio was over 62,000, while the mean in Baton Rouge was almost 43,000. To be fair, the article states that the Baton Rouge games were played after the Saints' season was clearly heading downhill, but it does not mention that Tommy Boy has essentially destroyed his support in southeast Louisiana (especially in Baton Rouge) with his actions.

Another point, of course, is that Tagliabue stated, "What kinds of expectations are reasonable for the National Football League, for the Saints, for the community, for the fans, for the Superdome. What kind of expectations are reasonable for the 2006 season, and what types of expectations should we be having for the 2007 season and beyond...We want to be a part of the recovery and rebuilding process, but we want to fit in the proper order of priority."

It's a way of saying, we're still not sure what to do just yet. But if the Saints don't stay, hey, we gave it a shot.

Tagliabue also noted that he plans to return in early January, when more decisions will be made after an addition four-to-six week assessment period.

The bottom line on all this is that it's still a wait-and-see holding pattern, and that we'll learn more in weeks to come.

In any event, the best comments by far on the whole matter were made by WWL's Jim Henderson in his must-read commentary. Among the real gems:

"Find out how many tickets get sold – not distributed – for the Lions’ game on the Alamodome on Christmas Eve."

"If you could have made the game Sunday in Baton Rouge, you could have seen why there’s a perceived lack of support for this football team at this time – we have another losing football team, a head coach with little support from the fans, a quarterback with less and an owner with none."

"Sorry about that ice storm that kept you away from Baton Rouge Sunday. No hard feelings. No one should be blamed for being the victims of the weather – should they?"

As always, we shall see.

JONES COMMENTS ON WWL
NFL liaison Eddie Jones appeared on WWL sports radio Tuesday evening, stating that he will have some office space in New Orleans and will serve, in a sense, as the "commissioner on the ground" there.

He will act to assess the return of the city's services and businesses with the NFL in mind. Most importantly, Jones stated that he is "absolutely optimistic" about the Saints staying in New Orleans, and that New Orleans and the Saints are synonymous with one another, but that he cannot allow his own emotions to drive his determinations for the NFL.

Jones will definitely play a crucial role in the next several weeks and months, and it's a definite belief that he will be a straight shooter on the situation.

S.A. 'WATER COOLER' AGAIN RIPS LA.
The San Antonio Express-News "Water Cooler" column is at it yet again.

The "Water Cooler" has hammered Louisiana before, and now asserts that New Orleans is "no market" compared to San Antonio, and mocks "Baton Rouge"-size crowds.

It even smacks Tagliabue yet again (as it has before) by stating he "couldn't spell Alamo if you spotted him the vowels."

And, imagine this, the column essentially states that San Antonio needs to make an even stronger effort of getting the Saints, calling on the city to demand a spot at the negotiating table and a personal meeting with Tags.

But it also wants the city to play hard-to-get, instead of its admittedly "big easy" behavior in recent months.

Hopefully, the NFL will turn San Antonio away like a bad date, but it seems less and less apparent that will happen now.

S.A. COURTING MARLINS
As if one professional sports courtship weren't enough, San Antonio now is flirting with the prospects of landing Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins.

At least Miami wasn't destroyed in Hurricane Wilma, necessitating the Marlins to find a temporary home that San Antonio could attempt to make permanent.

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Tagliabue press conference story links

2005-12-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of very informative stories on NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue's press conference and visit to New Orleans on Monday:

Saints likely in B.R., Texas in '06 - Jeff Duncan, New Orleans Times-Picayune

Saints could have two homes in '06 - Peter Finney, New Orleans Times-Picayune

NFL: Saints likely in S.A. in '06 - Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News

Saints still nomads - Les East, Baton Rouge Advocate

When can the Saints come home? - Brandon Bickerstaff, Biloxi Sun Herald

Benson intent on moving team to Texas - Jim Mashek, Biloxi Sun Herald

Henderson: Saints give fans so many reasons to stay away - Jim Henderson, WWL (great opinion piece)

I'll have commentary to offer on all of the above later today.

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Tagliabue press conference rundown (updated)

2005-12-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has recently concluded his press conference from New Orleans. Present with him was Eddie Jones, who Tagliabue confirmed will serve as his liaison to the area and Saints-related issues there.

NOT present, however, was Tom Benson. Nor was his name mentioned once, though Rita Benson LeBlanc's name surfaced a couple of times.

Most importantly, Tagliabue stated that the Saints have no obligation pursuant to their present lease to play any games in the Superdome next year since all of the games cannot be played there, and that the NFL is going beyond the lease to play games there. However, there apparently will be some games played in the Dome.

Tagliabue said that the Saints will still be referred to as the "New Orleans Saints" in 2006, but exactly where they will play is uncertain. There will be a four-to-six week period in which officials will gather information regarding next season's location or locations of Saints home games. Tagliabue stated that he plans to return to New Orleans in January 2006 with more information in that regard.

He stated that the Saints' training facility in Metairie is in "first class condition," but that the Superdome was not, and that there will be ongoing discussions of whether additional improvements will be made to the stadium during its massive renovation. The Superdome recovery timeline will impact the Saints' scheduling in 2006.

Critically, Tagliabue noted that where the Saints play next year will have a big long-term impact.

Against this backdrop, he virtually guaranteed that the Saints will play at least part of their schedule in San Antonio in a split schedule format not unlike this season.

Tagliabue stated that Baton Rouge's attendance issues were expected, because of the lack of a television blackout and other conditions impacting sales.

When pressed about the stated need to play games in San Antonio, Tagliabue's consistent response was that he had already addressed that issue.

He also added that it was too early to discuss 2007.

I'll have more as it becomes available...

For the wwltv.com article on the press conference, click here.

For the espn.com article, click here.

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BREAKING: Press conference set for 2:30 p.m., pushed back to 3:00 p.m.

2005-12-05T13:49:00.000-05:00

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will hold a press conference today at 3:00 p.m. (pushed back from its originally scheduled time of 2:30 p.m.), and it will be carried live on WWL-TV and wwltv.com.

LSU alum, former team president Jones to monitor Saints' situation for NFL?

2005-12-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

In yet another intriguing development, Fox Sports columnist John Czarnecki reported yesterday that the NFL has hired ex-Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints president (and LSU alum) Eddie Jones to keep watch over the situation in New Orleans for NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

The story was linked here, and is identified as being linked there through Google (here), but this section apparently was edited out or replaced with a new story (or was intentionally deleted...).

In any event, below is text from Czarnecki's article (courtesy of the messageboards at saintsreport.com):

"CZAR'S SCOOP: The league has hired former Miami Dolphins president Eddie Jones to represent the commissioner in New Orleans and monitor the situation. Jones, a LSU grad, will live in Louisiana and his first order of business will probably be to ascertain if the Saints can return to their Metairie practice facility early next year. The NFL would support such a move if the neighborhood around the facility is worth moving the players and club personnel back to.

"With the players living there, maybe traveling to all 'home' games wouldn't be such a big deal. The Superdome says it may be ready to host games next November. Owner Tom Benson's concern, though, concerns how many people will be living in New Orleans six months from now."

Maybe the league didn't want such information getting out, since it appears nowhere else and isn't on the linked page anymore.

For the record, Jones, who grew up in Denham Springs, saw his professional football career begin in 1968 with the Saints as the team's business manager. He also served as the team's president and chief operating officer from 1982 to 1985. Additionally, he was inducted into the LSU Alumni Hall of Fame in 2001.

After leaving the Saints, Jones worked with the NFL Management Council for two years before being asked by Joe Robbie to join the Dolphins organization.

Said Jones in this biographical January 2005 piece from the Baton Rouge Advocate: "I left when he (former Saints owner John Mecom) sold the team to Tom Benson."

I wonder what caused him to leave his home state, and whether Benson's treatment of him at the time played a role. If it did, I wonder if that will come back to haunt Benson 20 years later.

It's definitely a story worth monitoring...

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Tags misses BR game, but Benson makes it; Both to visit N.O. Monday; Saints employees angry; Finney pens must-read

2005-12-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was delayed in New York by winter conditions that prevented his flight from arriving in New Orleans earlier today, preventing him from attending today's Saints-Bucs game in Baton Rouge as originally planned.

Probably just as well. From the looks of things, the crowd at Tiger Stadium was less than that for the annual LSU spring game.

But one who did make the trip to Baton Rouge was noneother than Tom Benson, according to KLFY-TV out of Lafayette.

Presumably, Benson's life was not threatened. At least no WWL-TV cameras were damaged in his return.

(As an aside, and I've probably written this before - it's a firm belief of mine that the Saints attendance in Tiger Stadium has been directly and intentionally influenced tremendously by the actions of Tom Benson, and the past experience of Saints fans at the Dolphins-Saints game in Tiger Stadium. But that's a whole other post.)

Tagliabue still planned on flying to New Orleans tonight to make his scheduled visit throughout the city Monday with Benson. Also slated to be present are Gene Upshaw (NFL Players Association executive director) as well as Joe Browne, Roger Goodell, and Jeff Pash (NFL executive presidents), according to this article by the New Orleans Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan.

It's expected that they will take a tour of the city and pay a visit the Saints' training facility in Metairie and the Superdome, which is like a construction site at this point.

This AP story describes the Superdome as having "rooms with walls torn out and dust floating in the air above the concrete floor where the artificial turf had been."

The reason for the visit is to see the progress made over the three-plus months since Katrina devastated the city, in an effort to see how well the area could support the Saints in the coming months and years.

Importantly, Duncan notes, "Three team sources said this week they are more convinced than ever that Benson wants to keep the team in San Antonio through next season, if not permanently."

So it is vital for local leaders, who also will meet with the NFL leadership on their visit, to make an effective sell.

It would be nice if some of the Saints' own employees could help lobby the NFL in Louisiana's favor. In Duncan's article, some are quoted as saying the following:

"The whole thing is crazy and ridiculous. There's no reason why this team should not be back in Metairie right now or at least in January. No one is giving us any answers."

"Going through the hurricane was the easy part compared to the hell we're going through now."

Another very intriguing point made in Duncan's article is that two Saints team sources have indicated that "more than 90 percent of the roughly 175 players, coaches and staff members in the Saints organization live in Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Tammany parishes, areas that weren't as hard hit in the storm and have recovered significantly in the past two months."

Also, it seems that only one player - rookie lineman Jammal Brown - lost his home in the storm.

In any event, more should come out of Tagliabue's visit tomorrow...

FINNEY PENS MUST-READ
New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Peter Finney wrote an outstanding piece for Sunday's edition, linked here.

Finney asserts that New Orleans deserves another shot after fans there have "given unbelievable support to a franchise that has produced seven winning seasons, and one playoff victory, in 38 years."

Finney points out that the team's Metairie training facility is a far better option than what the Saints have dealt with in San Antonio. To quote:

"At the moment, with the Saints having to surrender their space in the Alamodome because of the NCAA volleyball tournament, the team's locker room will be moved to a high school baseball field. The weight room will be located under a tent on the baseball field's parking lot. The front office will relocate to a city water works building."

Finney also states quite accurately that Tagliabue has essentially forced Benson from moving the Saints to San Antonio, and that the NFL commissioner is New Orleans' biggest ally.

Finney's own desire sounds good:

"In my world, a world that would bring the Superdome into play, here's what I would like to see: I would like to see Benson commit to playing his 2007 home schedule in the facility that was the home of six Super Bowls.

"I would tell Benson: Do this, give the city, give the Superdome, a shot to demonstrate there is still a heartbeat here for the Saints.

"If there isn't, if the results are disastrous despite league assistance, if the NFL deems New Orleans a lost cause financially, then tell Benson, who would be 80, he can bid his hometown farewell. Tell him he's free to go to San Antonio, anywhere at all, with the Big Easy's blessing.

"For 20 years of untold NFL riches, the gift of a small market that embraced a Hall of Fame losing franchise, all I'm saying is Benson deserves to give New Orleans, the Superdome, and the long-suffering Who Dats one last shot."

As always...we shall see.

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Saints ticket policies exposed; Empty stadium expected for Sunday's game; Saints evicted from Alamodome for NCAA volleyball

2005-12-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

Today's New Orleans Times-Picayune has picked up a story that has been simmering for weeks within the Saints fan base in Louisiana - a disparity of promotion and general regard for ticket sales in Baton Rouge and San Antonio.

In "Saints ticket policies under fire," Jeff Duncan presents some interesting evidence supporting the fans' concerns.

Among the points made by Duncan is the ticket discount outlined on this site, where some $70 lower-level tickets for the Saints game in the Alamodome on Christmas Eve against the Detroit Lions have been cut in half, to $35.

Many have been able to take advantage of this discount by purchasing single tickets, in spite of team officials claiming this was against team policy.

One Saints fan who is originally from New Orleans even asked a San Antonio ticket salesperson if there was a minimum amount to purchase to receive the ticket discount for the Lions game, and was told, "We just need to sell this game out."

How convenient for San Antonio.

In contrast, there are some discount seats available in Tiger Stadium for Saints game in Baton Rouge, but a minimum of 20 tickets must be purchased to receive the price cut. No such possibility has existed to receive single seat discounts to a game in Baton Rouge.

Duncan further noted that after he questioned team officials, he obtained an interoffice memorandum that effectively ended the single seat discount for the Lions game in the Alamodome on Christmas Eve.

Rita Benson LeBlanc, who evoked memories of Baghdad Bob, was quoted as saying:

"We are clearly not being more lenient toward San Antonio over Baton Rouge. Our goal is to sell as many tickets as possible for all of our remaining games...To say that we are not giving due attention toward all of our games and especially to the ones in Baton Rouge is grossly inaccurate."

Grossly inaccurate?

I suppose that's why there's been a distinct lack of marketing for this Sunday's Saints game in Baton Rouge, contributing to an expected attendance in the 30,000 range. One Tampa report says that the Buccaneers shouldn't even bother using crowd noise simulators for the game.

And, one might wonder whether ticket holders in San Antonio have been forced to wait in will-call lines outside the Alamodome while over half the Saints game inside was played.

(Answer: they haven't. But they have in Baton Rouge.)

Also, notably, in the flyer posted on this site, no information regarding group discounts is included. In fact, there is an empty blank for the number of tickets, and no requirement of twenty or more is present.

So much for "clearly not being more lenient toward San Antonio over Baton Rouge."

Another excuse from another Saints ticket agent in San Antonio was that seats in Baton Rouge are priced lower than in San Antonio, and that the team has always had difficulty selling out games around Christmas.

Duncan effectively knocked that statement, noting that Tiger Stadium is a much larger stadium with mostly bench seats, whereas the Alamodome is a smaller, indoor, climate-controlled facility with chairback seating. And others have indicated to me that previous Saints games in New Orleans around Christmas were not discounted in this fashion.

Other points made by Duncan include a different setup for contact information on the Saints web site for Baton Rouge and San Antonio, with the latter's contact information at the top of the page and the former at the bottom. Duncan also notes that the local Baton Rouge ticket office for the Saints isn't even noted on the team's site.

Among Louisiana Saints fan comments in Duncan's article (which are indicative of the prevailing sentiment in Louisiana):

"It's not what they're doing in San Antonio but what they're not doing in Baton Rouge. A clear pattern has been established."

"There is definitely something going on. It looks like he (Benson) is trying to do as many things as possible to alienate the fan base so he can move the team to San Antonio."

"It looks like Mr Benson is doing this so he can keep the numbers down (in Baton Rouge) and then he can go to the NFL and say, 'See, they can't support this team.'"

Come on - Tommy Boy wouldn't do a thing like that, would he?

Of course, Benson is playing host to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue this Sunday. (Yes, Tommy Boy is actually returning to Baton Rouge. Hold off on the ticker tape parades.) Tagliabue will be visiting to check on the viability of the Saints fan base in Louisiana before making a visit to New Orleans on Monday to assess the progress of recovery being made there.

Tagliabue has alluded in the past to attendance being a factor in the NFL's support for keeping the team in New Orleans.

Benson, of course, has been vehemently opposed to a return to the Crescent City.

Which is why he has no incentive to promote ticket sales in Baton Rouge, and why it would be better for him to be able to point the finger at his own fan base for its lack of support if they don't show up Sunday.

All the years that the fans have exhibited an overwhelming love and gratitude unbefitting of a storied loser don't matter.

What Tommy Boy does want is to move his team to San Antonio. Which is why he has added incentive to put more butts in the seats in the Alamodome, and point out to Tags that, hey, these people want the team there more.

It's a game of dirty manipulation. For an owner who can't seem to put a team on the field that can win, Benson seems to be emerging as the victor on this front.

Pretty much everyone in Louisiana knows it, too. It's the one game Benson's been consistently winning for several years now.

SAINTS EVICTED FROM ALAMODOME FOR NCAA VOLLEYBALL
In San Antonio, the Saints are being forced to pack up and get out of the Alamodome to make room for the upcoming NCAA volleyball championships.

The article notes that the Saints have frequently practiced at a local high school football field, that they'll be using a baseball field training room next week, and that they've used a trash can for an ice tub.

All while there's a perfectly fine training facility sitting unused in Metairie.

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San Antonio ticket discount confirmed?; League releases statement on meeting

2005-11-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

Within the Saints fan base in Louisiana, there has been much discussion surrounding rumored ticket discounts for the final Saints game in San Antonio, while no such discounts have been extended to games in Baton Rouge (or to prior Saints games on Christmas Eve).

Perhaps that rumor has been confirmed.

The folks on the message boards at saintsreport.com have apparently obtained a flyer (see photo) that may prove the discount exists.

If this flyer is real, it would be yet another slap in the face of Saints fans in Louisiana by Tom Benson. Merry Christmas!

LEAGUE RELEASES STATEMENT ON MEETING
The NFL recently released a statement regarding a meeting between Saints officials and the league:

"Commissioner Tagliabue today met in New York for two hours with Saints owner Tom Benson, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw on matters regarding the Saints future.

A number of subjects relative to the Saints operations in 2006 were discussed including the pace of the recovery efforts in the New Orleans area, the timing of key decisions affecting the Saints' team planning for 2006, and the make-up of the Saints 2006 playing schedule.

Commissioner Tagliabue and Mr. Benson will continue discussions next Monday in New Orleans when they meet with business leaders and community officials. They also will visit the Superdome, the Saints training facility in Metairie, and other areas of the city.

Commissioner Tagliabue and Mr. Benson plan to attend the Saints-Buccaneers game in Baton Rouge this Sunday."

Hopefully their lives won't be threatened.

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ESPN: Saints to play part of '06 schedule in S.A.

2005-11-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

Tonight, on ESPN's NFL Monday Night Countdown, Chris Mortensen reported that after a meeting today between Saints officials and the NFL, it has been determined that the Saints will play at least a portion of their 2006 season in San Antonio, with other games possibly being played in Baton Rouge.

The team will maintain its name, "New Orleans Saints," though Mortensen noted that Saints officials including Tom Benson and Mickey Loomis had attempted to persuade the NFL to allow the entire Saints home schedule to take place in San Antonio. However, the league is still insisting upon having at least some games take place in Louisiana.

This comes just days after two more front office employees have left the club. (See here and here.)

Presumably, the team will center its headquarters in San Antonio as well. San Antonio officials should be rejoicing this bit of information this evening.

Developing...

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