They were thinking that they would only be out of the stadium for a week..  Wonder where they'll play their "home" games now?  I doubt that stadium would be ready a year from now, probably wouldn't have much of a crowd either.

Wonder what will happen to the franchise if all the season ticket holders demand their money back?

Who??

Plenty of university fields. I'm guessing that
the LSU consessioneers are going to make
a fortune this year.

Who Dat?

Quoted: They were thinking that they would only be out of the stadium for a week..  Wonder where they'll play their "home" games now?  I doubt that stadium would be ready a year from now, probably wouldn't have much of a crowd either.

As if this is in any way a priority with anyone, they could play at a college stadium or (God forbid) in Houston.

Wonder what will happen to the franchise if all the season ticket holders demand their money back?

Refunds will be distributed at the Superdome box office tomorrow. Bring SCUBA gear, lunch and your own toilet paper.

They really are the sAin'ts now.  

I've been thinking a lot about this myself.  I'd say they could play in Houston or Dallas provided the Texans or Cowboys weren't playing that day.  

I was thinking they could possibly play in Hattiesburg at USM, but I doubt that stadium is fit for games right now.

Perhaps Baton Rouge and Tiger Stadium.

Quoted: As if this is in any way a priority with anyone

Right there is your answer...

Does the old Sugar Bowl stadium still exist?  Didn't they play there for a while?

Quoted: Quoted: Plenty of university fields. I'm guessing that the LSU consessioneers are going to make a fortune this year. Yeah, but when the Seattle Seahawks moved to UW Huskies field for 2 seasons, it actually hurt the consessions business. The NCAA does not allow alcohol to be sold in college stadiums, even for professional events..........

The NCAA doesn't stop alcohol sales.  I've been drinking at USC games for many years.  Sadly, this year alcohol sales have been banned by USC because a lot of people were getting too obnoxious (mostly fair weather local fans).  Thank God for pregame tailgaiting on campus.

They're apparently trying to negotiate to play their home games in San Antonio.

Quoted: They're apparently trying to negotiate to play their home games in San Antonio.

yep, I think they already have an agreement to host the Giants in San Antonio (ALAMODOME)opening weekend.

Quoted: They're apparently trying to negotiate to play their home games in San Antonio.

I hadn't thought of the Alamodome.  Good choice.

Its not like they played football down there to begin with.

Kharn

Bet a lot of season ticket holders will be preoccupied this season.

What about the colleges?  Where will they play?  Highschools?


Where are these kids going to go to school this year?  Will everyone just be froze and held back a year?  

Quoted: What about the colleges?  Where will they play?  Highschools? Where are these kids going to go to school this year?  Will everyone just be froze and held back a year?

I imagine that, in a couple months, they will set up interim schools in nearby cities.

The Taint's fans are going to have to import some dry paper sacks.....

They'll graduate them early since they got "real life" experince at robbing and looting....

Quoted: Where are these kids going to go to school this year?  Will everyone just be froze and held back a year?

Quoted: They'll graduate them early since they got "real life" experince at robbing and looting....

Puh-leasse man.  Most people evacuated and are not involved in any looting.

Quoted: Quoted: As if this is in any way a priority with anyone Right there is your answer...

I'm sure it's a priority for the owner of the team, the players, the vendors who sell at the stadiums, the ticket sellers, the companies who sell stuff at the games, and so on, and so on.  

Unless you haven't checked, NFL football is big business.  

This event may be the start of a relocation to Los Angelos(?).  LA (and the NFL) want a franchise there, it is a bigger media market, and it is all about money.        

They are saying on TV, New Orleans will be closed for at least four months before infrastructure is restored. I think they're dreaming. Every pipe, sewer and drain will be plugged. Electrical cables, communication cables, junction boxes....nope, not gonna happen anytime soon. It may be four months before they understand how extensive the damage is.

Quoted: They are saying on TV, New Orleans will be closed for at least four months before infrastructure is restored. I think they're dreaming. Every pipe, sewer and drain will be plugged. Electrical cables, communication cables, junction boxes....nope, not gonna happen anytime soon. It may be four months before they understand how extensive the damage is.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's four months before they even get the water drained.

I heard the only way they could get all those people into the Superdome was to promise they wouldn't have to watch the Saints play.  

Quoted: Does the old Sugar Bowl stadium still exist?  Didn't they play there for a while?

Old Tulane Stadium--Buldozed for Tulane U student apartments 10-12 years ago

The Cotton Bowl is sitting empty in Dallas. Hadn't heard about the Alamodome deal but SA wants a pro team real bad too.

Univ of north Texas had to cancel their season opener with LSU for Saturday. There is talk of rescheduling but I'm beginning to wonder why bother.

I have heard that they are considering the Alamo Dome, Reliant Staium and Tiger Stadium (LSU).  I guess a cynic would say to let them play in the Astrodome as the crowd is already arriving.

FWIW, Tom Benson has many ties to San Antonio.  

Homeless Saints could face vagabond season Click here to find out more!
NFL.com wire reports

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

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

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

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

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

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

Only one hurdle has been crossed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But all of that is speculation.

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