Saints will play home opener at Giants Stadium. No San Antonio for this one.
NEW YORK -- The New Orleans Saints, driven from the Superdome by Hurricane Katrina, will play their home opener against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium.
It is not clear, however, when the game will be played.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said Friday the game, scheduled for Sept. 18, is being moved to the Giants' home in East Rutherford, N.J.
The New York Jets, who share the stadium with the Giants, are scheduled to play at home against Miami on Sept. 18. As a result, the Giants-Saints game most likely will be played Saturday, Sept. 17, or the following Monday.
The league said it was possible the game could be played as part of a doubleheader Sunday, with the one game at 1 p.m. and the other at night. The Jets are now scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m.
"We are in the process of working out the specific arrangements, including the day and kickoff time and plans for television coverage," Tagliabue said. He added that information on tickets will be announced in a few days by the Giants.
He said the Saints and Giants had agreed to donate part of the gate receipts from the game to the hurricane relief fund.
The Saints, who spent the past week on the West Coast, are moving their headquarters to San Antonio for the immediate future.
The Alamodome in San Antonio, which holds 65,000, had been considered a strong possibility for the game.
Tagliabue indicated, however, it was best to get the game out of the area struck by Hurricane Katrina. The Alamodome and other facilities in the San Antonio area, a little more than 500 miles from New Orleans, are being used to shelter hurricane victims.
Tagliabue said he made the decision to move the game to the Giants' home stadium after consulting with Saints owner Tom Benson and other officials.
"There are many reasons for this decision," Tagliabue said, "including recognizing that the overwhelming priority for public and private resources in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region in the weeks ahead must be the essential needs of the public and restoration of the area's infrastructure."
The Saints will open at Carolina on Sept. 11 before playing the Giants.
"Our main concern is with the people of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region who have experienced the recent tragedy," Benson said. "We are attempting to carry on in these difficult times and are looking out for the best interest of our coaches, staff, players and their families. My prayers are with each of those who have been adversely impacted."
The last game to be moved was two years ago, when wildfires in Southern California caused a game between Miami and San Diego to be moved from San Diego to Phoenix. Last season, the starting time of a game in Miami between the Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers was moved from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. to allow Hurricane Jeanne to move through south Florida.
Last edited by dawn; 09-02-2005 at 05:55 PM.
Alamodome is being used for refugees?
I thought they were going to practice there and the San Antonio Sports Complex?
that. I would use all the facilities for the refugees and tell Benson and Tagliabue to off.
the NFL.
@ gullible San Antonians who thought the NFL would let the Saints desert New Orleans for San Antonio.
, I just wanted to go to a freaking NFL game.
Seriously, though, If I'm Hardberger, I tell Benson to pack his ing team, and GTFO. No more arranged practice facilites for you, trick ass. What an asshole. Hey Tom: enjoy playing those November and December games at the Meadowlands. While you're at it, find somewhere to practice up there.
I think this puts to rest, FINALLY, any thought of an NFL team in SA in our lifetimes. The NFL doesn't even want us to babysit a team for a year, when the SA option makes more sense that having a third team play in the NJ swamp.
What? This is only the first home game that is being played elsewhere. They haven't even decided where the rest of the home games will be played.
This makes absolutely no friggin sense.
"We wanted to get the game out of the hurricane area?" Translation: We want to give our New York darlings an extra home game, oh, and by the way, F you SA.
I never thought for a moment the Saints were moving to San Antonio, but this is insulting everyone's intelligence.
This doesn't yet necessarily mean that they won't play any games here. The ONLY reason to have them play here is because there just happens to be a stadium that holds 65,000 and, hopefully, a fan base that will fill it up. I don't know if other stadiums in LA are that big. It's giving a temporary home to a team who's city they represent has been virtually destroyed. Anyone who thinks this is an opportunity to show the NFL that SA can support a team is a maggot.
My guess is the city and the dome simply aren't ready to put on a 50,000+ spectator event on three weeks' notice. Maybe later in the season.
Exactly, byt the second home game, the Dome should be rolled out for a game should they need to play there.
bull .
They could get that Dome ready.
Its the freakin NFL.
the NFL, Jerry Jones and the Texans, cause once again, dont think THEY didn't have a say in the Saints NOT playing here.
An NFL game will never be played in San Antonio.
Period.
And Michael Finley will never sign with the Spurs.
We got you Nostra.
Hey, I do what I can.And Michael Finley will never sign with the Spurs.
We got you Nostra.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Ill go, Ill buy tickets and root for them as hard as I root for the Rams.
But I doubt its happening.
Not only does it suck for SA but its sorta unfair for the rest of the NFC.
Giants basically get 9 home games, while everyone else gets 8.
Imagine if the Giants are fighting for a wild card (I know doubtful but...) with say the Cowboys or Packers. The extra home game could be huge.
If you have to choose between an NFL game involving the Saints or the best 5$ ticket in Sports (Judson vs Madison for example) take the latter! Hey, so it's 12 min quarters...but don;t those kids just play for the love of the game!
TEXAS HS FOOTBALL ROCKS! (And I am a HUSKER!)
the NFL does not want SA in the league and its a damm shame they dont want to give us a chance like the NBA did, The NBA didnt want us either but we supported the out of the SPURS and the rest is history, They (NFL) are afraid we will support the Saints and force the Saints to move here permanently.
hmm san antonio saints
san antonio spurs
relgious (catholic) city =saints
OMG this just makes so much since
i am a cowboys fan though so i wouldn;t want a footbal team unelss cows moved here
NFL can hate the saints coming to san antonio but the fact remains is that tom benson is from san antonio and he wants the saints in san antonio. Tom Benson owns the saints, he wears the pants. LA will not get the saints. LA already lost the rams and raiders. LA also lost out of 3 expansion teams in the browns, jaguars, and texans.
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Silver Stars and now
San Antonio Saints
I hate to burst anyones bubble about the Saints playing here beyond maybe 5-7 games this year. The Alamo Dome will have to undergo MAJOR reconstruction to get it up to NFL standards. Those luxury skyboxes which are so vital for revenue for team owners just don't exist in the Alamo Dome. The city won't pay millions to get it ready for the NFL next year. The Alamo Dome is just a temporary fix for the Saints. If they have to, I can see them playing all their games on the road next year before going into the red. I would like to see them make San Antonio it's permenet home. Unless Toyota contributes major bank I don't see it happening for the long haul.
Well the Saints have a 2 year contract left with the city of New Orleans. During the next two years or so if san antonio wants the saints, san antonio leaders must upgrade the alamodome. If the saints are a huge sucess, san antonio might be the next stop. This year the Saints will be giving San Antonio a taste of NFL. By the Saints playing this year in San Antonio. Tom Benson builds up a fan base in San Antonio and people more and more ditch the cowboys for the saints.
I like the sound of the San Antonio "Saints"
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