CrazyCowboy
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NFL rushes to bad judgment in NY
[size=-1]By Randy Galloway[/size]
[size=-1]Star-Telegram Staff Writer[/size]
Keeping it all in perspective. I swear I am.
FEMA is one thing. Football is another.
But in case of a national catastrophe, we know now the NFL reacts quicker than the feds.
Over the weekend, FEMA finally discovered that there might be a problem in New Orleans. FEMA is also now investigating media rumors that coastal Mississippi and Alabama were wiped out.
But that's about enough on death and destruction in America.
What about our fun and games?
The aftermath of Katrina may have caught Washington napping, but not Anderson Cooper, Joe Scarborough or Paul Tagliabue.
The media people, all of them, were on the scene immediately, telling and showing the true story.
As commissioner of the NFL, Tagliabue was on the case immediately.
Let's see here:
The New Orleans Saints no longer had a dome to call home. Or even a city to call home.
Seriously, Tags had a tough and unprecedented call.
But for those of us in these trying times writing something as trivial as a sports column, allow me to totally disagree with the initial decision made by Tagliabue.
Perspective again.
FEMA is an incompetent disgrace.
Tagliabue gave an extra home game to a league member.
You do notice, huh, the very wide gap between the two?
But Tags shouldn't have done that to the Saints, or to the rest of the NFL.
The Saints' home opener was Sept. 18 against the New York Giants after Sunday's season opener on the road at Carolina.
The NFL announced Friday afternoon, slipping it in as a holiday weekend was starting, the Sept.18 game was being moved to Giants Stadium.
Later, the date of the game was set as Monday night, Sept. 19, because Saturday and Sunday in the Meadowlands were already booked.
This decision could eventually impact the Saints, the division the Giants are in and the entire playoff picture for January.
Thousands are homeless, living in shelters. Thousands are dead.
But the NFL will play its games, starting tonight.
That being a fact, then the playing field and the competitive balance has to be as level as possible for all 32 teams, although that's basically impossible for the Saints.
But why do the Giants benefit?
Greg Aiello is both a longtime friend and PR man for the NFL.
His explanation Wednesday from New York was that the Meadowlands was chosen because a decision had to be made quickly for this one game, and that Giants Stadium had everything in place.
"It can be a turn-key operation as far as game-day staffing," Aiello said, "and when you looked at the alternatives, particularly San Antonio and Houston, we wanted to make sure that our game stayed the hell out of the way of the relief efforts."
Except in Houston, where thousands of evacuees have relocated, Reliant Stadium, home of the Texans, was offered by owner Bob McNair as a neutral site.
The Texans play at home Sept 18, but both the Saturday and Monday dates were open.
Aiello countered that the Astrodome is next door to Reliant, and the NFL worry was over traffic in that area disrupting the relief effort situation at the Astrodome.
San Antonio? "Again, a lot of people from New Orleans are in town," he said, "plus the Saints would have had to do the game-day operations, and those people have enough to handle at the moment."
Agree on the points about San Antonio for this first game.
But in Houston, if the people from Louisiana had been invited, free of charge, to the game, what a great boost for both the Saints and the evacuees. The only traffic problem would have been the walk over to Reliant from the Astrodome.
And why not Atlanta, which is 480 miles from New Orleans? The Falcons are on the road that weekend.
Or Texas Stadium could have been used on Sunday, the 18th, again to the delight of many evacuees in our area.
The best new home for the Saints would be Baton Rouge, but at the moment, it's not an option because that city is serving as a relief effort staging area.
No team in the history of the NFL is facing as much personal duress and emotional strain as the Saints. How does a trip to New York from their San Antonio base help the Saints in any way?
Houston would be a 30-minute plane ride. It's about 40 minutes up here from San Antonio.
The Meadowlands makes no sense. Only the Giants benefit. That's not right.
Jim Haslett, the Saints coach, indicated as much this week, but he was holding his tongue.
So are all other teams in the league, including the Cowboys, Commanders and Eagles, who play in the Giants' division.
If you complain, well ...
In these trying times, no one can complain publicly.
But was that "quick" decision by Tagliabue a bit rushed? To benefit everyone on the Saints' side, the game against the Giants should have been played in Houston, or Irving, or Atlanta, where teams are located with staffs ready to make it happen.
Such a minor thing in the big picture. But the Saints deserved better, and New Orleans' displaced football team is part of the big picture.
[size=-1]By Randy Galloway[/size]
[size=-1]Star-Telegram Staff Writer[/size]
Keeping it all in perspective. I swear I am.
FEMA is one thing. Football is another.
But in case of a national catastrophe, we know now the NFL reacts quicker than the feds.
Over the weekend, FEMA finally discovered that there might be a problem in New Orleans. FEMA is also now investigating media rumors that coastal Mississippi and Alabama were wiped out.
But that's about enough on death and destruction in America.
What about our fun and games?
The aftermath of Katrina may have caught Washington napping, but not Anderson Cooper, Joe Scarborough or Paul Tagliabue.
The media people, all of them, were on the scene immediately, telling and showing the true story.
As commissioner of the NFL, Tagliabue was on the case immediately.
Let's see here:
The New Orleans Saints no longer had a dome to call home. Or even a city to call home.
Seriously, Tags had a tough and unprecedented call.
But for those of us in these trying times writing something as trivial as a sports column, allow me to totally disagree with the initial decision made by Tagliabue.
Perspective again.
FEMA is an incompetent disgrace.
Tagliabue gave an extra home game to a league member.
You do notice, huh, the very wide gap between the two?
But Tags shouldn't have done that to the Saints, or to the rest of the NFL.
The Saints' home opener was Sept. 18 against the New York Giants after Sunday's season opener on the road at Carolina.
The NFL announced Friday afternoon, slipping it in as a holiday weekend was starting, the Sept.18 game was being moved to Giants Stadium.
Later, the date of the game was set as Monday night, Sept. 19, because Saturday and Sunday in the Meadowlands were already booked.
This decision could eventually impact the Saints, the division the Giants are in and the entire playoff picture for January.
Thousands are homeless, living in shelters. Thousands are dead.
But the NFL will play its games, starting tonight.
That being a fact, then the playing field and the competitive balance has to be as level as possible for all 32 teams, although that's basically impossible for the Saints.
But why do the Giants benefit?
Greg Aiello is both a longtime friend and PR man for the NFL.
His explanation Wednesday from New York was that the Meadowlands was chosen because a decision had to be made quickly for this one game, and that Giants Stadium had everything in place.
"It can be a turn-key operation as far as game-day staffing," Aiello said, "and when you looked at the alternatives, particularly San Antonio and Houston, we wanted to make sure that our game stayed the hell out of the way of the relief efforts."
Except in Houston, where thousands of evacuees have relocated, Reliant Stadium, home of the Texans, was offered by owner Bob McNair as a neutral site.
The Texans play at home Sept 18, but both the Saturday and Monday dates were open.
Aiello countered that the Astrodome is next door to Reliant, and the NFL worry was over traffic in that area disrupting the relief effort situation at the Astrodome.
San Antonio? "Again, a lot of people from New Orleans are in town," he said, "plus the Saints would have had to do the game-day operations, and those people have enough to handle at the moment."
Agree on the points about San Antonio for this first game.
But in Houston, if the people from Louisiana had been invited, free of charge, to the game, what a great boost for both the Saints and the evacuees. The only traffic problem would have been the walk over to Reliant from the Astrodome.
And why not Atlanta, which is 480 miles from New Orleans? The Falcons are on the road that weekend.
Or Texas Stadium could have been used on Sunday, the 18th, again to the delight of many evacuees in our area.
The best new home for the Saints would be Baton Rouge, but at the moment, it's not an option because that city is serving as a relief effort staging area.
No team in the history of the NFL is facing as much personal duress and emotional strain as the Saints. How does a trip to New York from their San Antonio base help the Saints in any way?
Houston would be a 30-minute plane ride. It's about 40 minutes up here from San Antonio.
The Meadowlands makes no sense. Only the Giants benefit. That's not right.
Jim Haslett, the Saints coach, indicated as much this week, but he was holding his tongue.
So are all other teams in the league, including the Cowboys, Commanders and Eagles, who play in the Giants' division.
If you complain, well ...
In these trying times, no one can complain publicly.
But was that "quick" decision by Tagliabue a bit rushed? To benefit everyone on the Saints' side, the game against the Giants should have been played in Houston, or Irving, or Atlanta, where teams are located with staffs ready to make it happen.
Such a minor thing in the big picture. But the Saints deserved better, and New Orleans' displaced football team is part of the big picture.
