Mr Cowboy
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The best of a bad situation
Saints would be wise to make San Antonio '05 home
Posted: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM; Updated: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM
After the damage inflicted on the Superdome this week by Hurricane Katrina, it's unlikely the Saints will be home this season.
AP
With the enormity of the situation in New Orleans just now starting to sink in, all we really know about the fate of the Saints' 2005 season is that it almost certainly won't play out in the city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Football is a long way down on the city's list of priorities right now, but with the Superdome sitting dank and damaged, and mayor Ray Nagin predicting it could be up to three to four months before New Orleans is fully inhabitable, it's clear the Saints have no home to come home to in time for their Sept. 18 home opener against the Giants.
The most logical and probable scenario for the team is to make its temporary move to San Antonio permanent for the year, in essence becoming in Texas' third NFL franchise while New Orleans recovers and rebuilds.
San Antonio just makes sense. Not only do the Saints have something of a comfort zone there -- owing to the three days the team spent there last September when Hurricane Ivan forced them to evacuate -- but team owner Tom Benson's also has long-standing business ties to the city. Benson formerly owned car dealerships in San Antonio.
Naturally, the NFL isn't crazy about having the Saints play their "home'' games 550 miles from New Orleans. But this is a case of having to make the best of a very bad situation. The Alamodome seats 65,000 for football, it was built with the hopes of luring an NFL tenant and it has played host to both the Cowboys' training camp and some preseason contests in the past.
Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge is the next most likely choice, but LSU is in the midst of major renovation of the venue, and the area has its own hurricane recovery efforts to sort through. When you factor in having to work around the Tigers' home schedule and finding a place where the Saints could practice in Baton Rouge (if they didn't have use of their team complex in New Orleans), the complications surrounding LSU might prove substantial.
No matter where they land, the Saints will likely play this year without anything resembling a true "homefield advantage.'' After New Orleans was stricken this week by an almost unfathomable combination of both hell and high water, there will be no games played for a very long time yet. The Saints, like the rest of the community, will be dealing with the effects of this week's hurricane for weeks and months, not days.
The Saints have a talented roster and many expected them to be a dangerous playoff contender in the ultra-competitive NFC South. But you wonder if any team can prosper given the trying circumstances the Saints find themselves dealing with in the early stages of the '05 season.
Whatever happens on the field for New Orleans this year, it will unfold amid an almost unprecedented backdrop of human suffering and tragedy for the city and the entire Gulf Coast region.
Musings, observations and the occasional insight as we bid farewell to the endless preseason and stare down the NFL opener from a distance of just a week:
• Count me among those who think Philadelphia's offense won't be as potent as it was during its Super Bowl season of a year ago, not with the Terrell Owens saga taking its toll, the questions at running back, and the season-ending loss of receiver Todd Pinkston.
But a less productive offense might not spell trouble, because I also believe Philadelphia's defense will be even better than it was in '04, when it finished 10th overall in yards allowed. When you factor in the continued maturation of the Eagles' young secondary, and a ridiculously deep defensive line that has added a young talent like first-round tackle Mike Patterson, Philadelphia might not need as many points to win a dozen or so games this season.
If the Eagles can release franchise-tag designee Corey Simon and not even feel it, Jimmy Johnson's unit must be pretty good.
• I guess that NFL Europe player of the year award just doesn't have the cache it once did. It sure didn't help Rohan Davey (who won it in '04 with Berlin) fight off Matt Cassel for the third-team quarterback job in New England.
• With Green Bay only 2-4 in the playoffs during his five-year tenure, I know there are Packers fans upset at the idea of head coach Mike Sherman getting a contract extension through '07. But let's not forget the guy has presided over a team that has won three consecutive division titles, with five winning seasons and career record of 55-31 (.640). The Packers appear to be headed down, but at least they've been near the top in recent years.
And for that matter, how do you think folks in Detroit feel about general manager Matt Millen getting a new deal despite the Lions being 16-48 in his four-year stint atop the team's flow chart? Who said the NFL was a results-oriented business?
• I really don't get the bulls-eye on Herman Edwards' back, either. If Doug Brien makes a field goal at Pittsburgh last January, Edwards would have been lauded for leading the Jets to an upset of the 15-1 Steelers and securing an AFC title game berth.
As is, Edwards has had New York in the playoffs three times in four years, with 10, nine and 10-win seasons. He's 2-3 in the playoffs, but those five games represent the same total of postseason games the Jets managed to reach in the 15 years from '86-'00.
Edwards also hasn't exactly been lucky in that his entire stay in New York ('01-present) has coincided with the Patriots' domination of the AFC East.
• My favorite quote this week came from Bucs coach Jon Gruden, when asked whether he's pleased with his '05 draft class: "I'll tell you what, I like this class. I like the stamina of this class. I like the class of this class.''
Stamina and class. What more can you ask for out of a draft class?
• Speaking of NFL head coaches, did you ever notice it apparently helps you land the top job if you're named Mike?
There are no fewer than seven Mikes in the 32-member head-coaching fraternity at the moment: Green Bay's Mike Sherman, Buffalo's Mike Mularkey, Denver's Mike Shanahan, St. Louis' Mike Martz, Minnesota's Mike Tice, Seattle's Mike Holmgren, and the newest member of the club, San Francisco's Mike Nolan.
When it comes to NFL owners, somebody apparently likes Mike.
• Drew Henson still can't even beat out Tony Romo for the Cowboys' backup quarterback job, let alone challenge Dallas starter, Drew Bledsoe. Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells called Henson "a young, developing player'' who's "not ready.''
Despite owner Jerry Jones' staunch defense of Henson, iwhom he sunk $7 million into, you get the feeling Henson isn't that far from a Chad Hutchinson-like experience in Dallas? Me, too.
* Now Kellen Winslow Jr. has a staph infection in the knee he severely damaged in his May 1 motorcycle accident, and his weight has dropped considerably while he's unable to work out in Cleveland. If his run of misfortune continues into '06, the Browns tight end is going to start hearing Ryan Leaf comparisons. Then again, Leaf at least played and won a few games for San Diego before becoming the standard by which all draft busts are measured.
Saints would be wise to make San Antonio '05 home
Posted: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM; Updated: Thursday September 1, 2005 1:51PM
After the damage inflicted on the Superdome this week by Hurricane Katrina, it's unlikely the Saints will be home this season.
AP
With the enormity of the situation in New Orleans just now starting to sink in, all we really know about the fate of the Saints' 2005 season is that it almost certainly won't play out in the city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Football is a long way down on the city's list of priorities right now, but with the Superdome sitting dank and damaged, and mayor Ray Nagin predicting it could be up to three to four months before New Orleans is fully inhabitable, it's clear the Saints have no home to come home to in time for their Sept. 18 home opener against the Giants.
The most logical and probable scenario for the team is to make its temporary move to San Antonio permanent for the year, in essence becoming in Texas' third NFL franchise while New Orleans recovers and rebuilds.
San Antonio just makes sense. Not only do the Saints have something of a comfort zone there -- owing to the three days the team spent there last September when Hurricane Ivan forced them to evacuate -- but team owner Tom Benson's also has long-standing business ties to the city. Benson formerly owned car dealerships in San Antonio.
Naturally, the NFL isn't crazy about having the Saints play their "home'' games 550 miles from New Orleans. But this is a case of having to make the best of a very bad situation. The Alamodome seats 65,000 for football, it was built with the hopes of luring an NFL tenant and it has played host to both the Cowboys' training camp and some preseason contests in the past.
Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge is the next most likely choice, but LSU is in the midst of major renovation of the venue, and the area has its own hurricane recovery efforts to sort through. When you factor in having to work around the Tigers' home schedule and finding a place where the Saints could practice in Baton Rouge (if they didn't have use of their team complex in New Orleans), the complications surrounding LSU might prove substantial.
No matter where they land, the Saints will likely play this year without anything resembling a true "homefield advantage.'' After New Orleans was stricken this week by an almost unfathomable combination of both hell and high water, there will be no games played for a very long time yet. The Saints, like the rest of the community, will be dealing with the effects of this week's hurricane for weeks and months, not days.
The Saints have a talented roster and many expected them to be a dangerous playoff contender in the ultra-competitive NFC South. But you wonder if any team can prosper given the trying circumstances the Saints find themselves dealing with in the early stages of the '05 season.
Whatever happens on the field for New Orleans this year, it will unfold amid an almost unprecedented backdrop of human suffering and tragedy for the city and the entire Gulf Coast region.
Musings, observations and the occasional insight as we bid farewell to the endless preseason and stare down the NFL opener from a distance of just a week:
• Count me among those who think Philadelphia's offense won't be as potent as it was during its Super Bowl season of a year ago, not with the Terrell Owens saga taking its toll, the questions at running back, and the season-ending loss of receiver Todd Pinkston.
But a less productive offense might not spell trouble, because I also believe Philadelphia's defense will be even better than it was in '04, when it finished 10th overall in yards allowed. When you factor in the continued maturation of the Eagles' young secondary, and a ridiculously deep defensive line that has added a young talent like first-round tackle Mike Patterson, Philadelphia might not need as many points to win a dozen or so games this season.
If the Eagles can release franchise-tag designee Corey Simon and not even feel it, Jimmy Johnson's unit must be pretty good.
• I guess that NFL Europe player of the year award just doesn't have the cache it once did. It sure didn't help Rohan Davey (who won it in '04 with Berlin) fight off Matt Cassel for the third-team quarterback job in New England.
• With Green Bay only 2-4 in the playoffs during his five-year tenure, I know there are Packers fans upset at the idea of head coach Mike Sherman getting a contract extension through '07. But let's not forget the guy has presided over a team that has won three consecutive division titles, with five winning seasons and career record of 55-31 (.640). The Packers appear to be headed down, but at least they've been near the top in recent years.
And for that matter, how do you think folks in Detroit feel about general manager Matt Millen getting a new deal despite the Lions being 16-48 in his four-year stint atop the team's flow chart? Who said the NFL was a results-oriented business?
• I really don't get the bulls-eye on Herman Edwards' back, either. If Doug Brien makes a field goal at Pittsburgh last January, Edwards would have been lauded for leading the Jets to an upset of the 15-1 Steelers and securing an AFC title game berth.
As is, Edwards has had New York in the playoffs three times in four years, with 10, nine and 10-win seasons. He's 2-3 in the playoffs, but those five games represent the same total of postseason games the Jets managed to reach in the 15 years from '86-'00.
Edwards also hasn't exactly been lucky in that his entire stay in New York ('01-present) has coincided with the Patriots' domination of the AFC East.
• My favorite quote this week came from Bucs coach Jon Gruden, when asked whether he's pleased with his '05 draft class: "I'll tell you what, I like this class. I like the stamina of this class. I like the class of this class.''
Stamina and class. What more can you ask for out of a draft class?
• Speaking of NFL head coaches, did you ever notice it apparently helps you land the top job if you're named Mike?
There are no fewer than seven Mikes in the 32-member head-coaching fraternity at the moment: Green Bay's Mike Sherman, Buffalo's Mike Mularkey, Denver's Mike Shanahan, St. Louis' Mike Martz, Minnesota's Mike Tice, Seattle's Mike Holmgren, and the newest member of the club, San Francisco's Mike Nolan.
When it comes to NFL owners, somebody apparently likes Mike.
• Drew Henson still can't even beat out Tony Romo for the Cowboys' backup quarterback job, let alone challenge Dallas starter, Drew Bledsoe. Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells called Henson "a young, developing player'' who's "not ready.''
Despite owner Jerry Jones' staunch defense of Henson, iwhom he sunk $7 million into, you get the feeling Henson isn't that far from a Chad Hutchinson-like experience in Dallas? Me, too.
* Now Kellen Winslow Jr. has a staph infection in the knee he severely damaged in his May 1 motorcycle accident, and his weight has dropped considerably while he's unable to work out in Cleveland. If his run of misfortune continues into '06, the Browns tight end is going to start hearing Ryan Leaf comparisons. Then again, Leaf at least played and won a few games for San Diego before becoming the standard by which all draft busts are measured.
