The Saints are in the process of trying to find a location to play their home games this year. Detroit is one of the city's they're considering, with the thought of having them play in Tiger Stadium.

Why not use the Silverdome before they tear it down next year? I spend a lot of time at the old Dome in the winter up in the mezzanine...looks like a perfect place for N.O. to play.

Why not use the Silverdome before they tear it down next year? I spend a lot of time at the old Dome in the winter up in the mezzanine...looks like a perfect place for N.O. to play.

That's a great question 'bills. They never even mentioned the Silverdome in the report I saw. Tiger Stadium was the only venue that came up.

You're absolutely right though. You'd think that the SD would be the obvious and most practical place for them to go, in MI anyway.

Is it currently being leased out?

That's the only reason I can think of for it not to be considered.

Love the sound of that. The Lions could use some competition. It would be nice to have a team in town that might actually win a game. Now if they could only go out and find Bobby Hebert, remember him? The USFL Michigan Panthers quarterback.

Oh wait, here he is now...

http://www.wwl.com/showdj.asp?DJID=26840

Now those were cheerleaders :eyebrows: .

Aye Bobby Hebert. Gosh he looks old in that picture...

I would love to have the Aint's in the area. The games would not sell out, so I would actually go. I can't stand massive washroom and concession lineups.

The Lions could use some competition

I'm not sure whether or not they like the sound of that. But I am pretty sure that they wouldn't mind the extra 'home game' it would bring this season, especially when that game is on X-Mas Eve, of all days. :nod:

I think having a real football team in Detroit, playing outside in snow would be too cool. It would seem like throwback ball.

I was surprised that Hebert looked that "dignified" myself. :)

I didn't know they were tearing down the Silverdome. I guess it's not "news" where I live. Bummer. I had some good Piston memories from the Silverdome. I watched Lanier,Tyler, Long, Tripucka and Thomas there many times. Even some Lion memories were good like watching Billy Sims and...uhmm...well, Billy Sims. I don't remember going to any games when Barry was there.

I never thought the Silverdome was as bad as most people did. Hey, in the 80's, I could get into a Pistons game with an "Entertainment" two for one coupon and get two seats in like the eighth row for 8 bucks or less. Or I could get "crows nest" seats for free by bringing in an empty Maxwell House Coffee can. The Pistons were just getting better around then so the cavernous place was usually pretty empty and I could move up front anyhow.

If I lived in Michigan I probably wouldn't go see the Saints. My interest in Sports is pretty much limited to my favorite teams. I'd only go if the game somehow impacted the Lions playoff chances:pound:and between the Lions and the Saints, that will NEVER happen! I too was wondering, though, why they would consider Tiger Stadium over the Silverdome. I was going to say that Pontiac is more starved for a football team but I guess Detroit is starved for a REAL team too.

I gotta tell you, Idaho is beautiful and friendly but I sure do miss my teams. They have the BSU Broncos here (I'm a Sparty myself), but no Pro teams. These forums are really great for people like me who left the Detroit area. Some of the posters cover the teams better than the writers did anyhow, so I'm not missing much, although I wish there was an NBA team nearby so I could watch the Pistons in person. I think Seattle is the closest to me though.

Wow, that would be interresting.

What would make it even more interresting is if the Lions stunk up the season and the Saints did well. I wonder how many fans would jump ship? Even if just for this season, while they played in Detroit.

Part protest of how poorly the Lions are managed and part sympathy for the tragedy that took place in N.O. I could see it happening.

Love the sound of that. The Lions could use some competition. It would be nice to have a team in town that might actually win a game. Now if they could only go out and find Bobby Hebert, remember him? The USFL Michigan Panthers quarterback.

Oh wait, here he is now...

http://www.wwl.com/showdj.asp?DJID=26840

Now those were cheerleaders :eyebrows: .


Hebert...the last QB to bring a football championship to Detroit (sometimes you have to wonder if he will be the last :tape: ). I was on a whitewater rafting trip in WV when the Panthers won the title...there were a lot of Michiganders there at the campground whooping it up...it was a blast!

I think the Saints should play each of their 'home' games in a different city and take up donations in each town for their home folks. Ticket prices would be low, of course, but I think the folks in this country would donate boatloads at the Saints games. The Saints owners should do everything they can to market such an idea. They owe it to their city. Their moniker should be more than just the name of a football team.

Thats very low on the radar but the clock is ticking next weekend Pro-Football starts.
Two months after that the Hornets will need a place to play. Kind of creepy I think the Honets play at the Superdome where all the refugees waited 4 days for help.

Noble Ideas for the owners to donate the proceeds but can they afford that while having to pay the players?

With all the NO has suffered and will suffer finding a way to continue their pro-sports teams will really lift them up. If that happened here it would be nice to know that the Pistons would still continue the season.

For the Saints to come here though would seriously impact the Lions who are trying to rebuild ( as usual ). Better to find a city that does not have a pro-team and already has a suitable college stadium they could play at. Same for the Hornets.

TORONTO. Man, that would be amazing because CFL games are on Friday nights (= Monday Night Football) and Saturdays.

TORONTO. Man, that would be amazing because CFL games are on Friday nights (= Monday Night Football) and Saturdays.

There you go. A major city capable of adopting the Saints for a season or 2. Do they have a stadium there?

I would waive the NFL blackout restrictions so all Saints fans can see their team play every week. And even fly a few out to TOR every week to see a game in person.

SkyDome.

They would have to share it with the CFL Argonauts, which I am not sure how that would work exactly, but the CFL season is done in October I believe and the reciprocal excitement of having an NFL team in town would surely trickle back to the Canadian League.

But I seriously doubt the NFL would be that forward thinking. To use this as an opportunity to gauge the Canadian market.

Fan base wouldn't be a problem though. Just 4 hours from Detroit and an hour or so from Buffalo.

Good call Micro. A long shot for sure, but that would be a great idea. The Jay's season is almost over, perhaps the Rogers Centre is a possibility. It would help the league grow the game in Canada, and they wouldn't be stepping on another NFL teams toes.

I don't think it would be fair to the Saints to make them play outdoors somewhere like Detroit all season.

Sure teams like GB do it, but they're used to it and are built for it. To take a southern team used to playing indoors and force them to play their "home" games outside would put them at an unfair disadvantage. As if they haven't already been put at enough of a disadvantage already.

Either way, this season should be very interesting for the Saints. I see it going 1 of 2 ways. Either they mail this season in with so many distractions - and who could blame them. Or they become the feel good story of the year (if not in the History of the League) and overcome all odds to make a real run at the Super Bowl.

I was reading an article today (Freep or DetNews I think) about how Joe Horn went to visit some of the survivors. Going into it he was very down and said that football really didn't matter at this point. But after seeing the smiles on their faces, the impact he had on them and THEM telling HIM to get it done on the field as a show of their resilience, he changed completely. He said that we was going back to the team to motivate them and that he had found a new fire.

Like I said, it should be interesting.

Thats very low on the radar but the clock is ticking next weekend Pro-Football starts.
Two months after that the Hornets will need a place to play. Kind of creepy I think the Honets play at the Superdome where all the refugees waited 4 days for help.

Noble Ideas for the owners to donate the proceeds but can they afford that while having to pay the players?

With all the NO has suffered and will suffer finding a way to continue their pro-sports teams will really lift them up. If that happened here it would be nice to know that the Pistons would still continue the season.

For the Saints to come here though would seriously impact the Lions who are trying to rebuild ( as usual ). Better to find a city that does not have a pro-team and already has a suitable college stadium they could play at. Same for the Hornets.

The Lions are going nowhere ever, with the Fords in control.

I'm not asking the Saints owners to pony-up...just for them to take full advantage of the 'marketing' possiblities looming with the upcoming NFL season.

My thought right now is to spread the wealth to those in need (pardon me while I take my republican ass in the backyard and singe it on hot coals in the firepit)!

The Saints coming here for one weekend (a Lions away game...be it Ford Field, Tiger Stadium, Silverdome, etc) won't hurt the Lions at all (assuming the networks take their share of the nation-wide brunt...BTW the networks need to pay their dues thru all of this too, beyond claiming they are providing coverage).

The Saints can now go to any NFL city and help contribute to the re-building of 'The Big Easy'. It's now prime-time for the Saints if NO has any possibility of recovery. The Saints & Hornets affiliation with New Orleans now rests with the owners. Whether the owners want to be faithful to their fans & the city of NO will become evident in coming NFL/NBA weeks.

The Saints are as distressed as anyone about where they will play. They are upset and confused why NFL Tagliabu(sp) is making them play their first home game in the opponents stadium, when they could easily play here at the Alamodome. NFL won't let a pro team come here because we don't have luxury suites at alamodome, plus Cowboys and Texans are fighting it. NFL wants to send them to California where they are dying for a pro team. Owner Tom Benson, big car dealership here (so is Red McCombs, both home grown San Antonio) isn't really fighting for his team, and has no comment.

I think it will be hard on the team playing all games away in other stadiums. I can understand why they want to remain the NO Saints, and they should as long as possible. They are making San Antonio their temporary home, they need to find houses and put their kids in school and that will give them a little stability. They think playing in a place where they practice will be more familiar to them.

I hope they can play here. They won't be San Antonio Saints, still N.O Saints, but the town will certainly support them. Like the Saints, we will just have to wait and see.

BTW, I really like this forum. You guys did a GOOD JOB. And, it's funny. I just need to find a spot to post some comments about Spurs and Pistons. Pop says he is surprised Spurs won with their 7man rotation. It's unusual for that to happen. Fans think we have to worry about Miami. They are wrong. Pistons are gonna be here again, and it will be 2 great teams for the championship. Forget Miami. Phoenix gave us a little problem last year, so we sure can't be too cocky. GO Pistons.

Just go over to the Western Conference section and start your own Spurs thread. The site needs fans of other teams to feel comfortable getting their own discussions going. The more the merrier :) .

Seriously though. I have not been to a Lions game since 1995 so the question of would I support them playing here is yes. Will I go see them no.

I heard today that the Saints will be playing just one game here. The home game against the Lions that would have been in NO will be played here.

So thats probably whats going to happen with their other games. A touring team without a home.

With the devastation down there, the last thing anyone wants to worry about is where the teams representing NO will play. Yes the NFL has to make it's money so the games will be played. But maybe as an altenative to playing the Saints should forgo their season and each week instead of playing, they put there strength together with the team that play that given week and provide some assistance to part of the clean-up. OK I know that is not realistic, but it's a thought.

As an alternative to the Silverdome, we have no team in LA, so playing at the LA Coliseum or Rose Bowl could be an option, but unless the LA Raider/Rams fans that still inhabit the city don't think the Saints can put up an contender, only the diehard curious footbal would even show up to watch. Same with the Hornets, as the LA Times indicated they could play at the Anaheim Pond, if the Lakers and Clippers approve....which they never will, but no wants to watch someone else's losers!! :frusty:

As of today (with NFL approval) it looks like Saints will play 3 home games in Baton Rouge and 4 at Alamodome. Events scheduled for the Alamodome, including a homeshow with 500 exhibitors, have agreed to change their dates.

Red McCombs is hopping into the middle of things, Cisneros (former mayor and HUD secty-Clinton) contacted NFL and said San Antonio has changed a lot since 1999 when they refused to let san antonio have a franchise. Tom Benson not saying anything.

Go to the new Arizona stadium if the Lions came here!!!:)

Wow. Well, Tagliabu is supposed to go to Baton Rouge tomorrow and check out the stadium (of course, it still has evacuees) to see if Saints can play games there. Don't know if he will come to San Antonio. Anyway, if Saints play 3 games at Baton Rouge and 4 games here, they will be playing Lions on December 24th here. And Spurs will be playing Pistons December 25th in Detroit. We are starting to bond with you all:) .

The alamodome is giving Saints a good deal. They get to keep all money from tickets, concessions, goods sold, all of it, for games played here. Alamodome is going to charge operational costs only. :usa:

Hate it that Cowboys won. This is Not Cowboy country. They had training camp here year before last, and Jerry Jones told the mayor they would come back if San Antonio paid them $1 million. Mayor said nah, we only made $442.00 on you when you were here before. One good thing though, the training camp facilities that had been prepared and used by the Cowboys worked out so that the Saints could use it.

It's now pretty much set that 4 games will be played in Baton Rouge and 3 games here. Lions will be here 12/24/05, pretty sure, even though NFL said could be 24-26, because Alamo Bowl is scheduled for 12/28/05. :wave:
San Antonio is a great place to be at Christmas. The Riverwalk and Alamo Plaza are completely covered in lights. Lions will be treated very well, besides there are a lot of Lions fans here.

The Saints will be playing 4 home games at Tiger Stadium this year.

Except not Tiger Stadium in Detriot. Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

I'm guessing that they were talking about Baton Rouge all along and not Detroit when the rumours first started about Tiger Stadium.

It's now pretty much set that 4 games will be played in Baton Rouge and 3 games here. Lions will be here 12/24/05, pretty sure, even though NFL said could be 24-26, because Alamo Bowl is scheduled for 12/28/05. :wave:
San Antonio is a great place to be at Christmas. The Riverwalk and Alamo Plaza are completely covered in lights. Lions will be treated very well, besides there are a lot of Lions fans here.

I've been to San Antonio only once, and it was in February, but the Riverwalk was very nice even then. I'd imagine that it would look even better with all the lights.

It was the same trip that my wife and I first got together. We went to New Orleans for mardi gras 7 years ago. Its still hard to believe that the city that first brought us together is now under water.

Alamodome games for saints: tickets went on sale at 10 this a.m., sold out by noon (fans waiting since 3AM). Well, not all tickets sold, best seats being held for Saints season ticket holders, they have 10 days to keep or release. We will never be the professional sports town that Detroit is but, man do we have the fans.