New Orleans Saints Play "Home Game" in NJ

[Kire]

Does anyone else think this is just silly?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/19/sports/football/19giants.html?hp

[nytemare]

1. I don't think it is right.

Haslett was saying pre game that there were plenty of places close to home they could have played. One of the NFL folks said they need to concentrate on recovery there....but come on. There are plenty of college stadiums closer than NY that could house the game.

[Jersey Devil]

3. I'm happy, sat on the 40 yard line, sec 131 row 20

I usually sit in the end zone so getting those seats was special. Only 2 players from NO impressed me. Joe Horn should be all world and Aaron Brooks has a great arm. I never knew how really big Brooks was until I saw him last night.

[DaveinMD]

5. Brooks

is talented but erratic. He imploded as usual. McAllister is a great running back, who the Giants just shut down.

[rinsd]

6. What the hell is going on?

I thought run defense would be shaky this year with our D-line.

[DaveinMD]

8. I told you

this is a good football team. This was Joseph's first training camp. Osi is in his third year and Clancy is a decent player. Antonio Pierce at MLB is a very good player, Emmons is healthy and Torbor is coming into his own. We have a very good front 7.

[rinsd]

11. Did you see Jacobs run that guy over during a return....

...the booth guys were interviewing the Dark Lord (aka Tags) and I swear Paul Maguire looked like he was going to burst trying to do a Madden impression after that play happened. But it was the Dark Lord afterall so they stuck with the interview and nary a word was spoken about the play.

[DaveinMD]

14. Just wait

until the kids learns the blitz pickups. He's got amazing ability.

[davepc]

28. On was on the 50, section 111 row 24

Usually sit in 309 row 26...20 yard line.

Didn't like the vibe in the crowd at all, too many drunken idiots who had never been to a game before and thought the point was to drink.

Brooks is a physical machine, but he didn't make good decisions. Horn is tough and gritty.

I think the Saints got a raw deal, and if I was a cowboys, eagles, or skins fan I'd be *pissed*

[jus_the_facts]

2. they don't have a *home* anymore.....

.....and LSU is bein' used for relief efforts and have their own games to play there as well...so regardless of bein' silly...it IS the way it IS....sux but whatcha gonna do? x(

[northzax]

7. two words:

reliant field. the Texans were on the road on Sunday, why not use a place with 50-75 thousand refugees, the largest big city to New Orleans, a city that has basically adopted New Orleans for the time being?

The line that LSU is playing it's home games in Tiger Stadium is absurd, there was an NFL game on Sunday at the Meadowlands (the Jets) and they turned it around for Monday night, surely it could have been done in 48 hours in Baton Rouge.

what about Jacksonville? or one of the five other NFL stadiums in the same time zone as New Orleans not being used on monday night? by my count, there were 28 other NFL stadiums not in use monday night, that at least would have been at least neutral ground. But no, the New York bias allows the Giants to get a bonus home game, most of the tickets went to Giants fans, the crowd was certainly pro-Giants. Personally, to make it even, I would have put the game, if not in Houston or San Antonio, in Philly on Monday or in Dallas or at FedEx on Sunday, at least then there would have been if not a pro-Saints crowd at least an anti-Giants crowd, and the Giants would not have gained an extra home game on the Skins, Birds or Boys.

The Saints got screwed...so did the Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys. it's the best of all worlds for the Giants, and the worst for four other teams, how is that fair?

[DaveinMD]

9. They made this decision weeks ago

not last week. At the time, a bunch of the refugees were being housed in Texas. The logistics didn't work out.

[northzax]

10. the refugees are at the Astrodome

not Reliant Stadium. and the Texans were still scheduled to be in Buffalo last sunday, why wouldn't the logistics actually be easier to keep the game at the same time it was scheduled and use the local, empty stadium for the game? simple new york bias by the NFL. they weren't thinking.

[rinsd]

12. There was some spillover to the Reliant center (nt)

[northzax]

15. the basketball arena, yes

not the football stadium, which is outside and not a good place to house people.

[rinsd]

18. I thought it was a dome? (nt)

[DaveinMD]

13. Was it Eagles bias

when TO was just handed to the Eagles last year. I don't hear people complaining about that.

The logistics of moving the game to Houston just weren't possible. The Fed Ex field would have been a better idea. But let's be realistic. This game wasn't close and it could have been an even bigger blowout.

[northzax]

16. if everyone was planning to be in New Orleans anyway

why not houston? I don't understand why the logistics of moving a game there are any harder than a new crew moving into the Meadowlands the day after another game-

the TO thing is completely irrelevant.

[DaveinMD]

19. its only relevant

when you are saying there is a bias in favor of the Giants. There isn't. The NFL office is in NY. It was probably easier for them to launch the telethon from there. The result of this game doesn't change no matter where its played.

[northzax]

20. you can't know that

you can't know what the influence of a hostile crowd, or a friendly crowd, has on a team. The fact remains that the Giants, like almost every other team, have a higher winning percentage at home than on the road. the fact that the game was a blowout is meaningless.

would you accept moving a red sox-yankees series to Fenway from the Bronx if Yankee stadium was unavaliable? since homefield doesn't matter and all, it won't matter that the Sox have three more home games than the Yanks, right? there's only a half game between them, after all.

[DaveinMD]

23. The Saints

have been a better road team the last few years. People that make money off these things value home field at 3 points. The Giants won by 17 points.

[rinsd]

17. A couple of things....

That college field gets play on maybe 6 times a year. Giants stadium is desgined for multiple teams even multiple purposes (soccer)

Also the NFL was concerned about filling a stadium....they got 68,000 for the Giants game (capacity almost 78,000).

During the fires here in San Diego, they moved the game to Phoenix and got an attendance of 65,000 largely because the game was free (though they did collect donations). Even then I think they were fudging numbers...people noted at the time how empty that stadium looked. When the next Charger game also appeared in danger they considered moving the game again to Phoenix or San Fran.

Based on the short time available to arrange this and the want of the NFL to make this telethon thing work, NY was the choice location.

Do you think Iggle, Skins or Boys fans would have paid to see a division rival?

[northzax]

21. to see the Saints? after Katrina?

they could have sold tickets in any stadium in the country.

and would they have shown up, and paid, to BOO a division rival? me thinks they would have.

[rinsd]

22. At $65+ a pop to boo someone?

When the Phillies and Nats still in contention?

How could they have sold tickets to any stadium?

I think the fact that they didn't sell out this game in the hometown of a team that has sellouts for nearly every single game in their current stadium (going back to 1976) for a game that was played with an emotional overtones speaks volumes for the NFL's ability to fill a stadium at random.

[DaveinMD]

24. Was it fair

to the Giants to play a game on a Monday night before a game across the country? I think not. And the Giants are the only team in the division with 4 west coast trips.

[rinsd]

25. Fairness is a non-issue....

...nothing that happens to the Saints this season will be fair.

The game was moved to NY. That was the decision. It has logical backup. End of story.

[DaveinMD]

26. I'm really addressing

all the Eagles and Cowboy and Redskin fans complaining.

[rinsd]

27. I know...

..sorry if the tone projected differently.

[Roachman]

4. I don't know why it couldn't be a completely neutral game

There was talk of them playing a game out here where I am in the LA Coliseum, but NO was worried they would have no home field advantage. Well, what kind of home field advantage do they have on their opponent's turf? That's just plain stupid. They should have played here and I guarantee 75-90% of Angelinos would have rooted for them like crazy...

But they would have made less money than they did giving the Giants an extra home game.

It was completely between what's fair and common sensical and money, so who is surpised at what they decided?