San Antonio Gets Football Team?

After all the commentary about San Antonio getting a football team during the municipal elections it seems that we may get the Saints on a temporary basis. Accordint to ESPN.com, the New Orlean's Saints will be practicing in San Antonio all season and will most likely call San Antonio home for the next year.

Despite their public stance that they hope to play home games in Baton Rouge, La., for the 2005 season, the strong preference of New Orleans Saints officials is to stage the contests here at the Alamodome, and it is a position that team management is expected to soon articulate to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

"The best [scenario] for us is to play the games right here, because, well, this is where we are," coach Jim Haslett said Monday, following his team's first practice in preparation for Sunday's season opener at Carolina. "I know a lot of things have been discussed, but we would like to be here. But it's not up to us. The league will make the decision."

Saints owner Tom Benson, who on Monday afternoon declined to do interviews but did suggest he will sit down with the media later in the week, will meet sometime in the next few days with Tagliabue and other NFL officials. That session, which likely will be in New York, could occur as early as Tuesday, club sources told ESPN.com. It's expected that Benson will review his franchise's options, and also lay out for the league the details in place in San Antonio, where the Saints already have decided to practice all season.

I for one am happy to call the Saints the San Antonio team for the 2005 -2006 season. I will still be rooting for my Texans and 9'ers, but I will be encouraging the New Orleans/San Antonio Saints all the way to the playoffs.

San Antonio Saints? I like the sound of that...

UPDATE 9/6/2005 7:21 AM
The express-news has confirmed the rumor as true, but the NFL has some serious doubts about San Antonio's ability draw a crowd and corporate sponsors.

The city seems to that the Saint's will be here for sure.

The Saints "are committed to playing their games in the dome," a city official said. "The only question is, how many games can they play there."

If the Saint's will be here, then I will be going to some games.. That is all I have to say about that.