LONDON COUNTERPOINT: We owe the NFL one (1 Viewer)

[LSSpam]

However, if we miss out making the playoffs, exactly b/c we lost to the Bolts IN LONDON......would you still be as thankful to the NFL?

We haven't been a good home team in over a decade.

But politics play a huge role in the decision who to send abroad, and an owner like Kraft has a lot more weight than Benson.....so the Pats will never end up going abroad!.

The Patriots were actually scheduled to play in China at one point. The NFL ended up scrubbing the deal because they didn't feel China made enough progress in preparing for the game. Kraft, who has significant business interest in China, was pretty PO'ed about it reportedly. So your assumption on this is incorrect.

 

[inetnawlins]

Couldn't agree with you more. Remember the reopening of the dome on Monday Night Football. The NFL stepped up big. Now it's our turn.

 

[birdog]

We haven't been a good home team in over a decade.




The Patriots were actually scheduled to play in China at one point. The NFL ended up scrubbing the deal because they didn't feel China made enough progress in preparing for the game. Kraft, who has significant business interest in China, was pretty PO'ed about it reportedly. So your assumption on this is incorrect.

On the contrary!! I heard arguments exactly about the Pats not going ever anywhere. This topic was discussed a lot on Sirius, especially after the NFL announced that it will be looking to add a 18th week to the schedule sometimes in the future. All this politicking was brought up in those topics, and many didn't like it one bit! Lots of experts who had knowledge about that expressed their view, and some liked it some didn't! Especially on the Pats, Steelers, and Skins side the argument was that these teams probably will never give up one of their "home" games.

Remember, the argument is about not having a home game......not that they don't want to play abroad.

 

[Peet]

Couldn't agree with you more. Remember the reopening of the dome on Monday Night Football. The NFL stepped up big. Now it's our turn.

I'll never forget it!!

 

[Neekie2212]

That game is THE biggest game on the Saints schedule.

...and not to mention the impact on the local economy and 1 LESS time fans get to see Brees-to-Colston in person.

It was the NFL's duty to help the team in it's crisis. The NFL will never make a team play all it's games on the road like the Saints had to. Remember the fires in San Diego? The league made sure that the game WASN'T played in Houston.

BTW, I'm still not over that 'Home' game in Giants Stadium.

 

[CAVALIER]

Right the people of New Orleans owe the NFL? To play a home game in another country? I'm sorry, it is we who deserve have our eight home games to attend considering what has occurred here....did you watch the game last year? What kind of home field advantage was that? The field was not even ready for the sport! Yeah we owe the NFL for the home game played in Giants stadium..... I'm sorry I just wholeheartidly dsagree

 

[LSSpam]

It was the NFL's duty to help the team in it's crisis. The NFL will never make a team play all it's games on the road like the Saints had to. Remember the fires in San Diego? The league made sure that the game WASN'T played in Houston.

BTW, I'm still not over that 'Home' game in Giants Stadium.

No, it isn't. The NFL's "duty" is to make money for it's partners, the NFL owners. The NFL went out of it's way to force a commitment to a business situation virtually every other observer consider untenable. And it had a significant ripple effect of shaming the NBA into making the same sort of commitment.

Don't think for a second that Benson wouldn't have just stayed put in San Antonio.

Then consider the HUGE amounts of PR work and charity the NFL has done for the New Orleans area since that time.


How ungrateful

 

[Phenomkart35]

ok I could buy that. but I so wanted to see Drew WHIP the Chargers but in person. i don't have the money to go to England

 

[SaintJ]

I've been reading all of the outrage on this board against the NFL for sticking it to the city of New Orleans and Saints fans by taking a home game away next season and sending it to London. So let me offer an opposing point of view:

It's the least we can do.

After all, in the fall of 2005, when Tom Benson was working furiously behind the scenes to take ALL of our home games away and move the franchise permanently to San Antonio, it was the NFL who stepped in and stopped him.

In the spring of 2006, when the Superdome was still in tatters, it was the NFL who said: We're going to help you rebuild it in time for next season, and when you reopen it, we're going to throw you the biggest regular season party this sport has ever seen.

Simply put, the NFL SAVED the New Orleans Saints. If we can pay the league back by eating a home game so they can promote the sport overseas, that's a small price to pay.

I hate to lose a home game, too, especially a marquee game with such a compelling story line (Drew Brees facing off against his old team). But I believe in repaying friends who helped me out when I was down. So I'll gladly do that for the good old NFL, whose bold leadership was the only thing this broken city had going for it for a while there.

Some people around here have short memories. The NFL isn't screwing us. They're just asking us to return a favor. As Southern gentlemen, the correct response should be: You got it, hoss. Let us know if there's anything else we can do to help.

What a load of ****.

If you think the NFL did all of those things out of the goodness of its heart, for god's sakes, please let's do business.

While some of the NFL administrators and owners may have had their hearts in the right place post-Katrina, don't think for a second that they did anything without a motivation laser-focused on the bottom line.

The NFL has been selling a brand-image for years, and it just wasn't good business to let the team leave. If Benson hadn't been so pathetically heavy-handed in his approach, and there hadn't been such a groundswell of sympathy, our goose might well have already been cooked by a "reasonable" but ultimately unsupportable set of post-Katrina proposals from a cannier ownership. He overplayed his hand and bought us some time to right the ship, the NFL desperately not wanting to look callous, treating us like, say, a retired player in his late 50s.

The NFL for years has carefully played the stadium game to extort taxpayer dollars by dangling the "move" scenario, even in large and storied markets like Philadelphia, Cleveland, Baltimore, Los Angeles, etc., etc. All of a sudden they up and get super-charitable?

Keeping the team in New Orleans was a wise short-term move. Even before the 2006 season we'd already gotten the Mob warning that we better pay up filling the seats and the suites and reconstituting the entire region's economy or.... somebody might have an accident.

Nothing for nothing in this life. We pay the freight, the team stays.

It's nothing personal. It's just business.

Our losing a home game, and a prime one at that, is nothing more than a demonstration of the level of influence our market and ownership have in league circles.

 

[Archie_4_HOF]

I've been reading all of the outrage on this board against the NFL for sticking it to the city of New Orleans and Saints fans by taking a home game away next season and sending it to London. So let me offer an opposing point of view:

It's the least we can do.

After all, in the fall of 2005, when Tom Benson was working furiously behind the scenes to take ALL of our home games away and move the franchise permanently to San Antonio, it was the NFL who stepped in and stopped him.

In the spring of 2006, when the Superdome was still in tatters, it was the NFL who said: We're going to help you rebuild it in time for next season, and when you reopen it, we're going to throw you the biggest regular season party this sport has ever seen.

Simply put, the NFL SAVED the New Orleans Saints. If we can pay the league back by eating a home game so they can promote the sport overseas, that's a small price to pay.

I hate to lose a home game, too, especially a marquee game with such a compelling story line (Drew Brees facing off against his old team). But I believe in repaying friends who helped me out when I was down. So I'll gladly do that for the good old NFL, whose bold leadership was the only thing this broken city had going for it for a while there.

Some people around here have short memories. The NFL isn't screwing us. They're just asking us to return a favor. As Southern gentlemen, the correct response should be: You got it, hoss. Let us know if there's anything else we can do to help.

Yes, Tagliabue saved our franchise but so did this fan base. the same fan base who lost their team for a season. The same fan base who continued to to support its team even when the counterfiet owner tried to move them. The same fan base who has packed the Superdome since their return and supported with our hard earned money and shelled out the $20 parking and $8 for beer. I don't know about you but I don't owe the NFL a damn thing other than the cost of my ticket.

 

[LSSpam]

If you think the NFL did all of those things out of the goodness of its heart, for god's sakes, please let's do business.

No way dude. Everyone gave the NFL an out after Katrina. Hell half the country didn't think New Orleans should rebuild at all, muchless would be able to support a pro football team. Every single sports writer in America was prematurely predicting our impending demise. Hell even prior to the 2006 season when we had sold out the dome and it was settled they'd be here that season many writers such as SI's Don Banks were predicting our eventual move to Los Angeles. Don't you remember, picking Reggie Bush was part of this "conspiracy"?

So the idea that the NFL, and not even the NFL mind you but Tag's specifically, pushed Benson to stay in New Orleans was motivated by some impending PR disaster is flat-out wrong.

We were very, very fortunate that the NFL is, essentially, a dictatorship underneath a strong commissioner. There was a lot of word about different owners feeling the NFL should pull out from NO as well. Tags spearheaded them staying here and I have zero, zero doubt it was mostly motivated by a desire to "do the right thing".

Remember the NBA was already out the door at that point. The Saints literally shamed them into coming back.

That Tag's and the NFL went on to exploit the good deed and generate significant positive buzz after the fact I have no problems with. The fact is most everyone already had the Saints not in New Orleans after 2005. The NFL easily could have let it happen.

 

[brianw37]

No way dude. Everyone gave the NFL an out after Katrina. Hell half the country didn't think New Orleans should rebuild at all, muchless would be able to support a pro football team. Every single sports writer in America was prematurely predicting our impending demise. Hell even prior to the 2006 season when we had sold out the dome and it was settled they'd be here that season many writers such as SI's Don Banks were predicting our eventual move to Los Angeles. Don't you remember, picking Reggie Bush was part of this "conspiracy"?

So the idea that the NFL, and not even the NFL mind you but Tag's specifically, pushed Benson to stay in New Orleans was motivated by some impending PR disaster is flat-out wrong.

We were very, very fortunate that the NFL is, essentially, a dictatorship underneath a strong commissioner. There was a lot of word about different owners feeling the NFL should pull out from NO as well. Tags spearheaded them staying here and I have zero, zero doubt it was mostly motivated by a desire to "do the right thing".

Remember the NBA was already out the door at that point. The Saints literally shamed them into coming back.

That Tag's and the NFL went on to exploit the good deed and generate significant positive buzz after the fact I have no problems with. The fact is most everyone already had the Saints not in New Orleans after 2005. The NFL easily could have let it happen.

i have to agree, and i really dont think its a bad thing playing in england yea we do lose a home game but were not that good at home right now anyway. so that helps that we have another road game where we are clearly a better team, hopefully this only means one more win..... but i have to admit nothing makes me feel better that seeing my boys play in the dome.

 

[Carmiguel]

And think of all the new English fans we'll have on SaintsReport!

 

[birdog]

Nothing for nothing in this life. We pay the freight, the team stays.

It's nothing personal. It's just business.

Our losing a home game, and a prime one at that, is nothing more than a demonstration of the level of influence our market and ownership have in league circles.

I think you hit the mark on that, SaintJ. Oh I'm pretty sure that someone at the NFL reminded Benson for what Tag did to come back to NO.....but all this is business! BIG BUSINESS! The fact is, the NFL is nothing more than 32 owners with an appetite to make as much money as possible! And it so happens that they figured out that if they send the Saints abroad that will make more money FOR THEM, than let the Saints play home! And look what happened last year! The Giants LOVED playing in London AS LONG AS MIAMI WASN'T PLAYING AT HOME!!.....but I guarantee that the Giants would have never agreed to play one of their home games away! Nor would the Pats, or Skins, or the Steelers! And they have the influence to do that.....Benson is not viewed as one with much say in the affairs of the league......and he got the short end of the deal.

 

[Archie_4_HOF]

i have to agree, and i really dont think its a bad thing playing in england yea we do lose a home game but were not that good at home right now anyway. so that helps that we have another road game where we are clearly a better team, hopefully this only means one more win..... but i have to admit nothing makes me feel better that seeing my boys play in the dome.

So you are ready to throw in the towel on our home games and just give them away because we played poorly at home this season???? I don't get the logic.