The New Orleans Saints are investigating the possibility of remaining in the Dallas area for up to a month and opening their regular season against Green Bay …
The New Orleans Saints are investigating the possibility of remaining in the Dallas area for up to a month and opening their regular season against Green Bay in the Cowboys’ home stadium, coach Sean Payton said. While the Superdome appears to have been spared significant damage from Hurricane Ida, there are logistical challenges with staffing an NFL game there in the near future because of the widespread damage in the New Orleans area. Many New Orleans residents have evacuated and officials have advised them not to return for at least another several days while roadways are cleared and widespread damage to power lines are repaired. Some neighborhoods are expected to be without power for weeks. „There’s a chance that, if our stadium is not ready to host the Packers in Week 1, where might that game be?“ Payton said Tuesday. „That game could very well be right here at AT&T Stadium. We’ve got enough fans in this area and Houston, certainly from northern Louisiana, that we think that would be something that’s very realistic.“ Payton said the Dallas area, where the Saints relocated on Saturday as Ida approached the Gulf Coast, also seems to make the most sense as a temporary practice base because multiple Division I college football programs there have offered help and because of conflicts or logistical challenges with other locations the club considered.