The San Antonio Saints?

I was thinking Los Angeles Saints (of Anaheim). Perfect fit. The city just announced plans to host an NFL team by 2008, based on a study showing theirs to be the best location for a move to that market. I’m certain the TV issues you bring up are enough to nullify the notion of a move to San Antonio. The league has made it perfectly clear that they want a team in L.A. ASAP. Sure looks like a weak ploy for leverage on Bensonâ€â"¢s part. If he wants unanimous approval and support from his colleges, California is the place he wants to be.

Can’t see the Saints coming to San Antonio, where a convention was given priority over the Cowboys using the Alamodome in the summer of 2004. Besides, what kind of businessman wants to risk big bucks competing in a market where fans are fiercely loyal to your competitors?!!

If Benson wants a better return, let him move to California or Mexico or wherever the Saints are wanted. San Antonio makes no sense.

If required to buy TV package to see the Cowboys because of Benson’s greed, so be it. I figure its only a matter of time before the whole thing goes pay-per-view anyway. But you can be sure I’ll take my car business to anyone not named Benson.

I AGREE, LA IS A MUCH BETTER FIT. I WAS CURIOUS IF ANYONE HAS HEARD ABOUT THE SAFETY HALL OUT OF ATLANTA. I KNOW HE IS AT THE RANCH TODAY AND WONDERING IF ANY OFFER WAS MADE.

I may be wrong, but doesn’t the black out rule apply to a specified mile radius of the team that doesn’t sell out. Meaning if the Saints moved to San Antonio and they didn’t sell out, the people of San Antonio could still see the Dallas game. They just wouldn’t see the Saints game. That being the case it wouldn’t be that big of a deal as far as the Cowboys are concerned. Besides if you are a TRUE Cowboys fan, the Patriots could move in to your back yard and you’d still be doing whatever you could to see the Cowboys even if it meant buying the NFL ticket.

starstruck,

you said in an earlier post that reggie harrel is big, fast, and has excellent hands. so what is this kid’s down side for why he went undrafted? just curious.

oh and how can deion sanders be eligible for the 2006 INDUCTION to the HOF if he is still playing in the NFL? i dont get it.

oh and does anyone know how the cory hall visit went?

Ry-CT

I don’t know why Harell went undrafted. The description I gave comes straight from his TCU player bio. The nfl.com page basically reiterated it. He is listed there at 6-3, 214 and was the first 1,000 yrd receiver in school history and excelled at track as well. He had some injury issues early, was red-shirted, and missed a little time in the Spring of 2004 recovering from foot surgery. I can’t speculate to why he was passed over. This is from the nfl.com profile:

“Can make the tough catches in traffic and then run over defenders with the ball … Has a smooth, gliding running motion, but also can kick it into second gear with an explosive pull-away burst … Does a nice job of scanning the field to find the open area … Uses his hands well to get a push off the defender upfield … Will extend and grab for the ball, showing excellent hand skills … Fights for the ball in traffic, generally coming up with the pigskin due to his determined attitude … Has the leg drive to break tackles after the catch.”

Here’s the links if you want to read more:

http://gofrogs.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/harrell_reggie00.html
http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/harrell_reggie

thanks starstruck. BTW, what does red shirted mean anyway?

Who wrote this article? Is this one of Jerry’s boys trying to warn off another NFL franchise from jumping on his turf? I don’t even know where to begin on how off this article is.

A)noone has any idea the Saints were 31st in revenue. The Saints have not even said that cause they refuse to open their books to public scrutiny to prove it. Their owner did recently buy a new yacht though under the corporation name of the Saints.

B)How the hell would a poor city be gaining a Ford(or is it Toyota) plant that is bringing 6000 jobs? Why would a job growth that huge happen in a poor city?

C)He is obviously scared a team in San Antonio will steal the Austin fan base. Well boo-hoo little whiner. Dems the breaks. Tough.

D) The other thing is that Austin is a growing city, San Antonio’s population is double or triple that of New Orleans, as well as the average household income is higher. He also forgets to mention there are no teams west of San Antonio, or South, so this creates a huge fan base and following for any team that would move to San Antonio.

I grew up in New Orleans and moved at the age of 23, I currently live in San Antonio. These cities are night and day. The alamodome would have to undergo a complete renovation to be viable for an NFL team, but were it to happen it would work immediately. Anybody say the Laker games when they started losing? Less stars than a Clipper game. LA does not support losers, as the Saints annually are. Worst idea ever thinking about movinf that franchise to LA. The Colts could work there, cause they win,and have a megastar QB. I hope there is more informed journalism on this story going forward.

Ry-CT

It means you defer a year of playing eligibility, usually due to injury, which is how you get an academic senior or graduate student playing as a junior or senior, respectively, in college sports.

From ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com:

â€Å"The term “red shirt” actually originated on the football field. In the past, at the beginning of each season, coaches would decide which student-athletes would be permitted to compete during the season, using a year of eligibility, and which ones would only be permitted to practice. The ones who did not compete during the season preserved a year of eligibility. These student-athletes wore red jerseys at practice so the coaches could easily identify which student-athletes were not going to compete that year.”

does anyone know how the cory hall visit went?

the San Antonio Saints? hmm.

I’ve lived in SA; I live in Austin now.

I’ve always followed the Cowboys, like any REAL Texan.

mostly Cowboys and Houston fans in SA. i remember when the Cowboys won their first Superbowl of the 90’s. I was living in SA, and I could hear cars blowing their horns up and down the streets from my college dorm right after the game.

the Saints would forever be the THIRD most popular NFL team in their own city if they move to San Antonio. I sure won’t root for ’em, but GO SPURS!!

I don’t think the NFL would allow a move to San Antonio. Los Angeles is more likely, or as StarStruck pointed out, the Los Angeles Saints (of Anaheim.) It’s only fitting since the “Angels” are already there, let the “Saints” join ’em. LOL!

As for the Cory Hall visit, I’m also wondering how that went.

I think it’s the injuries that kept Harrell from being drafted. He has the stats and the tools. Then again, Timmy Chang of Hawaii went undrafted and he set NCAA records. Oh well a lot of Heisman Trophy winners don’t make it in the NFL either, so…….. go figure!

i read that the cowboys were not overly impressed by Hall

Cory Hall didn’t get signed. It appears they won’t do anything until the end of the month. More likely, until the June 1 cuts are announced.

This would be a disaster. I, living in Austin, cannot have a Sunday without my beloved Cowboys. I don’t wanna watch a crummy Saints team on Sunday, where now I can watch 2 teams . Man, this is the same crap I had to hear when they were talking about the Vikings moving to SA. I bet if you asked the people of SA, they wouldn’t want the team either. We need a contact for the NFL to complain about this.

I thought this was interesting in Mickey Spagnola’s article. He said that Parcells hung up signs in the locker room that tell of things for players to not get involved in. And then he says that something along the lines of The harsher the rules, the deeper the pride…if you read it, you understand why Parcells is one of the best in the business.

Lou,

It’s not a surprise that the best coaches are also master motivators! Lombardi, Phil Jackson, Jimmy Johnson, Parcells…… Switzer……. Never mind! ;-)

Lou

I agree. I thought the same thing about the signs; Parcells is a master. Plus, Mick’s article may be the best I’ve read from him. He made me feel it, being in that locker room, witness to the history there. Beautiful. Then to tell about Parcells posting the signs…brought it all full circle, the history to be made still.

Good grief, what a horrible mess that would be.

Well I think you are very wrong with the ability of SA to fill luxury boxes. Who the hell do you think sits in the Spurs luxury boxes, you dufus. And there are far smaller areas with teams. SA is the 8th largest city in the nation. And you don’t just buy tickets because your in love with that team, but also because of the teams that come to play them.

Ryan-CT:

RE: Sanders … sorry, my bad. He played last year so the earliest he would be eligible would be 2009.

Hey,

 I’m sick of only New England teams being so close together. Saints please come to San Antonio. Texas is big enough for three teams. L.A. is more likely but There is plenty of room for a third favorite team in the State. Heck move it to Oklahoma, thats where all of the Texas players are anyway!!

two cents…

Ryan-CT

You asked earlier about Reggie Harell was not drafted. He has a reputation for being very fast, but he only ran a 4.64 at the combine. Maybe he just had a bad day, but 4.64 aint exactly burning it up.

The knock on him is that he is passive when pursuing the ball, and doesn’t have show the separation burst upfield. Also, he seems to be a passive blocker.

Josh A,

Population has nothing to do with tax base or business base. Sure, you can fill the SBC Center, but football stadiums have many more boxes, with much higher price tags. I know this because I discussed this issue with someone who was involved in the debate over the building of the Alamodome. Those that were in favor thought if they built it, the NFL will come. Those opposed made the argument that I made in this post, that the city would not be able to sustain, long term, a team in the way that Dallas or Houston could. They’ve got money. S.A. does not relatively speaking.
You can’t compare the Spurs to the Saints. The NFL is playing on a completely different level. Their TV deal is more than ten times that of the NBA. I know what I’m talking about, so don’t call me a doofus.

Josh A,

Lets keep it clean and not call names.

Teams moving, and where they are located has more to do about money, politics, and a team owner’s willingness and desire to put a team there.

Las Vegas is America’s fastest growing city, with over 40 Million visitors a year to boot, but will probably never see a major sports team, because of gambling. POLITICS

Al Davis moved the Raiders to Los Angeles, then back to Oakland. Same for Model and the Browns/Ravens. MONEY

Phoenix only has 3.5 Million people and is in the middle of the desert, but every major sport is there. Los Angeles is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US, but no NFL team. Go figure.

So, as Rafael stated, you can’t just do a “Field of Dreams” in hopes of a team coming there. Teams moving around will become even more of a problem in the future, because you can’t just keep expanding just because the population is expanding. Who wants to see a dilluted product on the field of play? The battle for teams rages on.

From today’s New Orleans paper:

After having preliminary relocation discussions in 1999 and 2000 with the Saints and the Arizona Cardinals, the city of San Antonio commissioned a study to determine what it would cost to bring the 65,000-seat Alamodome up to NFL standards. The study estimated roughly $200 million for the minimum number of suites and club seating, in addition to more parking and a new training facility….

…[Mayor] Garza said he would welcome an NFL franchise, but he doesn’t know where that kind of money would come from.

Starstruck,

Sorry I missed your Beverly Hillbillies reference up top. Funny. Especially when you apply it to Benson. Amazing isn’t it, that two car salesmen from S.A. are part of the NFL owners club.

did any of you know that michael irvin is in the new movie “the longest yard?”

oh and reshard lee signed a 2 yr. deal with buffalo to be mcgahee’s backup

Also from the New Orleans paper:

On the surface, the idea makes sense. San Antonio has a growing population, a thriving economy, a successful pro sports franchise in the NBA’s Spurs and a proven sports fan base, especially when nearby Austin is included.

In San Antonio, Benson started his automobile dealership empire and remains active in business and charitable endeavors. Benson owns several car dealerships and bank branches in San Antonio and a private ranch in nearby Johnson City.

Last year, the Saints flew to San Antonio to practice for three days during the hurricane evacuation. And in 2001, the Saints played a preseason game in the Alamodome against the Minnesota Vikings.

Although San Antonio has fallen short in the past in the eyes of the NFL, the city does compare favorably to New Orleans in many important categories. San Antonio is the eighth largest city in the United States in population, but the total metropolitan area ranks only 30th, a more accurate number when it comes to fan base. San Antonio’s total metropolitan area includes 1,592,383 people, according to the 2000 census. New Orleans ranks 35th at 1,337, 726.

San Antonio has four Fortune 500 companies, New Orleans one.

“The city has always felt and the business community has always felt that an NFL team would be a tremendous asset, just as we always felt the NBA was a tremendous asset,” said Joe Krier, who since 1987 has been president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, which helped create the San Antonio Sports Foundation. “The Spurs have put this city on the map in more ways than I can count. We’re a believer in pro sports, and we’re a believer in pro football.”

National sports marketing expert Marc Ganis said he believes San Antonio combined with Austin is the best market in the country without an NFL team, because it is “more certain” than Los Angeles.

Austin, which is 75 miles north of San Antonio, is a thriving technological city and is home to the University of Texas.

“I’ve looked at this very closely,” said Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd., a Chicago-based consulting firm that has worked closely with the NFL on business matters. “You’ve got a built-in football fan base, and there’s no history of failure.”

Another possible hurdle for San Antonio, however, is that the NFL’s most recent expansion was to Houston in 2002, a city less than 200 miles from San Antonio and 160 from Austin. It would take a two-thirds approval from all NFL owners to approve any relocation.

Greg,

WHEN you combine S.A. with Austin. But I think that’s a mistake. Austin is very parochial. It’s all UT all the time. They wouldn’t even approve minor league baseball in the city, which is now thriving in Round Rock. I think you would have a very hard time getting any money out of them for a pro team with no natural base, much less S.A.

And that’s the issue. The NFL would not come expecting to pay their way into a community. They would want that community or communities to open their checkbooks to “welcome” the NFL. And that’s the point of my initial post. It would cost S.A. $200 million up front to even get the league to consider the city. And while Ganis might think SA/Austin is “safer” that’s not the long term point. The NFL runs on TV revenue. If the league makes yet another move and leaves the 2nd largest market open, that cuts into the dough it can get from Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC.

Money and politics. Bring on the San Antonio Saints. If you are a Cowboy fan you are a Cowboy fan. Last time I checked…St Louis and alot of other major cities are poor and yet still, they host professional franchises.

Also, the Blog has and should always stay clean and informative…Rafael has set the standard for others to follow.

Austin is like Columbus they already have one professional football team. Ohio State in Columbus and UT in Austin.

There are more people on Saturday to watch an OSU home game than at either the Bengals or Browns games on Sundays.

At least you guys have the luxury. I am in Virginia Beach, VA in a community of over 1.5 million within a 45 mile radius and the best we could do was a defunct Arena League Team, a AAA Mets Farm Team, and minor league Hockey……….my Old Dominion Monarchs do not have football………and you have travel to William and Mary to see Division IAA………..although we do have NSU and Hampton……….we do have great football and Virginia Tech vs UVA is a great rivalry…….as is UR and W&M one of the oldest active football rivarlys over 100 years old……

Oh well, Guess I will just keep taking th bus to FedEx field and watching the Cowboys beat the Redskins!!!!

I’ve already reserves tickets for the Boys vs. Skins 19 Sep 05. Oh how I can’t wait to see to the Boys beat up on man Gibbs.

Has anyone heard any news only that Thug we decided not to draft…Merriaman?

merriman is still a hold out.

And still a thug.

rafael,

sorry but we need some new stories! im dyin over here! lol

Rafael,

I agree with Ryan-CT. Do what you do best and keep the commentaries coming.

I agree……enuff of the “Aints”,and back to da Boys!Ya know,last few years I kinda felt like we just had too many holes,not enough depth and some glaring weak spots(like in the new salary capped NFL coupled with some poor drafts) but now…….I know these guys will take alittle time to get acclimated to the speed of the NFL game,but in mid-season we should be on a roll!!Nice mix of stud veterans with up and coming stars(rookies),just add a free safety(which I think they will after training camp starts and they see where they are at that position) and lookout!I think we are gonna suprize alot of people around the NFL!!!

Rafael,

It’s cool, my attempts at humor often go unnoticed. Or maybe they don’t!

I sent Raul an e-mail on Thursday, I ‘m not an impatient person but haven’t heard back yet. I assume it’s all good still, right?

As for the Saints (sorry guys, but I’ve got two more cents to toss in), I didn’t consider divisional alignments in my previous comments. I donâ€â"¢t know what weight the issue actually carries considering Dallas is in an eastern division, but it is in Benson’s favor, if only slightly, that the Saints would still logically fit in the NFC South without a horrible commute to division rivalries. LA presents some concerns for almost any team willing to move there, but I imagine the league is prepared to do what they must to accommodate it, even if realignment is necessary.
 
Another point about SA, if the money matters can be overcome—the $200 million-dollar hurdle you mention, there would probably be a quicker turnaround in facilities than in Anaheim. But how extensive would the renovations have to be to be competitive with the Texans and the Cowboys new homes? Itâ€â"¢s only twelve-years old but it that a good thing?

Iâ€â"¢ll still be surprised—astounded, if the league approves expansion to SA before LA, especially after such strong proclamations, as you so aptly point out, to get into that TV market. Follow the money, as Mickey says. I donâ€â"¢t see the league getting behind Benson, unless another owner is waiting in the wings to move their team to LA. Maybe, not even then. I wonder how many people in SA even want the Saints?

Now that we are all up to speed on the Saints goings on,I hope we can hear more about the Cowboys…

yes….please lets hear some cowboy hoopla…’nuff with the saints….i need fuel for my football crazed mind

Does anyone have a great list of dallas cowboy links? If so, could you please post them for us Dallas cowboy crazed fans. Thanks

The only downside would be the TV package. But me being from South Texas would love to have a closer game to go to. Right now i drive about 11 hours one way 4 times a year to go see a Cowboys game. It would be good for the city. I got Sunday Ticket, so i ain’t worried. Besides, the Valley is Cowboys country, and i don’t care if they put a team in my backyard, I’ll always be a Cowboys fan

Hey, I heard the cowboys are gonna be pretty good this year….