Gustav had yet to strike the Gulf coast and the Saints to Los Angeles chatter had already kicked off.
Wrote Sports Illustrated's Peter King: "I wouldn't be surprised to hear the Saints to Los Angeles rumors starting this week. I'd imagine the Rose Bowl and Coliseum would be frothing at the mouth to get Reggie Bush to be playing at home on fall Sundays."
King said a local New Orleans bank pays the team $1.2 million for sponsorship. He noted that the Cowboys received $12 million a year from a Dallas bank for a sponsorship.
What King fails to realize is that few teams in the NFL have a better "deal" than the Saints. Last year the Saints received $28 million from the state of Louisiana in inducements and game day revenue. Unlike many NFL teams, the Saints have no stadium debt.
Tom Benson's Saints may play in a small market, but my guess is they are at the very least in the middle of the pack in net revenue. I say guess, because the NFL will never open its books. Only 1 team, Green Bay, discloses such because they are publicly owned by thousands of stockholders.
The Saints will be back where they belong this Sunday, in the Superdome, representing our great , resilient city.
In the meantime, I wonder if Brazos Urethane, the folks who rebuilt the Dome roof after Katrina,
have interest in building levees?
Ed Daniels
New Orleans, Louisiana
7:13 pm