A Saints Conspiracy Theory

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the New Orleans Saints these days. The owner, Tom Benson, hired a new coach from the staff of the Dallas Cowboys. They signed a hot free agent quarterback, Drew Brees. Then, they drafted Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush out of Southern California. The phones at the ticket office have been busier than they’ve been in years. The coach, Sean Payton, has met two guys named Bush: Reggie and George. Both Bushes have pledged to help New Orleans recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, which still plague the city.
Benson appears to be attempting to rehabilitate his image in Louisiana. His team will even play a preseason Monday Night Football game in Shreveport against the Cowboys!
When Benson was flirting with the Vultures in San Antonio, who were trying to steal the team away from Louisiana less than a year ago, he was reviled by many. Are these bold moves by the organization an overture of reconciliation? I’m not convinced.
Is it a coincidence that Brees came from San Diego and Bush came from Los Angeles? Have you noticed that, this week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would like two National Football League teams in the city of Los Angeles? Let’s face the uncomfortable facts. New Orleans, which already was one of the smallest markets with an NFL team, is even smaller now. At least half the city’s population has yet to return following last summer’s hurricane. It could take decades for the city to recover fully, if it ever does. Benson was crying because he wasn’t making enough money. He was demanding a new stadium, or at the very least renovations to the Super Dome. The state cannot afford even to consider that now. There’s a scramble to get the dome ready for this fall’s regular season. A major renovation is unthinkable.
Benson moved the team back to New Orleans in large measure because of relentless pressure from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The potential stigma attached to the league abandoning the city in the wake of one of the US’s worst natural disasters was too much for the commissioner to contemplate. Tagliabue has announced his intention to retire. Once he’s gone, the pressure is off Benson. There will be a new energy and plenty of raw emotion when the Saints go marchin’ into the dome this year. The place which in the days following Katrina became a symbol for ineptitude, hopelessness and despair will enjoy a rebirth. So, for a few games, will the Saints organization.
Some things have not changed. These are still the Saints. Talk about ineptitude. For whatever reason, this is arguably the least successful team in NFL history. Despite the presence of Brees, Bush and Payton it’s likely they will struggle to win more games than they lose. In October or November, when the fickle fanbase is no longer flush with new hope, there will be empty seats in the dome. It won’t be worth it to people to drive into the city and try to find acceptable accommodations just to see the Saints play.
Benson will get frustrated again. He’ll say something in the presence of a camera and-or a microphone that will anger people in Louisiana. Governor Kathleen Blanco won’t give him what he wants. She can’t. Suddenly Sacramento’s area code is easy to find. Schwarzenegger will take a phone call. Talks will begin. A stadium, state of the art and magnificent, will be built inside the Los Angeles Coliseum or out in Anaheim.
Anaheim? It’s A suburb of Los Angeles with a Major League Baseball team named the Angels. It seems almost perfect. The Saints won’t even have to change their name to fit right in. Reggie Bush can go home again. I’m not saying I know anything. I’m just making this stuff up, but doesn’t it sound plausible?
This is, after all, Tom Benson we’re dealing with here. He’s a businessman before he’s anything else. There’s still gold in California. There may be more as soon as 2007. This time it will be trimmed in black and festooned with a fleur-de-lis. You just wait and see.

Sphere: Related Content