The NFL announced Friday that the New Orleans Saints' first scheduled home game, which was to be played in the Superdome against the Giants on Sept. 18, would be moved to Giants Stadium, although the day and the time for the game were not determined.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said in a statement that the Giants and the Saints would contribute part of the gate proceeds to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and will keep the Saints out of the Superdome for the entire season.
Tagliabue said that was a major reason for moving the game to New York, instead of playing it in San Antonio or another neutral site.
"With the support of Giants fans and others in the New Jersey/New York area, this Saints-Giants game will be presented with elements that will highlight and contribute to the national relief effort," Tagliabue said.
The Saints are still considering where to play their other scheduled home games -- their options include Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and San Antonio's Alamodome -- and agreeing to play on their opponents' home field was not an easy decision from a competitive standpoint. They hope to have a decision soon on a site.
"We're disadvantaged enough," said Mickey Loomis, the Saints' executive vice president and general manager. "We don't want to go through the whole season and be the visiting team."
The team would prefer to play in Louisiana, but LSU has also been taking in refugees from the storm-ravaged areas and helping to coordinate relief efforts, making it difficult to consider being host to the team.
But while the Saints are weighing their options, the league pressed forward on placing the first game. The Giants Stadium option is complicated by the fact that the Jets play a home game that Sunday, against the Dolphins. The Giants-Saints game will most likely be played on Saturday or Monday.
That will be decided in the next few days, as will the details on ticket sales and how much will be donated to hurricane victims.
"We think the league's decision to move our game with the Saints to Giants Stadium will allow us an even greater opportunity to contribute," John Mara, the Giants' executive vice president, said in a statement.
The Saints' vagabond season will begin next Sunday with a regularly scheduled road game at Carolina, and the team arrived here early Friday morning following its final preseason game in Oakland on Thursday night. Their initial plans are to stay for about a month, practicing at a local high school field and using the Alamodome's locker room.
San Antonio offered to accommodate the Saints for the entire season, but the team remained noncommittal.
The players have three days before practice resumes, and many of the Saints left to be with their families until Monday. Others planned to visit storm refugees who have been brought to San Antonio's Kelly Air Force Base.
Around the NFL, players began to devise their own ways to contribute to the relief efforts.
Quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, who are from New Orleans, will fly to Baton Rouge on Saturday on a plane carrying relief supplies donated by Peyton Manning's PeyBack Foundation. The flight will carry 31,000 pounds of non-perishable items, including diapers, baby formula, pillows, water and sports drinks, that will be delivered to the American Red Cross.
Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn challenged players to contribute US$5,000 each and called on each team's player representative to organize fund-raising efforts. The league announced Wednesday that it would make an initial contribution of US$1 million.
The winless Colts rested their entire starting offense and all but two players on defense Friday, playing it safe instead of playing for real. The Bengals took advantage of the mismatch, rolling to a 38-0 victory in the final preseason game.
Carson Palmer led the Bengals (2-2) to touchdowns on their first two drives, going 6-of-7 for 107 yards before calling it a night. Cincinnati scored on its first three possessions, piling up a 256-16 advantage in yards.
How easy was it? The Bengals had 346 yards at halftime, setting up their most lopsided preseason win since a 45-0 drubbing of Tampa Bay in 1977.
The Colts (0-5) finished their first winless preseason since 1990, but Dungy didn't seem to mind. When Indianapolis introduced its offense before the game, not one starter ran out from the tunnel. Only two defensive starters took the field -- middle linebacker Gary Brackett and cornerback Nick Harper -- for the opening series.
Rudi Johnson's 3-yard touchdown run completed a 75-yard drive that opened the game.
Lions 21, Bills 7
At Orchard Park, New York, Detroit's only victory of the preseason came at a terrible price when backup quarterback Jeff Garcia broke his left leg.
Shawn Bryson and Artose Pinner rushed for touchdowns and safety Terrence Holt, with an assist from Dre' Bly, returned an interception for a score. But the victory was overshadowed by Garcia's injury, leaving the team with no experienced backup behind Joey Harrington.
Getting the start in place of Harrington, who is nursing a groin injury, Garcia was hurt on the final play of the first quarter. He was carted off and tests revealed he broke his fibula and possibly sprained his ankle.
Rams 27, Chiefs 23
At St. Louis, two quarterbacks battling for roster spots, including Ryan Fitzpatrick, a rookie from Harvard, appeared to help their causes.
The Rams (3-1) played on three days rest after beating Detroit 37-13 Monday night. Backup quarterback Jamie Martin was 5-for-9 for 71 yards and an interception in a little less than two quarters before giving way to Fitzpatrick. The rookie may have solidified his bid to become the third-string quarterback.
Fitzpatrick was 12-for-22 for 195 yards, one interception and two touchdowns, including the 20-yard winner to Dane Looker with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter. His quarterback rating was 95.8.
Jonathan Quinn, signed just 10 days earlier, was 13-for-20 for 197 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His quarterback rating was 74.4.
Vikings 23, Seahawks 21
At Seattle, Paul Edinger knuckled through a 35-yard field goal on the last play of the game, after backup quarterback Shaun Hill completed a 44-yard pass to Ryan Hoag on fourth-and-16 with 1:27 left. Edinger also had field goals of 43 and 48 yards for Minnesota (3-1).
Daunte Culpepper led the Vikings on two long drives in the first quarter, the second resulting in a 1-yard touchdown plunge by the big quarterback.
Rookie Marquis Weeks scored on a 1-yard run with 11:28 left to put Seattle (2-2) ahead 21-17. Reserve fullback Leonard Weaver had a 31-yard TD run in the third quarter for the Seahawks.
Broncos 30, Cardinals 21
At Tempe, Arizona, even though none of their starters played, the Broncos won behind Bradlee Van Pelt's three touchdown passes. Van Pelt, a second-year pro from Colorado State who won the No. 2 quarterback job behind Jake Plummer, completed 16 of 26 passes for 129 yards. Two of the scoring passes went to Darius Watts and the other to Todd Devoe.
Tatum Bell rushed for 78 yards in eight carries for the Broncos.
Rams 27, Chiefs 23
At St. Louis, two quarterbacks battling for roster spots, including Ryan Fitzpatrick, a rookie from Harvard, appeared to help their causes.
The Rams (3-1) played on three days rest after beating Detroit 37-13 Monday night. Backup quarterback Jamie Martin was 5-for-9 for 71 yards and an interception in a little less than two quarters before giving way to Fitzpatrick.
The rookie may have solidified his bid to become the third-string quarterback.
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