Per USATodays Spoorts Weekly

They are not going anywhere. I would almost bet my house on it. But since you are so concerned.....

Saints, state might resume huddle
Sides eager to strike deal, official says
Thursday, August 11, 2005
By Ed Anderson
Capital bureau
BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco's office said Wednesday that New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson wants to resume negotiations with the state to keep the National Football League team in the city, possibly by the end of the summer.

On Wednesday night, Saints Executive Vice President for Administration Arnold Fielkow said he had no comment about any upcoming meetings between the two sides.

Fielkow said Blanco and Benson had an "amicable" meeting a few weeks ago and discussed issues regarding the future of the Saints in the state.

"At the appropriate time, we look forward to having an opportunity to continue to discuss ways to ensure the Saints receive a long-term agreement," Fielkow said.

Blanco spokeswoman Denise Bottcher said the two sides are looking at resuming negotiations in August or September. .

When Benson broke off talks with the state April 27, he said he wouldn't come back to the bargaining table until the end of the Saints' 2005 season.

Benson's April letter to Blanco calling off talks said that the "energies of our organization will be focused on making this season a special one for all of our fans. . . . At the conclusion of the Saints season, we once again look forward to continuing our dialogue with the state."

Now, Bottcher said, both sides want to get a deal in place as soon as possible.

Bottcher said Benson requested and received a June 17 meeting with Blanco at Saints headquarters in Metairie.

"It was a very friendly meeting," Bottcher said. "Mr. Benson expressed a strong desire to stay in New Orleans, and the governor expressed a strong desire to make that affordable for the state. . . . It is mutually beneficial to get the talks back on track."

Fielkow confirmed the June meeting.

"They had an opportunity to discuss some issues relative to the long-term success of the Saints. I believe that that's a great step for the two principles, to get together and to continue to develop their personal relationship," he said.

Bottcher said she could not say what may have changed Benson's timetable on re-opening talks, and she referred inquiries to Benson and Fielkow.

Under the existing agreement, the Saints can cancel the contract and move from New Orleans after this football season, but Benson would have to pay the state about $81 million in penalties. The state can opt out of the contract in 2008 without paying penalties.

The contract calls for the state to pay the team $186.5 million from 2002 through 2011.

Tim Coulon, the chairman of the Superdome Commission and the state's point man in past talks with Benson, said he would like the negotiations to resume "sooner rather than later. . . . It is my impression it (a new round of talks) will be open-ended, but I do not see extensive negotiations. God knows we have enough information."

He said that when new talks begin, the two sides probably will use the terms of the most recent state proposal, which was rejected by Benson, as a "starting-off point" to formulate a new deal.

When the talks broke off in April, the state pledged to make $174 million in improvements to the Superdome, including building more expensive box suites and pricey sideline seats. The state asked Benson to put up $40 million of the renovation costs, but Superdome officials said the team offered to pay only $17.5 million.

Coulon said the state also was trying to lock the Saints into a lease through 2025. Until the Dome renovations are finished, the state would continue to make the guaranteed annual payments to the team as the existing contract calls for: $15 million after this football season, $20 million after the 2006 and 2007 seasons, and $23.5 million after the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons.

When the Dome renovations are finished, the annual payments would drop to $9.5 million with an annual 2 percent increase from 2016 to 2025.

Coulon said Blanco wants the franchise to assume more of the risk by earning money rather than to have the state make annual subsidy payments to the team.

"It allows the team to potentially earn more money than the current deal, if the team performs," Coulon said when the talks broke off.

Blanco has called the 10-year, $186.5 million deal struck by her predecessor, Gov. Mike Foster, too generous, and one the state cannot afford. She said when Benson ended the talks that she "could not in good conscience agree to a deal that might, at the taxpayers' expense, only add to the wealth of a very profitable team."

The state has had to borrow $15 million two years in a row to make the annual payments to the team because revenue from the hotel-motel tax in Orleans and Jefferson, a major financial element of financing a deal with the team, has not generated revenue as high as had been projected.

 

Kris Jenkins, Steve Smith, Deshaun Foster, Rod Smart, and there's a good chance Stephen Davis is ready by week 3 preseason... and that's not including Free Agent and Rookie additions... what have the Saints added?

Seems to me last time I checked at Saints report the fans were pissed due to inactivity.

 

This is the most active our front office has been in years. What are you talking about? I already listed our additions. Aside from Rod Gardner, what have you aquired? We got Mayberry, OL from superbowl Eagles team, McKenzie, probowl quality DB, Veteran LB's T.J. Slaughter from Ravens and Ronald McKinnon from AZ who is an 8 year veteran. Oh Yeah....Dwight Smith S, you may have heard of him from the Bucs. Also drafted the best OL Jamal Brown. He's already looking like a beast and signed, like all of our draft picks.

We also signed Deuce and Joe Horn to long term deals. So now what questions do you have about the inactivity of our FO?

 

didnt you have that rope-head McKenzie last year? seems like that predator lookin bastard always gets lit up

 

It is just you.

Mike Wahle and Ken Lucas ring a bell?

edit: All our Draft Picks are signed and in camp too. Have a cookie.

 

He played 10 games and had 5 interceptions and 31 tackles. Thats only one less interception with 6 less games than your best DB Chris Gamble.

Next.

 

Wahle is a quality guard but dont get so excited over Lucas. He had one "decent" year in 4.

 

wtf does "decent" mean?

 

McKenzie was last year... Mayberry I'm not overly impressed with, due to the fact he was pressed by Doug Brzeznski when he was in Philly...at this point TJ slaughter is the best you have to offer... what a joke. Dwight Smith sucked as a Buc, once he moved out of the Nickle slot, and has been known to be a locker room cancer. Brown I admittedly like, but bragging about this year's best O-Lineman in a weak year for O-Linemen really isn't saying much. Other than that you simply resigned two guys... yeah I guess this was you best year front officewise... that'd also explain why the other years sucked so much.

Panthers added Mike Wahle, Ken Lucas, Idrees Bashir as a reserve, and as for rookies added the top rated SS (who the Saints liked BTW), a possible future feature back, a future starting OG, IMO a future starting DT, and as I've already said returned 14 player from last year's injured reserve... you remember you braggin about finishing 1 game better??? Well we did it with those 14 guys out.

You've brought NOTHING to the table...

..PS Sam Mills liked us better than you... that's why he left.