New Orleans Saints: 230 Days Until Home Opener

The NFL, ever the PR-conscious league, announced yesterday that D-Day is September 24. The Louisiana Superdome is scheduled to be opened on that day for the Saints' first home game, against the Atlanta Falcons. That gives us all something to look forward to.

I don't want to sound like like I'm an NFL kiss-up, because nothing could be further from the truth. I don't like the way the league has become too generic and "corporate." But I am truly grateful that the league has stepped in and continues to make progress in New Orleans.

I don't like the way I'm hearing that the money the league is "donating" is supposedly tied in to lowering the penalty to the State of Louisiana if the team breaks its lease. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Hopefully it won't be this December. I also don't like that the September 24th date means that the Saints will play on the road for the first two games. This means the Saints could easily be 0-2 going into the home opener, thus reducing some of the enthusiasm normally associated with opening day. But I also understand that the stadium probably needs the extra time to ensure it's ready.

The guy from Ruth's Chris should take a cue from the NFL. Hell, a lot of people should.

For those of you who don't know the Saints' 2006 schedule, here it is:

Home: Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Washington, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Cincinnati

Away: Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Dallas, N.Y. Giants, Green Bay, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh

I think it showed a lot of common sense to schedule the Falcons for the first home game. It's better to bring in our natural rival instead of having the NFL trying to cash in by bringing in the Redskins and turning the game into a media circus.

But I am disappointed in one thing. I was hoping that the NFL would announce that our "Away game" with the Giants this year was being played in the Superdome.

(Insert rimshot here)