NEW ORLEANS 鈥� The New Orleans Saints have decided to continue practicing at TCU next week in preparation for their Week 3 game at New England before returning to their New Orleans-area headquarters in Week 4, when they will host the New York Giants in the Superdome, coach Sean Payton said Friday.
The Saints have been displaced to the Dallas area since Aug. 28, when they flew on hastily arranged charter flights as Hurricane Ida approached Louisiana's coast as a powerful Category 4 Hurricane that ultimately inflicted widespread damage to homes and knocked out power to the entire New Orleans area for days.
The Saints had to cancel their final preseason game against Arizona on Aug. 28 and held their final few practices of preseason at AT&T Stadium, the home field of the Dallas Cowboys. They moved practices in Week 1 to TCU, where coach Sean Payton's son, Connor, is a student.
While the Superdome made it through the storm relatively unscathed, the Saints first home game against Green Bay on Sept. 12 was moved to Jacksonville, Florida. At the time that decision was made, the city could not be certain it would have adequate services and hospitality assets up and running for an NFL game at 73,000-seat, downtown venue.聽
There were also uncertainties about available Superdome staffing at the time the decision was made to relocate the Week 1 game against the Packers, which the Saints won nonetheless, 38-3.
New Orleans then returned to the Dallas area to prepare for its Week 2 game at Carolina this Sunday.
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Brett Martel, The Associated Press
