Aaron Rodgers brushes off New Orleans Saints gamemanship
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers scoffed at the New Orleans Saints reportedly choosing Jacksonville for the Saints season-opening matchup in part because of Rodgers’ track record in Florida.
“Useless information right there,” Rodgers said. “Good for them, trying to get every little advantage. I would assume, based on when we played in Jacksonville the last couple times, that there’ll be a lot of Packer fans there. Even still, not playing in New Orleans with that crowd noise back-to-back years is nice.”
The Times-Picayune’s Jeff Duncan reported the inside story behind the Saints choosing Jacksonville to host their Week One matchup and noted that Aaron Rodgers’ 3-4 record and 78.1 passer rater in the state of Florida did not go unnoticed by the Saints’ front office.
The Saints-Packers season opener was relocated from New Orleans due to the effects of Hurricane Ida.
There was no major damage at Caesars Superdome, where New Orleans plays their home games. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted some pictures of the issues at their practice facilities. Not to mention that most areas in the city are still without running water and electricity.
The Saints packed up and left New Orleans before Ida even made landfall on Aug. 29. They canceled their final preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, which was scheduled for the night before, finishing off the preseason at 1-1.
As the Saints are unable to practice in their home facilities due to Hurricane Ida, TCU has offered a helping hand, giving the New Orleans Saints use of their football facilities while the team is displaced.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will take on the Saints in Jacksonville on Sunday, Sep. 12 at 4:25 EST.
Why the Saints chose TCU
While there are other options the Saint could have used, TCU and the Saints have a relationship with the program and TCU has hosted a pro team before back when a lightning storm destroyed the Dallas Cowboys training complex in the summer of 2009.
TCU has a state-of-the-art facility with pro-level quality equipment, complete with indoor practice fields. And for Payton, his son currently attends the school.
As for home games for the Saints going forward, there is not currently a plan in place past week one’s matchup against the Packers.
Payton said that playing at the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium is one possibility for the team. And New Orleans had been using the stadium to practice prior to their agreement with TCU; so the team is familiar with that site too. But for now, the Saints have formed and bond and secured home with the Horned Frogs as their city and state recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida.