Saints alter schedule as Hurricane Francine arrives, continue prep for Cowboys

Published: Sep 11, 2024 at 07:10 PM

Associated Press

METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints coaches decided to spend Wednesday night at team headquarters as , figuring it would be safer and more productive than trying to commute home right when the worst weather was arriving.

"We'll probably find a corner of the room to lay down in at some point in time and get a little sleep," Allen said. "The most significant weather is going to be this evening into the early morning hours, and so that's kind of when we'd be trying to wrap up. I don't see anybody trying to get out of here in that type of weather."

The Saints practiced an hour earlier than usual on their indoor field at team headquarters, after which players were dismissed to ride out the storm at home while coaches remained behind to work on the plan for Sunday's game against the Cowboys in Dallas.

"We do have a job to do, even when circumstances aren't perfect, we still have to focus," Saints quarterback Derek Carr said. "I'll be home studying tonight, you know, but I'll be doing it with all my kids sitting right next to me.

"I owe it to my teammates to be locked in and be ready to go for tomorrow," Carr continued. "We're human, but we also recognize we have a job to do. And we also recognize that, you know, our city has been through a lot. And so our prayers are with our whole state of Louisiana, you know, wherever this is passing through."

Francine struck Louisiana on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm that forecasters warned could bring deadly storm surge, widespread flooding and destructive winds on parts of the Gulf Coast.

It made landfall about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Morgan City, the National Hurricane Center announced at 4 p.m. CDT, packing maximum sustained winds near 100 mph (155 kph).

Allen said the club was hoping to be able to return to its normal schedule on Thursday if greater New Orleans averted significant damage.

Saints headquarters is equipped with generator power and the facility has endured far stronger storms than Francine, including Katrina in 2005 and Ida in 2021 — although the team evacuated for those storms, and some others over the years, because of the level of danger they posed and the severe disruptions they caused to life in and around the city.

In New Orleans, it is common for private homes to have backup generators as well. Many players have them, including Carr.

The last time the Saints evacuated for a major storm was for Ida, a Category 4 storm, in 2021. The team set up temporary operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, practiced at TCU and had its first home game moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where New Orleans , 38-3.

In 2005, the Saints spent nearly the entire season in San Antonio, playing three home games there and four at LSU's Tiger Stadium before triumphantly returning to the Superdome in downtown New Orleans in September of 2006.

Given that Francine was not expected to be nearly as strong as a storm like Ida, the Saints decided this time that it made more sense to remain in New Orleans — but also to adjust schedules temporarily in a way that helped players and other personnel remain as safe as possible.

"We want everybody to be safe, and yet we still felt we could get our work done and keep everybody safe and not have to try to go through all the logistics to go through an evacuation," Allen said.

Saints linebacker and defensive captain Demario Davis said players gathered early Wednesday to pray for Louisiana residents who could see the worst of the weather.

"You can have all the predictions in the world but it's still unknown as to what's going to take place," Davis said. "It's just one of those things that we're all just trying to make it through together."

While players' afternoon meetings with coaches were called off on Wednesday, Allen said meeting times could be extended on Thursday to make up for that as needed.

Davis stressed that the Saints, coming off a 47-10 victory over Carolina in Week 1, would strive to remain focused on preparations for a Cowboys team that made the playoffs last season and is coming off a convincing 33-17 victory of its own over Cleveland.

"That's one of the unique things about this game, when you think about the high level that people have to be able to compartmentalize," Davis said.

The weather, he added, "can't be an excuse for you not to do your job, but it can be something that can bring you together to build more chemistry, more camaraderie."