re: If Benson would have moved the Saints to San Antonio permanently...

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The Saints last blacked out game was in 2000.

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2002 actually.

As far as Benson, we all need to remember why it was he got so pissed off. This was the conversation that occured between the Saints and the State after Katrina:

Saints: How is the Dome?
State: Bad.
Saints: How bad?
State: It will need to be demolished.
Saints: Will you build another one?
State: No.
Saints: What about us?
State: Not our problem.

This is what Kathleen Blanco tried to do to this city and this state. She just nonchalanetly and arbitrarily decided to condemn the dome let benson and the Saints fend for themselves. It was no wonder that Benson wanted to leave..because Blanco basically told him to get lost.

It took leadership from guys like Doug Thornton and Paul Tagliabue to set this right. It wasn't so much Benson that Tagiabue had to stong arm but Blanco, reminding her that the Saints had a lease and the state had an obligation to live up to that lease and they had an obligation to have a serious look at the Dome and use whatever federal assistance was available to fix it. He also had to remind Benson that things worked out best when he kept his mouth shut to the cameras.