NFL International Series: Chargers, Saints

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The New Orleans Saints will “host” the San Diego Chargers today at London’s Wembley Stadium in the second-ever NFL regular-season game to be played outside of North America. The N.Y. Giants launched the series last season with a 13-10 win over the Miami Dolphins. NFL owners have committed to play up to two games outside the United States each season for the next four years.

Forgive my lack of enthusiasm for this event, but I’m still struggling with the concept of the Saints losing a home game at the Louisiana Superdome. I guess I feel like there’s got to be a way to attract new fans without alienating the current ones. And in all honesty, it’s a pain-in-the-butt for the players and coaches, even if some of them are saying the right things to put a positive spin on the whole situation. In the preview that was distributed to me for this game, Chargers head coach Norv Turner said it would be “exciting for everyone involved.” Running back LaDainian Tomlinson added that he thought it was the London game that turned the Giants’ season around last year. And he hoped this game would do the same for the Chargers this season. Saints defensive end Will Smith was not one of those players acting excited:

“Any time you lose a home game it’s tough. It’s not your crowd. It’s not your stadium. It’s not your home game. It’s just another thing we have to overcome.”

It might be a good business decision to expand the National Football League to other parts of the world. In fact, I’m sure it is or the league wouldn’t be doing it. And part of me feels like it should be an honor to be a part of this game. But it seems like more of a bother to most players than it is a privilege. Bottom line — the only way either team feels anything good from this trip is if they leave with a win.

Source: NFLUK.com, CBS Sports