Actually, Buffalo only has 7 home games, too. The 8th will be in Toronto -- closer to Buffalo than London is to New Orleans, but still outside the Bills' home stadium.
And there's another side to the Saints in London...
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/01/30/counterpoint-london-is-the-least-the-saints-can-do-for-the-nfl/

In 2005 the Saints lost a home game (playing their "home opener" at NY Giants), and not only did the NFL not do the right thing the following season (take the Saints at Giants game in 2006 and move it to New Orleans to make up for that farce of a "home" game in '05), but now they're taking away another home game just a couple years later to send them to London.
Thanks, NFL. Thanks a lot.

The whole idea is dumb. Who cares about promoting the NFL in Europe anyway? They don't like or understand the sport, they don't care. It's a collosal waste of time and money. At least they'll see a good butt kicking by the Chargers.

#5, They sold out the game last year, and it was a huge success (at least in the eyes of the NFL admin.) I can understand why they want to market the NFL to the rest of the world, it's an entirely new, and relatively untapped market. Get them interested, then start siphoning off all their money.

Good idea pointing this out. After the hurricane they were forced to play a 'home game' in their 'away opponent's' stadium in Jersey and one would think they deserved to be the away team, if anybody did, for a contest in which both teams are actually, 'away' teams. First of all, playing games in foreign countries which require traveling to time zones which are outside those found on the continent in which the rest of their league and that years future opponents will be playing puts those teams at a severe disadvantage for the rest of the season in my book. A game across the border from Buffalo doesn't change anything in the physical realm of athletes who function on repetition as do those in the NFL. But, one that changes their normal routine by several hours, and then changes it back again by an additional several hours upon their return has to have lasting negative effects when compared with those who've not been subjected to similar.
In simple terms, it's a blatant unfair disadvantage that carries over for longer than one might assume considering the athletes they'll meet haven't had to adapt to something different, then re-adapt back to something totally different.
Trainers of thouroghbred racehorses have learned just how taxing it is on them when traveling overseas to compete and routinely give them months off to recover before attempting to compete at the highest level again. Even then, most have found it's easier to bring them back against slightly lesser competition before entering them against the best of the best in those situations, at least if they expect them to succeed.
Obviously, the NFL could care less about these teams' success at the end of the year when there's hope for financial longterm gain. In short, my take on this whole charade is these teams are considered nothing more than sacrificial lambs, who end up being subjected to this process.
Fans should be made aware of this so they can understand the consequenses the NFL is forcing their teams to deal with before they waste their hard-earned $$ on season tickets.

A severe disadvantage for the rest of the season? Who won the Super Bowl last year? Who played in London last year? Oh yeah wait both were the Giants!
I'm a European fan of the NFL and I love the fact they are marketing it to the world. In terms of it being the Chargers and Saints at least now we'll get a taste of some real superstars, LT and Brees, instead of last years Cleo Lemon and Eli, even though he went on to win the superbowl.

I've been a Saints' season ticket holder for 21 years. I love the idea of us playing in London. As a matter of fact, me and a big group of people are going to the game. I think it makes sense to expand the NFL's appeal to other cultures, and expand ours as well.
On the other hand, the NFL could have made it a 'home game' for San Diego instead. Why us? I'm not really complaining, but why NOT them? It just seems like we would benefit from eight home games much more than San Diego.
It looks like we'll be playing games in London and other cities for a while, so every team will eventually have the same problem. In the end, I don't see it being a huge problem, just a very poor decision.
Either way....Who Dat? Black and Gold Superbowl!!!

Hey the AFL is having their Championship Game there doesn't that count for something? If all we are talking about is money, that should bring in more than your average weekend against the Chargers right? and the NFL will get run that stupid Saints go marching in commercial all it wants right? come on we know the economic down turn is bad in New Orleans that is why all of the big Musical Acts go there and play free concerts right? including Kanye West right? They even have huge Movie premieres there right? where all the stars come from Hollywood even Sean Penn come and walk on the red carpet right? And the Television shows about New Orleans even with the writers strike there are like 5 or 6 of them right? coming to a TV near you right? huh NO. Gosh we know it is bad in New Orleans everyone has been saying it for 2 years now can't we just move on? how long do we have to prop up this city? just wondering? maybe they could move to Los Angeles and start a new there? Just a thought? I hear there is a new staduim going up there? If all you want to talk about is money?

The Saints and Chargers have the Giants and Dolphins to blame for playing in London this year. If either of those 2 latter teams could have put on a decent offensive show then the NFL wouldn't have conscrpited 2 of the highest powered offenses to play in this one. Lets face it the NFL wants to put on a spetacular show, and defense and ineptitude is not the way to do it. I hate to see any team lose a home game under these circumstances, but the Saints and Chargers were just to attractive a matchup for the NFL to pass up and import. The question is, who will be the unlucky team next year, and next. Logic says eventually they will find away to amend the loss of a home game in the future. but for now, looks like its a tough break for New Orleans.

#7, David Hogg, The New York football Giants may have won the Super Bowl last year but they had a heck of a time just getting into the playoffs. Which points out just how severe a handicap it was for the best team in professional football, barely being able to get into the playoffs after having been handicapped early in the season by playing it's game in London. The first couple of weeks they played in the states they were looking like the worst team in the league, certainly nowhere near the best that they ultimately proved to be. Had it not been for a miraculous comeback vs. Philly to gain their first win they'd have sat and watched the playoffs because of this foolish money grab by the league office. Let the foreigners watch their own version of football, soccer, and leave the real game where it belongs, right here in America.

Who cares about hurricane Katrina. How long ago was it? How many BILLIONS of dollars were pumped into N.O. in the aftermath? So one game isn't going to do any that those BILLIONS of dollars couldn't. So all you libs who act like they truly care about the peoples well being need to take a step back and realize it is only a football game. If the people of chocolate city are hurting so much financially, how are they able to afford to go to the game in the first place? Or is OUR government paying for that too?

Amen Dennis. If I ever hear the word katrina again it will be too soon. It had been used as a crutch for waaaaaayyyyy too long. I'm going to the game in London while I wouldn't have gone if it were in the superdome.

Sherman M. "huh" must be a word in your vocabulary like "the" and "a" huh?? =)
Not one thing you said made sense any way you look at it, even without all the questions and "huh's". What musical acts, what movie premieres/red carpet events were put on here for free?? I live about 60 miles west of NO and i went two weeks ago to the House of Blues where i paid a good bit of money to eat, get tickets to a show, and also stop in at a few places. Reguardless of what left-wing CNN is telling all of you, A. The money was pumped in to fix the levee's and get the pipelines from all the oil we have due to the Gulf of Mexico. Go take a look at alot of the areas that were most affected by the storm and you'll see that they have all been stripped and cleaned up, thats' it. My city wasn't affected at all by the storm so i'm not complaining one bit, but to say we have all these celebrities that do stuff for free, you really are just as retarded as your typing skills.
As for the others who talk about getting over Katrina, we are, its the media and all the state, local, and national elections that have been going on the past 2 years that won't let it go.
For the blog, what most of you don't realize is that when you have 5 days before your next game it doesn't give much time to recoup from a flight and the jet lag they will all get. I can guarantee several players either won't make the trip, OR the following week will be sitting out of practice due to sinus infections/respiratory problems from the flight there and back.