A total of 3,000 Saints fans will "get to cheer on" the team Sunday when they host the Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, according to Rod Walker of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. The plan "seems like a reasonable one." It "feels safe," and for the "first time all season, it will feel somewhat like an actual football game." Having 3,000 "screaming fans in the Dome (that's 4% capacity) will sound a whole lot better than the silence the Saints had to play in for their first three games." The 3,000 number will "double for the next two home games" against the 49ers (Nov. 15) and the Falcons (Nov. 28). If things go according to plan, that "increases to 15,000 for the final two home games" against the Chiefs (Dec. 20) and the Vikings (Dec. 25). The plan "beats the alternatives that had been talked about for the past week," and it "makes more sense than the Saints and their opponents playing a game in Baton Rouge at Tiger Stadium." The Saints and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell "came up with something that makes a whole lot more sense" (NOLA.com, 10/21). In New Orleans, Amie Just noted the Saints become the 19th NFL team to "welcome more than a token few fans back to games in some capacity" (NOLA.com, 10/20).
