No telling when Superdome will be ready for Saints’ return

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 | 9:31 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Superdome became a symbol of relief efforts gone wrong, a scene of heartbreaking misery for thousands.

But no decision has been made about the future of the iconic city structure, and the manager of the domed stadium expects it will take more than two months to get a damage assessment and determine whether the Superdome should be repaired or razed.

The last storm victims stuck at the Superdome climbed aboard evacuation buses Saturday, leaving millions of dollars of damage behind -- a flooded field, overflowing bathrooms, a sea of garbage up to 5 feet deep and a wretched stench.

Three large holes marred the roof. In all, about 70 percent of the roof failed. Water poured into the building during the storm, along with debris.

Elevators, escalators and ceiling tiles were damaged. Two inches of water were on the field in some places, and the entire surface on which the New Orleans Saints play their football games must be removed.

There's damage to seats, bathrooms and other interior areas from the thousands of evacuees who were stranded in the building.

The damage is certainly severe but Doug Thornton, a regional vice president for the company that manages the Superdome, said it will take about two months to do a full assessment -- and only after an estimated two weeks of cleanup and hazardous waste removal.

"It's very early at this point to speculate about the future of the Dome and whether it can be repaired," Thornton said.

Tropical Storm Ophelia strengthened Wednesday off Florida's Atlantic coast, threatening parts of the state and southern Georgia with strong wind and heavy rain. The system could affect Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Tropical storm warnings were posted along a 100-mile stretch of the state's central-Atlantic coast, from Sebastian Inlet to Flagler Beach.

Ophelia's sustained wind increased and forecasters said it could reach hurricane strength by today.

Coach Mike Mularkey said Villarrial attended post-practice meetings and the team had not determined the severity of the injury. He added it's unlikely Villarrial would practice today.

Terrell, a fifth-year player, was released by New England on Saturday after signing with the team on April 5. He was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears and eighth overall in 2001, but never made much of a contribution with the Bears.

Pitts, a left guard who has not missed an offensive play in three seasons with Houston, was in the final season of his rookie contract. The 6-foot-4, 329-pound player was a second-round pick out of San Diego State in the 2002 draft.

Manning sprained his right elbow in a preseason game against Carolina on Aug. 20 and resumed practicing Tuesday. He said Wednesday that he felt no pain in the elbow after Tuesday's workout and was able to complete Wednesday's practice with no problems.

Of course, those were only practice squad guys wearing a green mesh jersey with Terrell Owens' number.

Hall will face the real thing Monday night. And he can't wait.

"If T.O. comes to the left, I'll be on him," said Hall, the Atlanta Falcons' second-year cornerback and top draft pick in 2004. "You always want to go against the best.

"I've seen him a lot on film and I watched him growing up," Hall said. "He's definitely one of the best in the game. It will be fun to go against him Monday night with millions of people watching."

St. Clair started 14 games at tackle last season, but slipped to a backup role at guard during the preseason under new coach Nick Saban.

He still doesn't know how much playing time he'll see during the opener Sunday night at Baltimore.

"We're going to roll and see what happens," Simon said. "I feel like Superman. I feel like I could go all day. But that's not my deal (to decide)."

"I play every year like I'm on a one-year contract," the eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker said, "and it's been 10 years now."

Brooks has five years remaining on a contract that counts $9.657 million toward the salary cap this season. By 2009, the final year of the deal, the number climbs to a clearly unaffordable $12.7 million.