The city of Shreveport is in the preliminary stages of trying to secure an NFL preseason game at Independence Stadium for the 2006 season, Shreveport's Chief Financial Officer Ken Antee said on Monday. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters at Super Bowl XL that the NFL wants the Cowboys to play a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints to benefit Hurricane Katrina relief and boost the Saints' return to Louisiana. "We've had some informal discussions with people that have been working with the (NFL)," Antee said. "We've been having conversations not directly with the NFL, but people working with the NFL. "It's our understanding the NFL wants them to play the two preseason games in the state to help build regional ties. Obviously other than LSU, we've got the best facility in the state to handle a game of that caliber." Saints fans are hopeful the city could land a preseason game. "I wouldn't want to go see a scrimmage, but I'd probably go to a preseason game," Shreveport's Chris Linn said. "No doubt about it." Antee has traded phone calls with Saints representatives and has not yet made contact with the Dallas organization. He hopes to talk with the Saints again today or Wednesday. "We are making adjustments in our schedule so we could do some things early in the preseason in Louisiana," Jones told reporters at the Super Bowl. "We will do all we can do early with the Saints to get the Saints kicked off right." The Saints will play two of their four preseason games outside of New Orleans in the Gulf Coast region. Shreveport has some history with the teams, having hosted a Saints-Cowboys scrimmage in 1998 at Independence Stadium. "The NFL has been pretty much driving it and we're going to do everything we can to get it here from the city's perspective," Antee said.
