METAIRIE — The New Orleans Saints said on Monday they will hold training camp this summer at the same place they practice the rest of the year — their Metairie facility.Saints owner Tom Benson said the team has a state-of-the-art facility and sees no reason to leave it to train at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., where the team has worked out the past three summers.Training camp is tentatively scheduled to begin July 29. It will mark the fourth time in the team’s history the team held training camp at its permanent facility. The team held training camp at the Metairie facility from 2003-2005.Benson says fans from the region are welcome to visit training camp.General manager Mickey Loomis said the decision to stay home was based on shifting “dynamics and economics.””We have decided that holding training camp at our facility would provide us with enough quality fields to work on, an indoor practice facility in the case of inclement weather as well as access to the technology we have available at our headquarters in Metairie,” Loomis said.The Saints stayed in dormitories at Millsaps and used the school’s fields and facilities in the past, and Benson spent money to upgrade some of the school’s playing fields and added air conditioning at the gym.Coach Sean Payton said in the past he liked the focus staying at Millsaps gave the team.Officials from Millsaps were not available for comment Monday.The Saints are the 17th team to announce they’ll be holding workouts at their home base this year.”As NFL training facilities evolve and develop, there is a trend to want to maximize the exposure your team has to all of the amenities that help make training camp successful,” Loomis said. “Training camp is a very physically and mentally demanding period of time for the players and by being able to utilize our facilities, we feel like it is the best decision that we can make for our team at this time.”PRESEASON SCHEDULENEW ORLEANS — The Saints will host the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins in this year’s preseason and will travel to play Houston and Oakland.The team announced the opponents on Monday, but did not give specific dates and times for the games.The Saints will open their preseason slate by hosting the Bengals at the Louisiana Superdome during the weekend of Aug. 13-17.New Orleans travels to Houston in the second weekend of games being held Aug. 20-24. The second road game sends the Saints to Oakland between Aug. 27-31 to play the Raiders.The Saints will close the preseason with a home game against Miami during the weekend of Sept. 3-4.ROSTER MOVESMETAIRIE — The Saints have re-signed backup quarterback Joey Harrington.Harrington, who is entering his eighth season, first signed with the Saints early in the 2008 season. A first-round draft choice in 2002 by the Detroit Lions, the 30-year-old quarterback served as the Saints’ third-string quarterback in 12 games but did see any time on the field.In seven seasons, Harrington has started 76 of the 81 games he has played in, completing 1,459 of 2,538 passes for 14,693 yards with 79 touchdowns and 85 interceptions.Harrington became a free agent after last season and re-signed with the Saints on Monday, at the outset of the club’s offseason conditioning program.
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NFL: Saints to hold summer training camp in Metairie
March 30, 2009