The accommodation made by the New Orleans Saints in anticipation of Hurricane Francine's projected landfall Wednesday was not evacuation, but preparation.
The Saints proactively nudged up the schedule – arrived, practiced and released players earlier and pushed the evening meetings to Thursday morning – in order to minimize distraction to the on-field work, so players then could focus on off-field safety.
"There's a lot that goes into an evacuation," Coach Dennis Allen said. "It's not just we pick up and we go somewhere. You've got to find a place to stay, you're trying to make sure you're taking care of the families, so there's a lot that goes into that.
"A couple of years ago – we've been through a few of these – I remember there was a Cat 1 that came right through New Orleans that we, it wasn't a practice day but we were game-planning through that.
"We want everybody to be safe, and yet we felt like we could still get our work done and keep everybody safe and not have to try to go through all the logistics of what it takes to go through an evacuation."
For players, the main concerns were familial and communal safety.
"All of us are humans first," quarterback Derek Carr said. "I'm a Christian man and then I'm a husband and then I'm a father. And then I happen to play football, that's my job.
"I've got to make sure my family is OK and all that kind of stuff, of course. But at the same time, we also understand that we do have a job to do, even when circumstances aren't perfect. We still have to focus, we still have to study.
"When I come to work I owe it to my teammates to be locked in and be ready to go for (Thursday). We're human, but we also recognize we have a job to do and we recognize that our city has been through a lot. Our prayers are with our whole city, whole state of Louisiana, wherever this is passing through and you just pray that everyone is safe."
"I just want to let everybody know in the city that our hearts and prayers are with everybody," linebacker Demario Davis said. "We had our team prayer this morning, we were praying not just over ourselves, but over our city and all the surrounding areas.
"When you think about storms that continuously hit this area, it becomes kind of like you can have all the predictions in the world but it's still unknown as to what's going to take place. We're just praying, hope everybody is safe, hope everybody is hunkered down. Those that were able to get away, you're still in our prayers as well. It's a serious thing."
Too, the Saints understand that preparation is paramount for the follow-up test to the season opener, Sunday's game against Dallas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
"You have to understand the seriousness that we're going through isn't the seriousness that our opponent is going through, but the focus has to be the same," Davis said. "Our opponent is looking at us like, they're glad you've got problems.
"They're not necessarily glad you've got a hurricane and not that they wish bad, but they're glad that you've got problems. Because it's adversity that will hopefully play in their favor. That's the part about this game – (the game) goes on. And because that's your job, you've just got to be able to do it at a high level in the midst of whatever the adversity is."
Carr agreed.
"It's easy to compartmentalize, because there's so much just on our plate," he said. "But at the same time, we're playing a game. So, you get done and then you think about yourself and our city, the families, what we're going to have to go through this afternoon and (Thursday), whenever it is. And just pray everybody is safe.
"There's more important things than football right now but at the same time, while we're at home, spending time with our family, making sure we're studying and staying on top of our gameplan. Because there's still a game that we have to go try and win."
Coaches will sleep at the facility Wednesday night.
"I think the most significant weather is going to be this evening, into the early morning hours," Allen said. "That's kind of when (coaches) would be trying to wrap up, I don't see anybody trying to get out of here in that kind of weather."
PRACTICE INS, OUTS: Five players were out and four were limited at practice Wednesday. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hip/hamstring), safety Tyrann Mathieu (heel), left guard Lucas Patrick (toe), defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (calf) and linebacker D'Marco Jackson (calf) did not participate. Left tackle Taliese Fuaga (back), tight end Foster Moreau (concussion), tight end Dallin Holker (ankle) and linebacker Jaylan Ford (hamstring) were limited. Receiver A.T. Perry (hand), who missed the season opener, was a full participant along with receiver Rashid Shaheed (finger), guard Nick Saldiveri (calf) and running back Jamaal Williams (shoulder).
