The more news that seeps out of New Orleans, the more likely it seems the Bucs will open the season against the Saints at the Superdome Sunday as scheduled.

While there hasn’t been a definitive word released, it’s looking better and better for the Bucs to open the season as scheduled in New Orleans.

At the Superdome.

Forbes.com moved a story earlier today with (moderately) updated information on the possibility of playing the game at the Superdome. While questions remain to be answered before the game can be played, nothing has yet diminished the hope of the season kicking off in the Big Easy in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.

Monday evening, Thornton consulted with the city’s infrastructure managers, police chief and other business leaders to determine whether it was realistic to host a game on Sunday. The decision came more quickly than Thornton anticipated. “We were fortunate that we didn’t have a more devastating event here, but so far, our process has worked,” he said.

But for the game to be played, various goals have to be met. Thornton and Forbes explained:

“To a casual observer, it would seem that well, the dome’s not damaged, so we can restart out operations,” Thornton said. But what most fail to see are the complicated logistics like moving concession food to an offsite refrigerated storage facility, rounding up 2,500 full-time and part-time workers after they’ve just been evacuated, ensuring that subcontractors that handle waste management will be available and securing the presence of the New Orleans Police Department for security and traffic control.