New Orleans Saints Information
The New Orleans Saints joined the National Football League prior to the 1967 season and immediately encountered some tough times as a franchise. The team didn’t post a .500 record until 1979, their 13th season. Their first winning record came in their first playoff season when they posted a 12-3 record in 1987. They went on to make the playoffs in 1990-1992 but then went another eight years before they saw the postseason again. The Saints have never won or even appeared in a Super Bowl and have won two division championships (1991 and 2000). The Saints might be best known for Archie Manning, the father of NFL players Peyton and Eli, who played for the Saints in their early years. No one could argue that Archie was a talented QB, but he played on what many consider the worst team of the 1970s. Fans would be seen at Saints home games with paper bags over their heads so they wouldn’t have to watch the action on the field. The Saints teams of the new century feature a high octane offense that moves the ball quickly and efficiently that makes it fun to watch for all ages. Jim Haslett took over as head coach in 2000 and is only the second coach in the franchise’s history to post a winning record. Haslett knows the schedule will always be tough because they have two games against the NFC champion Carolina Panthers, the Michael Vick-led Atlanta Falcons, and the stingy defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Aaron Brooks is the QB of the New Orleans Saints and has shown over the years that he can lead a team to victory. Deuce McAllister is the team’s star RB and one of the top RBs in the league. In 2003, he rushed for 1,641 yards on 4.7 yards per carry with eight touchdowns. McAllister also came out of the backfield to catch 69 balls for 516 yards. Joe Horn, a charismatic wide receiver, had ten touchdowns and almost 1,000 receiving yards last year, but he’ll be best remembered for a charade he pulled after scoring one of those touchdowns. He had a cell phone planted under the padding of the goal post and after catching the TD pass, he pulled the cell phone out and acted like he was making a call. He was fined $30,000 by the league for his act.
Jay Bellamy led the team in tackles and tackles for loss while Charles Grant recorded a team high ten sacks and four forced fumbles. Fred Thomas had a team high four interceptions and Bellamy and Ashley Ambrose each recorded three. The Saints blocked four kicks during the season but the season will be remembered for the kick they couldn’t convert. On the last play of their last regular season game, the Saints returned a kickoff for a touchdown by throwing lateral after lateral. All they needed to do to make the playoffs was convert the point after and John Carney hadn’t missed all season. Carney’s PAT attempt wasn’t even close as it was yanked left and the Saints watched in horror as their season came to a close.
The Saints only made six draft picks in the 2004 draft, and with their first pick, the 18th overall, they selected Will Smith, a defensive end out of Ohio State University. Their next pick, the 50th overall, was used on Devery Henderson, a wide receiver out of LSU and their last pick of the first day was Courtney Watson, an inside linebacker from Notre Dame, at 60th overall. Their three picks on day two were used to take a defensive tackle, a fullback, and an outside linebacker.