1985 New Orleans Saints season

Last updated

1985 New Orleans Saints season
Owner Tom Benson
General manager Bum Phillips
Head coach Bum Phillips (weeks 1–12)
Wade Phillips (interim, weeks 13–16)
Home field Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record5–11
Division place3rd NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers LB Rickey Jackson
K Morten Andersen

The 1985 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints 19th season.

Contents

The offseason began with rampant rumors the franchise was on its way out of town. Original owner John W. Mecom Jr. was anxious to sell the team, and he threatened to move to Jacksonville, Florida if no suitable owner could be found.

In May, local car magnate Tom Benson stepped up and pledged to meet Mecom's asking price of $70 million. Mecom and Benson sat down with Louisiana governor Edwin W. Edwards and hammered out a deal, which was finalized May 31. Prior to the sale to Benson, businessman Abram Nicholas Pritzker attempted to purchase the team, but he could not meet Mecom's asking price, and Edwards was unable to secure a loan from the Louisiana Legislature to assist Pritzker.

Benson moved training camp from Vero Beach, Florida to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. The team quickly brought in local legend and United States Football League standout Bobby Hebert to compete with Richard Todd and Dave Wilson for the starting quarterback position. Hebert won the position late in the season and started the final five games.

Coach Bum Phillips offered to resign when Benson completed his purchase, but Benson declined the offer. The season got off to a disastrous start, as the Saints were routed 47–27 at home by the Kansas City Chiefs, and an angry woman poured a cup of beer on Phillips as he exited the field. The Saints won three consecutive games following a week two loss at Denver, but the season quickly turned sour, thanks to a six-game losing streak that dropped the club to 3–8.

One day after winning at Minnesota to end the skid, Phillips resigned. His son, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, took over as interim coach for the final four games. The Saints won their first game under the younger Phillips, routing the eventual NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams 29–3, but losses to the Cardinals, 49ers and Falcons ended the year on another glum note.

The Saints finished with a non-winning record for the nineteenth time in as many seasons, going 5–11. Benson promised big changes following the campaign, which he delivered upon.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1985 New Orleans Saints draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
124 Alvin Toles   Linebacker Tennessee
238 Daren Gilbert   Offensive tackle Cal State Fullerton
368 Jack Del Rio  * Linebacker USC
495Billy Allen  Defensive back Florida State
7179 Eric Martin  *  Wide receiver LSU
8206Joe Kohlbrand Linebacker Miami (FL)
9236Earl Johnson Defensive back South Carolina
12320Treg Songy Defensive back Tulane
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Personnel

Staff

1985 New Orleans Saints staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Russell Paternostro




Roster

1985 New Orleans Saints roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

A ticket for a September 15, 1985 game between the Saints and the Denver Broncos. New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos 1985-09-15 (ticket).jpg
A ticket for a September 15, 1985 game between the Saints and the Denver Broncos.
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 8 Kansas City Chiefs L 27–470–1 Louisiana Superdome 57,760
2September 15at Denver Broncos L 23–340–2 Mile High Stadium 74,488
3September 22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 20–131–2Louisiana Superdome45,320
4September 29at San Francisco 49ers W 20–172–2 Candlestick Park 58,053
5October 6 Philadelphia Eagles W 23–213–2Louisiana Superdome56,364
6October 13at Los Angeles Raiders L 13–233–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 48,152
7October 20at Atlanta Falcons L 24–313–4 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 44,784
8October 27 New York Giants L 13–213–5Louisiana Superdome54,082
9November 3at Los Angeles Rams L 10–283–6 Anaheim Stadium 49,030
10November 10 Seattle Seahawks L 3–273–7Louisiana Superdome47,365
11November 17at Green Bay Packers L 14–383–8 Milwaukee County Stadium 52,104
12November 24at Minnesota Vikings W 30–234–8 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 54,117
13December 1 Los Angeles Rams W 29–35–8Louisiana Superdome44,122
14December 8at St. Louis Cardinals L 16–285–9 Busch Memorial Stadium 29,527
15December 15 San Francisco 49ers L 19–315–10Louisiana Superdome46,065
16December 22 Atlanta Falcons L 10–165–11Louisiana Superdome37,717
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 8

1234Total
• Giants0701421
Saints3001013

[2]

Week 12

1234Total
• Saints1463730
Vikings7331023
Scoring summary
Q1NO Wilson 41 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 7–0
Q1MIN Anderson 54 yard pass from Kramer (Stenerud kick)Tie 7–7
Q1NO Campbell 4 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 14–7
Q2NOAndersen 26 yard field goalNO 17–7
Q2NOAndersen 47 yard field goalNO 20–7
Q2MINStenerud 22 yard field goalNO 20–10
Q3NOAndersen 45 yard field goalNO 23–10
Q3MINStenerud 22 yard field goalNO 23–13
Q4MINStenerud 37 yard field goalNO 23–16
Q4MIN Jones 6 yard pass from Kramer (Stenerud kick)Tie 23–23
Q4NO Tice 39 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 30–23

[3]

Week 15

1234Total
• 49ers07101431
Saints097319
Scoring summary
Q2SF Clark 26 yard pass from Montana (Wersching kick)SF 7–0
Q2NO Andersen 46 yard field goalSF 7–3
Q2NO Warren 42 yard blocked field goal return (kick failed)NO 9–7
Q3SF Wilson 52 yard pass from Montana (Wersching kick)SF 14–9
Q3NO Goodlow 76 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 16–14
Q3SFWersching 24 yard field goalSF 17–16
Q4NOAndersen 41 yard field goalNO 19–17
Q4SF Francis 17 yard pass from Montana (Wersching kick)SF 24–19
Q4SF Craig 15 yard run (Wersching kick)SF 31–19

[4]

Standings

NFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Los Angeles Rams (2)1150.6883–38–4340277L1
San Francisco 49ers (5)1060.6254–27–5411263W2
New Orleans Saints 5110.3132–45–7294401L3
Atlanta Falcons 4120.2503–34–8282452W2

Notable events

On opening day, quarterback Dave Wilson set the unwanted record of completing only two of twenty-two passes: the lowest pass completion percent in an NFL game for any quarterback with a double figure total of attempts.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans Saints</span> National Football League franchise in New Orleans, Louisiana

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) South Division. Since 1975, the team plays its home games at Caesars Superdome after using Tulane Stadium during its first eight seasons. Founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966, the Saints joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Breakers</span> Former American football team based out of New Orleans, Louisiana and Portland, Oregon

The Portland Breakers were an American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans Breakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Benson</span> American businessman and pro sports executive

Thomas Milton Benson Jr. was an American businessman, philanthropist and sports franchise owner. He was the owner of several automobile dealerships before buying the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) in 1985 and the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bum Phillips</span> American football coach (1923–2013)

Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers from 1975 to 1980 and the New Orleans Saints from 1981 to 1985.

Sammy Dye Knight Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997. Knight was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants. He was also an assistant coach for USC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim E. Mora</span> American football coach (born 1935)

James Ernest Mora is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1986 to 1996 and the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 to 2001. Mora was also the head coach of the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars of the first iteration of the United States Football League (USFL) during its three years of existence and led the team to all three championship games, winning two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke McCown</span> American football player (born 1981)

Lucas Patrick McCown is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints

Stephen John Walsh is an American football coach and former player. He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All-American honors in 1988.

Bobby Joseph Hebert Jr. is an American sportscaster and former professional football quarterback. He played in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1983 to 1996 for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons. Nicknamed "the Cajun Cannon", Hebert led the Panthers to the USFL championship in the league's inaugural season. Later he helped bring the Saints their first winning season and playoff appearance in franchise history. Hebert was inducted to the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. He currently hosts an afternoon radio show on WWL AM 870 and WWL-FM 105.3 in New Orleans.

This article details the history of the New Orleans Saints, an American football team in the NFL, which was organized in 1967 and is based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Charles Wade Wilson was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and Oakland Raiders in a seventeen-year NFL career from 1981 to 1998. He was quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys from 2000 to 2002 and from 2007 to 2017, and also for the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2006. He played college football for East Texas State Lions, where he was an NAIA All-American quarterback and led the Lions to the NAIA national semifinals during the 1980 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Hill</span> American football player (1936–2012)

Stuart King Hill was an American professional football quarterback and punter in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season (first Super Bowl win)

The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th overall and their third under head coach Bill Walsh.

The 1990 New Orleans Saints season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League, the 15th to host games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and the fifth under head coach Jim Mora. The team looked to improve on its 9–7 record from 1989 and make the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. The Saints did not improve on their 9–7 record, as they finished the season 8–8. However, the Saints would unexpectedly make the postseason as the final seed in the NFC after getting a win and the Cowboys losing in the final week of the regular season.

The 1992 New Orleans Saints season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League, and the 17th with home games at the Superdome. This is also the last time the Saints qualified to the postseason until the 2000 season.

The 1993 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 27th as a member of the National Football League (NFL). They were unable to match their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games despite starting the season 5–0. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 1984 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 18th as a member of the National Football League. They were unable to improve on their previous season's output of 8–8, winning only seven games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighteenth consecutive season. The Saints started out winning three of their first five games. However, the Saints would struggle as newly acquired quarterback Richard Todd threw 19 interceptions to just 11 touchdowns as the Saints again finished the season with a losing record at 7-9. It was in week 6 against the Bears that Walter Payton passed Jim Brown to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 1977 New Orleans Saints season was the team's eleventh as a member of the National Football League. They were unable to improve on their previous season's output of 4–10, winning only three games. The most notable part of the season was when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won their first game in franchise history after losing their first 26 games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season, while coach Hank Stram was fired following the season. In his two seasons as coach the Saints only won seven games.

John W. Mecom Jr. is the chairman of the John W. Mecom company and former owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team.

References

  1. ↑ "1985 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  3. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Nov-09.
  4. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Dec-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.