1999 New Orleans Saints season

Last updated

1999 New Orleans Saints season
Owner Tom Benson
General manager Bill Kuharich
Head coach Mike Ditka
Home field Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record3–13
Division place5th NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers T Willie Roaf

The 1999 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints' thirty-third season in the National Football League (NFL). This was Mike Ditka's third and final season as the Saints' head coach, as he was fired, along with his entire coaching staff and general manager Bill Kuharich, three days after the conclusion of the season.

Contents

During 1999, the Saints became the first team to lose to the expansion Cleveland Browns and in the process became the only team since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970 to lose to the last winless team in successive seasons. [1]

Offseason

NFL Draft

With the only pick in the draft the New Orleans Saints selected running back Ricky Williams out of the University of Texas with the fifth overall pick. The Saints traded all of their draft picks in the 1999 draft in order to move up so they could draft Williams, as well as a first round pick in the 2000 NFL draft that eventually was used by the Washington Redskins to draft LaVar Arrington.

1999 New Orleans Saints draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
15 Ricky Williams  *  RB Texas from Carolina via Washington
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1999 New Orleans Saints staff

Front office

  • Owner – Tom Benson
  • President/general manager/chief operating officer – Bill Kuharich
  • Vice president of football operations/assistant general manager – Charles Bailey
  • Director of college scouting – Bruce Lemmerman

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Zaven Yaralian
  • Defensive line – Walt Corey
  • Defensive backs – Carlos Mainord
  • Defensive assistant/pass rush – Rickey Jackson
  • Defensive assistant/linebackers – Ned James

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster

1999 New Orleans Saints final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 13 inactive, 3 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 12 Carolina Panthers W 19–101–0 Louisiana Superdome 58,166
2September 19at San Francisco 49ers L 21–281–1 3Com Park 67,685
3 Bye
4October 3at Chicago Bears L 10–141–2 Soldier Field 66,944
5October 10 Atlanta Falcons L 17–201–3Louisiana Superdome57,289
6October 17 Tennessee Titans L 21–241–4Louisiana Superdome51,875
7October 24at New York Giants L 3–311–5 Giants Stadium 77,982
8October 31 Cleveland Browns L 16–211–6Louisiana Superdome48,817
9November 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 16–311–7Louisiana Superdome47,129
10November 14 San Francisco 49ers W 24–62–7Louisiana Superdome52,198
11November 21at Jacksonville Jaguars L 23–412–8 Alltel Stadium 69,772
12November 28at St. Louis Rams L 12–432–9 Trans World Dome 65,864
13December 5at Atlanta Falcons L 12–352–10 Georgia Dome 62,568
14December 12 St. Louis Rams L 14–302–11Louisiana Superdome46,838
15December 19at Baltimore Ravens L 8–312–12 PSINet Stadium 67,597
16December 24 Dallas Cowboys W 31–243–12Louisiana Superdome47,835
17January 2, 2000at Carolina Panthers L 13–453–13 Ericcson Stadium 56,929
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 1: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Panthers0100010
Saints739019

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: September 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 58,166
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • Box score
Game information

With the win, the Saints started 1–0 for the second season in a row. However, this would be New Orleans' last win for two months.

Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 2: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints0147021
49ers7701428

at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California

  • Date: September 19
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. CDT/2:05 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,685
  • Referee: Phil Luckett
  • Box score
Game information

Week 4: at Chicago Bears

Week 4: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints073010
Bears0001414

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: October 3
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 66,944
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • Box score
Game information

The Saints had a 10–0 lead with just under 2 minutes left to play, but saw the lead quickly fade away. The Bears scored their first points of the game with 1:48 left in the 4th on a 22-yard pass from Shane Matthews to wide receiver Curtis Conway. Chicago would recover the onside kick and go down the field in 61 seconds to win 14–10 after scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 6 seconds left to play.

Week 5: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 5: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons707620
Saints0170017

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 57,289
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • Box score
Game information

Week 6: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 6: Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Titans0071724
Saints373821

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 51,875
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar

Week 7: at New York Giants

Week 7: New Orleans Saints at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints30003
Giants7177031

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,982
  • Referee: Phil Luckett
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas, and Jim Gallagher

Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 8: Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Browns077721
Saints733316

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

For week 8, the 1–5 Saints hosted the 0–7 Browns, who were playing in their first season since 1995 following a relocation controversy that saw the franchise officially being deactivated for three seasons.

The Saints would take a 16–14 lead with 0:21 left in the game. On the final play of the game, Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch heaved a Hail Mary pass into the end zone that was tipped by several New Orleans defenders before being caught by Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson as the clock struck 0:00, giving Cleveland its first win since December 17, 1995.

The Saints' offense finished the game with 351 yards of total offense and controlled the ball for 40:50, while the Brown's offense only had 243 total yards and a possession time of 19:10. However, New Orleans committed five turnovers, two of which gave Cleveland a short field that resulted in touchdowns for the Browns.

With the loss, the Saints fell to 1–7 and their losing streak was extended to six games. Additionally, the Saints became the first team to lose to the expansion Browns and lost to the last winless team in the NFL, having lost to the 0–7 Carolina Panthers during week 9 of the previous season. This also marked the second time an expansion franchise got its first win over New Orleans, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who started 0–26, got its first win as a franchise by defeating the Saints 33–14 during the 1977 season.

Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Buccaneers7107731
Saints3301016

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 47,129
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli

Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
49ers33006
Saints777324

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 14
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 52,198
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers

With the win, the Saints improved to 2–7 and snapped a seven game losing streak that lasted for just over two months.

Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 11: New Orleans Saints at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints7100623
Jaguars143141041

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Week 12: at St. Louis Rams

Week 12: New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints390012
Rams7872143

at Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: November 28
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 65,864
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Bill Maas, and Pete Peterson

Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 13: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints330612
Falcons71414035

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 62,568
  • Referee: Ron Winter

Week 14: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week 14: St. Louis Rams at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams7173330
Saints680014

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 46,838
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Jeff Lageman, and Jim Gallagher

Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 15: New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints00088
Ravens31401431

at PSINet Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 43 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 67,597
  • Referee: Dick Hantak

Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 16: Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cowboys0717024
Saints10071431

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 47,835
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli

Week 17: at Carolina Panthers

Week 17: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints0001313
Panthers107141445

at Ericcson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: January 2, 2000
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 56,929
  • Referee: Gerry Austin

Standings

NFC West
WLTPCTPFPASTK
(1) St. Louis Rams 1330.813526242L1
Carolina Panthers 880.500421381W1
Atlanta Falcons 5110.313285380W2
San Francisco 49ers 4120.250295453L3
New Orleans Saints 3130.188260434L1

Statistics

Passing

PlayerGQB Rat.Comp.Att.Pct.YardsYards/Att.TDINT
Billy Joe Hobert 968.98515953.59706.166
Billy Joe Tolliver 1058.913926851.919167.1716
Jake Delhomme 262.4427655.35216.935
Danny Wuerffel 430.8224845.81914.003

Rushing

PlayerGAtt.YardsYards/Att.TD
Ricky Williams 122538843.52
Lamar Smith 13602053.40
Wilmont Perry 7481803.80
Troy Davis 1620321.60
Aaron Craver 1317402.40

Receiving

PlayerGRecYardsYards/RecTD
Eddie Kennison 166183513.74
Keith Poole 154279619.06
Andre Hastings 154056414.11
Ricky Williams 12281726.10
Cameron Cleeland 112632512.51
Lamar Smith 13201517.61
Aaron Craver 13191548.10
Lawrence Dawsey 101619612.31
Scott Slutzker 111116414.91
Troy Davis 167537.60
Josh Wilcox 866110.20
Brett Bech 846516.31
Wilmont Perry 74266.50
Dino Philyaw 1322311.50
P. J. Franklin 32136.50

Kick Returns

PlayerGReturnsYardsYards/ReturnTD
Dino Philyaw 1353116522.00
Troy Davis 162042421.20
Wilmont Perry 7263.00
Lawrence Dawsey 1012020.00
Brett Bech 811212.00
Kendall Gammon 16199.00
Aaron Craver 13133.00

Punt Returns

PlayerGReturnsYardsYards/ReturnTD
Eddie Kennison 16352587.40

Punting

PlayerGPuntsYardsYards/PuntPunts Blocked
Tommy Barnhardt 1682326239.80

Kicking

PlayerGExtra Points Att.Extra Points MadeExtra Point Pct.Field Goals Att.Field Goals MadeField Goal Pct.Total Points Scored
Doug Brien 16202195242982.892

Interceptions

PlayerGIntYardsTD
Ashley Ambrose 166270
Willie Clay 163320
Keith Mitchell 163220
Fred Weary 162490
Mark Fields 14200
Rob Kelly 16160
Alex Molden 13120
Sammy Knight 16100

Sacks

PlayerGSacks
La'Roi Glover 168.5
Willie Whitehead 167.0
Brady Smith 166.0
Troy Wilson 165.5
Wayne Martin 164.5
Mark Fields 144.0
Keith Mitchell 163.5
Jared Tomich 83.0
Austin Robbins 142.0
Chris Hewitt 121.0

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Minnesota Vikings season</span> NFL team season

The 2002 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 42nd in the National Football League, and the first under head coach Mike Tice. Tice was the third of the Vikings' six head coaches to be promoted from within the team's coaching ranks but the first to have actually played for the team.

The 2004 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 35th in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th overall and their 42nd in Kansas City.

The 1994 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 25th season in the National Football League, the 32nd as the Kansas City Chiefs and the 35th overall. They failed to improve their 11–5 record from 1993 and finishing with a 9–7 record and Wild Card spot in the 1994–95 playoffs. The Chiefs lost to the Miami Dolphins 27–17 in the wild-card round. Alongside celebrating the NFL's 75th anniversary season, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana retired following the season.

The 1982 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's strike-shortened 13th season in the National Football League and the 23rd overall.

The 1985 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League and the 26th overall.

The 2005 season was the New Orleans Saints' 39th in the National Football League (NFL) and the sixth and final under head coach Jim Haslett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Houston Oilers season</span> 37th season in franchise history, final one in Houston

The 1996 Houston Oilers season was the 37th season overall and 27th with the National Football League (NFL) and their final season in Houston. The team bested their previous season's output of 7–9, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Oilers only won two out of their eight games at home. However, on the road they won six out of eight games as the Oilers finished with an 8-8 record. Houston running back Eddie George won the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1,368 yards rushing. Despite finishing 8–8 record, the Oilers failed to sell out any of its home games at the Houston Astrodome for the second consecutive season.

The 2011 season was the New Orleans Saints' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their sixth under head coach Sean Payton. In Week 16, Drew Brees broke the single-season passing record previously held by Dan Marino; Brees ended the season with 5,476 passing yards, an NFL record. The team also broke the record for offensive yards from scrimmage with 7,474 and Darren Sproles broke the record for all purpose yards, with 2,696. The Saints also finished second in scoring for total points with 547, and finished second for points per game with 34.2 points and sacks with 24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 2012 season was the New Orleans Saints' 46th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 37th playing home games at the Superdome. The Saints head coach was Sean Payton, but he was suspended by the NFL for the entire season as part of the punishment for the team's bounty scandal. On April 12, 2012, linebackers coach Joe Vitt was named interim head coach to replace Payton while he was suspended. On August 22, 2012, it was announced that Aaron Kromer would take over while Vitt himself served a six-game suspension to start the regular season. The Saints attempted to make history as the first host team to play the Super Bowl on their own home field, but they were eliminated from post-season contention for the first time since 2008 in Week 16. The Saints set an NFL record for most yards given up by a defense, 7,042 yards, surpassing the 1981 Baltimore Colts record of 6,793 yards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 2014 season was the New Orleans Saints' 48th in the National Football League (NFL), their 39th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their eighth under head coach Sean Payton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 2015 season was the New Orleans Saints' 49th in the National Football League (NFL), their 40th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their ninth under head coach Sean Payton. On November 16, 2015, the Saints hired Dennis Allen to replace fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. However, the Saints still missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Saints set a new league record for the most passing touchdowns allowed with 45.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 2016 season was the New Orleans Saints' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 41st playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and their 10th under head coach Sean Payton. The Saints matched their 7–9 record from 2014 and 2015, and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. One highlight from the season includes quarterback Drew Brees' first return to San Diego for the first time since the Chargers released him at the end of the 2005 season, also where Brees played his first five seasons in. This came 10 years after the Chargers released Brees after the Saints' previous regular season meetings with the Chargers were home games for the Saints, and including a 2008 meeting at Wembley Stadium in London, a game which New Orleans was designated as the home team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 2017 season was the New Orleans Saints' 51st in the National Football League (NFL), their 42nd playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 11th under head coach Sean Payton. The team improved on their 7–9 output from the previous season, while achieving an eight-game winning streak after losing their first two contests, their longest streak since 2009, when they won Super Bowl XLIV. In Week 13 the Saints clinched their first winning season since 2013 and swept the Carolina Panthers for the first time since 2011. In Week 16, the Saints clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 17, the Saints clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2011 with the Panthers loss to the Falcons. This was the first of four consecutive NFC South titles for the Saints. On January 7, 2018 the Saints played their divisional rival Carolina Panthers in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They beat Carolina 31–26 in the Wild Card, but lost 29–24 to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round in a shocking ending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 2018 season was the New Orleans Saints' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 12th under head coach Sean Payton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Minnesota Vikings season</span> 59th season in franchise history

The 2019 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 59th in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their sixth under head coach Mike Zimmer. They improved on their 8–7–1 campaign from 2018 with a Week 14 win over the Detroit Lions, and returned to the playoffs following a one-year absence after the Los Angeles Rams lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. That week, the Vikings were eliminated from contention for the NFC North division title, losing 23–10 to the Green Bay Packers. They defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–20 in overtime in the Wild Card round but lost 27–10 to the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 New Orleans Saints season</span> 53rd season in franchise history

The 2019 season was the New Orleans Saints' 53rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 44th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 13th under head coach Sean Payton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 New Orleans Saints season</span> 54th season in franchise history

The 2020 season was the New Orleans Saints' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and their 14th under head coach Sean Payton. Although they failed to match their 13–3 records from 2018 and 2019, the Saints defended their NFC South title for the fourth consecutive year following a Week 16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. After beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, they won six straight games for the fourth consecutive season. With a Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints clinched a franchise record fourth consecutive playoff appearance. After Week 17 victory over the division rival, Carolina Panthers, the Saints became the first NFC South member to sweep the division in its history. During the Wildcard round against the Chicago Bears of the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, the Saints made history as one of the first two teams to air in a post-season football game on Nickelodeon, a primarily children-related network. The Saints would defeat the Bears 21–9, advancing to the divisional round, where they were defeated by division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30–20, despite having swept them in the regular season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 New Orleans Saints season</span> 55th season in franchise history

The 2021 season was the New Orleans Saints' 55th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 46th playing home games at Caesars Superdome and the 15th and final season under head coach Sean Payton. After starting the season 5–2, the Saints fell into a five game losing streak after losing starting quarterback Jameis Winston to a torn ACL in Week 8 vs. Winston's former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also failed to improve on their 12–4 record from the previous season, as well as failing to win the division title for the first time since 2016. Despite winning four of their last five games, the Saints missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18. The Saints finished tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 7th seed in the NFC, but lost the tiebreaker based on the teams' Week 11 head-to-head meeting—won by the Eagles. The team started a record of 58 different players and ranked in the bottom 5 in total offense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 New Orleans Saints season</span> 56th season in franchise history

The 2022 season was the New Orleans Saints' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 47th playing home games at the Caesars Superdome and their first under head coach Dennis Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 New Orleans Saints season</span> 57th season in franchise history

The 2023 season was the New Orleans Saints' 57th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 48th to host games at the Caesars Superdome and the second under head coach Dennis Allen. The team improved on their 7–10 record from 2022, but missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The Saints finished tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South division title, as well as in a three-way tie with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks for the last Wild Card spot; however, the Saints lost both tiebreakers.

References

  1. "Last Winless NFL Team(s) in Each Season". Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.