7 Pro Bowl Linebackers in a game (92 Saints Bills) (2 Viewers)

No, the Mora/Smith years and much of Finks' time as GM weren't really about player development. They thought if players worked out hard enough, they could overcome a lack of natural speed. Doesn't happen!

I'm not usually someone who touts analytics, but in this case, Perriman's Detroit numbers from '91 to '96 speak for themselves -- 428 catches, 5,244 yards, 25 TDs.

I looked at those too. But maybe 1990 was too toxic for him as well. Sadly, that should have been the peak season of the Mora/Finks Saints.
 
I looked at those too. But maybe 1990 was too toxic for him as well. Sadly, that should have been the peak season of the Mora/Finks Saints.

I read a biography of Tom Benson written during the height of the "three Rs" lawsuit with the family members, etc. Gave me some good insight as to why Mora's tenure last a few years too long. The Saints weren't the only pot Benson had on the stove, business-wise, during the first decade and a half that he owned the team. For instance, everyone knows he made his money in cars, but he also owned banks, which is something I didn't know. Had more going on than just the Saints at the time. Hence, things on the football side got stale and stayed that way longer than they should have.
 
Ah, yes. I still remember it well. We beat a few other quality opponents at home that year, like Washington and Miami (back when those franchises were good), but not Buffalo. The Carl Smith offense's glaring lack of playmakers was the difference here.

You think a Payton/Brees offense would fail to get the ball into scoring range down 20-16 late in the game? I think not!
I remember thinking Saints had a good shot at winning this game, making themselves an elite team with a 12-3 record with a good chance finishing at 13 wins and heading to the playoffs strong.

Instead N.O proved they weren't ready to play with big boys and they squandered a bye. Then in wildcard game they got spanked by a 10-6 Eagles team.
 
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I read a biography of Tom Benson written during the height of the "three Rs" lawsuit with the family members, etc. Gave me some good insight as to why Mora's tenure last a few years too long. The Saints weren't the only pot Benson had on the stove, business-wise, during the first decade that he owned the team. For instance, everyone knows he made his money in cars, but he also owned banks, which is something I didn't know. Had more going on than just the Saints at the time. Hence, things on the football side got stale and stayed that way longer than they should have.
Sure, about post 1993. Mora had a good plan, but he was not Parcells, and did not quite have the team to do it.
 
Sure, about post 1993. Mora had a good plan, but he was not Parcells, and did not quite have the team to do it.

Both of them indeed had the same conservative approach on offense, but the Giants had better athletes on offense than the Saints at the time. You can still move the ball well in a ball-control offense if you have playmakers in the right places. The results speak for themselves -- playoff success with two Super Bowl wins from '86 to '90 versus four first-round exits for the Saints from '86-'92.
 
Both of them indeed had the same conservative approach on offense, but the Giants had better athletes on offense than the Saints at the time. You can still move the ball well in a ball-control offense if you have playmakers in the right places. The results speak for themselves -- playoff success with two Super Bowl wins from '86 to '90 versus four first-round exits for the Saints from '86-'92.
We ought to talk about 1988 Saints Giants. Its on youtube as well. It is the only season I recall when the Saints had the best late season record in the league. Not even in 2009.
EDIT: for whatever 2018 was
 
We ought to talk about 1988 Saints Giants. Its on youtube as well. It is the only season I recall when the Saints had the best late season record in the league. Not even in 2009.
EDIT: for whatever 2018 was

Ah, yes. The game where Lonzell Hill had a TD taken away because he might've juggled the ball too much on his way out of the back of the end zone. Notice I said, "might've," given the judgment call that instant replay was at its outset.

I'd much rather watch the 1987 Giants game, when we parlayed several, several Giants turnovers into a victory. Interesting note, Phil Simms played in neither contest due to injury. Jeff Rutledge played in one, and then Jeff Hostetler the other. I don't think Simms was too much better than Hebert, ability-wise, but he sure had better receivers to throw to. (Manuel, Baker, Bavaro, Mark Ingram's dad, others)

LT was also hurt in both games. He was pulled after just one or two series in the '87 game, then played a memorably (for Giants fans) heroic game while injured in the '88 game.

As for "late season record," I'm not sure you realize we were only 1-3 down the stretch in 1988 after starting 7-1, and then were 9-3 after the awesome 42-0 beatdown of Denver. All the good teams were backloaded into the second half of the season. Only win in December was in the final week over the Failclowns, but we'd just about lost all the tiebreakers anyway at that point.
 
Ah, yes. The game where Lonzell Hill had a TD taken away because he might've juggled the ball too much on his way out of the back of the end zone. Notice I said, "might've," given the judgment call that instant replay was at its outset.

I'd much rather watch the 1987 Giants game, when we parlayed several, several Giants turnovers into a victory. Interesting note, Phil Simms played in neither contest due to injury. Jeff Rutledge played in one, and then Jeff Hostetler the other. I don't think Simms was too much better than Hebert, ability-wise, but he sure had better receivers to throw to. (Manuel, Baker, Bavaro, Mark Ingram's dad, others)

LT was also hurt in both games. He was pulled after just one or two series in the '87 game, then played a memorably (for Giants fans) heroic game while injured in the '88 game.

As for "late season record," I'm not sure you realize we were only 1-3 down the stretch in 1988 after starting 7-1, and then were 9-3 after the awesome 42-0 beatdown of Denver. All the good teams were backloaded into the second half of the season. Only win in December was in the final week over the Failclowns, but we'd just about lost all the tiebreakers anyway at that point.
Bills and Bears had better records at that point and finished 12-4 for the best records in each conference, so I mis-remembered that one. Maybe the Saints just looked like the hottest team going into that game.
 
I remember thinking Saints had a good shot at winning this game, making themselves an elite team with a 12-3 record with a good chance finishing at 13 wins and heading to the playoffs strong.

Instead N.O proved they weren't ready to play with big boys and they squandered a bye. Then in wildcard game they got spanked by a 10-6 Eagles team.
They could hang in there with anybody that season, but were the opposite of clutch.
 
They could hang in there with anybody that season, but were the opposite of clutch.

The thing that was the most opposite of clutch was Jim Mora and it continued after he went to Indianapolis.

There's a reason why he was 0-6 in post season play.
 
The thing that was the most opposite of clutch was Jim Mora and it continued after he went to Indianapolis.

There's a reason why he was 0-6 in post season play.
Yes he said he worked his teams too hard leading up to playoffs.
 
Back when fans could hang banners on the railing, the most memorable was "Run and Shoot Carl Smith". It actually made USA Today's sports page as a "sign of the times".
Brilliant play calling like running Dalton Hilliard RIGHT AT Fridge Perry on 4th and 1, the Mora/Smith legacy.
 
Yes he said he worked his teams too hard leading up to playoffs.

He was also an insufferable jerk towards people in general including and in far too many incidents even with his own players who were often reluctant to approach him. It's also pretty safe to say that a lot of his players just plain and simple didn't like him.

That's not something that I heard...........it's something that I kind of sort of knew about him first hand.
 
He was also an insufferable jerk towards people in general including and in far too many incidents even with his own players who were often reluctant to approach him. It's also pretty safe to say that a lot of his players just plain and simple didn't like him.

That's not something that I heard...........it's something that I kind of sort of knew about him first hand.
Well OK so were my junior high football coaches. I am bigger now than they were back then. Can I go kick their butts? I am not dismissing your comment. Most football coaches are probably jerks until they have Dick Vermeil tears.
 
Ah, yes. I still remember it well. We beat a few other quality opponents at home that year, like Washington and Miami (back when those franchises were good), but not Buffalo. The Carl Smith offense's glaring lack of playmakers was the difference here.

You think a Payton/Brees offense would fail to get the ball into scoring range down 20-16 late in the game? I think not!


The thing I’ll always remember about the 92’ squad was that stretch late in the season where they played 3 games in a span of 11 days and went 3-0.

They beat the defending champ Skins, a decent Miami squad and the Falcons.
 

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