What’s your must obscure, random Saints fact? (1 Viewer)

[watts]

I’ll go first:

1) we once had an astronaut as a GM

 

[HouseCall]

Walking embodiment of rode hard and put away wet.

 

[NeverGiveUP2]

Mine was 1983 when we gave up a 4th and forever against the Rams in the last game of the season. Lansford kicks the game winner with no time left.

I have always maintained that was the loudest I have ever heard the Dome. 8-7. 2 minutes from our first ever winning season and a playoff game. 2 minutes left. The Dome Patrol. The players on the bench waving towels and the Dome was absolutely insane. Then Lansford breaks our heart and the Dome goes deafly quiet for maybe a minute. Then like the movies we started clapping. Not cheering. Just clapping. The best season ever to that point

 

[boutrous]

And the two teams he did that against, the Broncos and niners, played in SB XXIV in the Superdome.



Call me crazy, but the 2002 collapse didn't bother me in a heartbreaking way so much as it was just a 3-week long groan of "Ah sheet. Typical Saints." We'd already seen the writing on the wall from losing the last 4 games the previous season during the debacle of the divided locker room when Joe Horn had supposedly nailed Willie Roaf's wife and we'd already dropped 3 of our last 6 games after starting 6-1. The season was shaping up almost exactly like 1993 when we followed up a 5-0 start with a 3-8 finish to go 8-8.

Obscure fact, it was Joe Johnson not Joe Horn.

 

[St.Dan]

I have always maintained that was the loudest I have ever heard the Dome. 8-7. 2 minutes from our first ever winning season and a playoff game. 2 minutes left. The Dome Patrol. The players on the bench waving towels and the Dome was absolutely insane. Then Lansford breaks our heart and the Dome goes deafly quiet for maybe a minute. Then like the movies we started clapping. Not cheering. Just clapping. The best season ever to that point

Watched it as an eight-year-old kid at my grandparents house in Marrero, whole family there. If Bum lets Morten attempt (and probably make) a 47-yard field goal on the final offensive possession, we win the game. It's that simple.

But looking back on '83 as an adult, there were two other games that season that blown in similar fashion. They blew a first-half lead in the road game vs. the Rams early in the season. And in a less-remembered gut-buster, Snake gave up a safety up by a point with about a minute to play on the road in Dallas when he couldn't get out of the way of a blitzing linebacker. Up by a point, then lost by a point -- in the blink of an eye. Six of the eight losses in '83 were by seven points or less. Only team to truly whip the Saints that year was Bill Walsh's 49ers.

 

[kujo1978]

From 1987-1992, the Saints went 62-33 as a member of the NFC West.

During that time, the Saints won the NFC West only 1 time.

Remember that fact when someone asks how much it sucked to be in the same division as a dynasty 49ers team.

The Everette led Rams had some great years in that span, also..

 

[NeverGiveUP2]

Watched it as an eight-year-old kid at my grandparents house in Marrero, whole family there. If Bum lets Morten attempt (and probably make) a 47-yard field goal on the final offensive possession, we win the game. It's that simple.

But looking back on '83 as an adult, there were two other games that season that blown in similar fashion. They blew a first-half lead in the road game vs. the Rams early in the season. And in a less-remembered gut-buster, Snake gave up a safety up by a point on the road in Dallas when he couldn't get out of the way of a blitzing linebacker. Up by a point, then lost by a point -- in the blink of an eye. Six of the eight losses in '83 were by seven points or less. Only team to truly whip the Saints that year was Bill Walsh's 49ers.

Yep agree on Bum and Morten...

I was at that Dallas game and if memory serves there was a Presidential Debate that night.. thus the game started late and for awhile we said we were the only team to ever LOSE a game on Monday morning...lol

 

[black_floyd]

Obscure fact, it was Joe Johnson not Joe Horn.

I've always heard Horn. Where are you getting this from?

 

[LordPoopington]

Losing on a game-ending 2 pointer where the QB kicked the ball around the backfield for a few seconds before stumbling into the endzone followed by us losing to a 1-win Bengals team was just ghastly to me, even though I'd seen my share of Saints heartbreak by that time (old enough to remember seasons in the Bum Phillips era).

The 04 team missing out on the playoffs b/c the Rams beat the Jets in OT in a weird, fluky game? That didn't bother me as much b/c by then I thought the Haslett Saints had clearly shown us who they were. In 02...yeah, we had 01 to look at, but we also had 00. For me, the jury was still out, especially when we got to a 9-4 start (7-5 at that point in 01).

And the two teams he did that against, the Broncos and niners, played in SB XXIV in the Superdome.



Call me crazy, but the 2002 collapse didn't bother me in a heartbreaking way so much as it was just a 3-week long groan of "Ah sheet. Typical Saints." We'd already seen the writing on the wall from losing the last 4 games the previous season during the debacle of the divided locker room when Joe Horn had supposedly nailed Willie Roaf's wife and we'd already dropped 3 of our last 6 games after starting 6-1. The season was shaping up almost exactly like 1993 when we followed up a 5-0 start with a 3-8 finish to go 8-8.

 

[greatshow25]

Sean Payton is basically a .500 coach without Greg Williams or Dennis Allen as defensive coordinators. He is 50-46 with Gibbs and Ryan. The Saints never had a losing record with Greg as coordinator 2 13-3 seasons and 1 11-5 season. Allen’s first full season was the last 7-9 season. He currently has 2 13-3 and 1 11-5 as coordinator.

 

[LordPoopington]

Since 83 was my first real heartbreak, let me add some more bullet points here.

- In the season finale, where we lost 26-24, our defense only gave up 3 points (the field goal at the end). The rest was a safety, a punt return TD, and 2 pick sixes.

- Much like in 2017 vs. MIN, we failed to convert 3rd and short late. Before Bum made the fateful decision to punt instead of letting Morten try a 48-49 yarder, we had a 3rd and short we failed to convert, much as we failed to convert the 3rd down that would've let Lutz kick the go-ahead field goal as time expired vs. MIN in 17.

- Yeah, Bum probably should've let Morten kick it, but the choice was not as obvious as it seems now. In 83, Morten missed a 50-or-so yard field goal that could've sent the game into OT at the buzzer vs. the Jets. People rightfully remember Stabler's safety in our one-point loss to Dallas, but Morten also had a blocked field goal returned for a TD in that game. I imagine that was flashing through Bum's brain at the time he called for the punt. Morten Andersen was not quite MORTEN ANDERSEN, HALL OF FAMER!!! at that point in his career. In retrospect, probably a mistake but at least somewhat understandable given what happened that year (a 3rd option is we could've just tried going for it, but our offense was shaky and I think George Rogers might've gotten hurt during the game).

*Side note - we also blew a 2-score lead in the 2nd half to the Jets in the game I mention above. You're right that the 83 team lost a bunch of close games. The 49ers kicked our butts twice, but we hung tough w/ everyone else.

- In the Rams' final field goal drive, people say we went "prevent" but that's not technically true. What is true is that we went into a very safe, conservative zone D when Bum should've said "The defense hasn't allowed a point yet, let's just do what we've done the whole game (I remember a NFL films clip of Shanahan during the DEN/GB Super Bowl screaming at his DC before Green Bay's final drive "Just do what you've been doing! Don't change anything!" If the QB has forever to throw, he'll find open guys like the Rams did on that 3rd and 25.

Watched it as an eight-year-old kid at my grandparents house in Marrero, whole family there. If Bum lets Morten attempt (and probably make) a 47-yard field goal on the final offensive possession, we win the game. It's that simple.

But looking back on '83 as an adult, there were two other games that season that blown in similar fashion. They blew a first-half lead in the road game vs. the Rams early in the season. And in a less-remembered gut-buster, Snake gave up a safety up by a point with about a minute to play on the road in Dallas when he couldn't get out of the way of a blitzing linebacker. Up by a point, then lost by a point -- in the blink of an eye. Six of the eight losses in '83 were by seven points or less. Only team to truly whip the Saints that year was Bill Walsh's 49ers.

 

[IceHot]

SINCE 2000 with the exception of McCown every Saints starting QBs last name has started with the letter B.

So you are syaing either a B, M, or W...hmmm BMW

 

[LordPoopington]

The Dome Patrol wasn't 83. Rickey Jackson was on the team then and we had a strong D that year (Dirt Winston! Whitney Paul! Bruce Clark!), but Mills, Johnson, and Swilling didn't come until later.

I have always maintained that was the loudest I have ever heard the Dome. 8-7. 2 minutes from our first ever winning season and a playoff game. 2 minutes left. The Dome Patrol. The players on the bench waving towels and the Dome was absolutely insane. Then Lansford breaks our heart and the Dome goes deafly quiet for maybe a minute. Then like the movies we started clapping. Not cheering. Just clapping. The best season ever to that point

 

[jasonsw]

So you are syaing either a B, M, or W...hmmm BMW

Lol. Yep with Winston starting this Sunday the Saints will have themselves a BMW combo

 

[By the River]

The last Saints game started by a QB that we drafted was week 6 of the 1998 season. The starter was ___________?








Danny Wuerffel

 

[Saint Kamara]

Wade Wilson holds the Saints record for the longest rush for a QB in the history of the franchise (44yds)

The longest rush/run for a non-RB in Saints history? ... Joe Morgan (67yds)

The Saints have never had a run go for 80yds or more.

79 yards by George Rogers

 

[Saint Kamara]

I have always maintained that was the loudest I have ever heard the Dome. 8-7. 2 minutes from our first ever winning season and a playoff game. 2 minutes left. The Dome Patrol. The players on the bench waving towels and the Dome was absolutely insane. Then Lansford breaks our heart and the Dome goes deafly quiet for maybe a minute. Then like the movies we started clapping. Not cheering. Just clapping. The best season ever to that point

I want to say they converted a 4th and 26 or 29