1993 New Orleans Saints 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.[1] The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years.

1993 New Orleans Saints season
General managerJim Finks (resigned July 14)
Jim Miller
Head coachJim Mora
Home fieldLouisiana Superdome
Results
Record8–8
Division place2nd NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersLB Rickey Jackson
LB Renaldo Turnbull
KR Tyrone Hughes

Quarterback Bobby Hebert, who was the Saints' starter from late 1985 through 1992, save for a season-long holdout in 1990, signed as a free agent with the division rival Atlanta Falcons. Wade Wilson, who had fallen out of favor with the Minnesota Vikings after the hiring of coach Dennis Green in 1992, was signed as Hebert's replacement.[citation needed]

During a loss to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, fans in the Louisiana Superdome let out a sarcastic cheer when Wilson was injured. The incident enraged coach Jim Mora, who let loose with a tirade during his post-game press conference.[2]

Offseason

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Organizational changes

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Jim Finks, the club's president and general manager since January 1986, was diagnosed with lung cancer in April.[3] He was limited to consulting with team officials by telephone since undergoing chemotherapy. During his absence, most of Finks' day-to-day duties were handled by vice president of administration Jim Miller. On July 14, Finks resigned from all his duties to concentrate on the treatment of his illness.[4]

NFL Draft

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1993 New Orleans Saints draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 8 Willie Roaf *   Offensive tackle Louisiana Tech
1 20 Irv Smith  Tight end Notre Dame
2 53 Reggie Freeman  Linebacker Florida State
4 89 Lorenzo Neal *  Fullback Fresno State
4 109 Derek Brown  Running back Nebraska
5 137 Tyrone Hughes *  Cornerback Nebraska
6 165 Ronnie Dixon  Defensive tackle Cincinnati
7 193 Othello Henderson  Defensive back UCLA
8 221 Jon Kirksey  Defensive tackle Sacramento State
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[5]

Personnel

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Staff

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1993 New Orleans Saints staff

Front office

  • Owner/General Partner – Tom Benson
  • Vice President of Administration – Jim Miller
  • Director of player personnel – Bill Kuharich

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Russell Paternostro


[6]

Roster

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1993 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

Practice squad

Reserve


53 active, 9 inactive, 2 practice squad
Rookies in italics

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 5 Houston Oilers W 33–21 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 69,029
2 September 12 at Atlanta Falcons W 34–31 2–0 Georgia Dome 64,287
3 September 19 Detroit Lions W 14–3 3–0 Louisiana Superdome 69,039
4 September 26 San Francisco 49ers W 16–13 4–0 Louisiana Superdome 69,041
5 October 3 at Los Angeles Rams W 37–6 5–0 Anaheim Stadium 50,709
6 Bye
7 October 17 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 14–37 5–1 Three Rivers Stadium 56,056
8 October 24 Atlanta Falcons L 15–26 5–2 Louisiana Superdome 69,043
9 October 31 at Phoenix Cardinals W 20–17 6–2 Sun Devil Stadium 36,778
10 Bye
11 November 14 Green Bay Packers L 17–19 6–3 Louisiana Superdome 69,043
12 November 22 at San Francisco 49ers L 7–42 6–4 Candlestick Park 66,500
13 November 28 at Minnesota Vikings W 17–14 7–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 53,030
14 December 5 at Cleveland Browns L 13–17 7–5 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 60,388
15 December 12 Los Angeles Rams L 20–23 7–6 Louisiana Superdome 69,033
16 December 20 New York Giants L 14–24 7–7 Louisiana Superdome 69,036
17 December 26 at Philadelphia Eagles L 26–37 7–8 Veterans Stadium 50,085
18 January 2, 1994 Cincinnati Bengals W 20–13 8–8 Louisiana Superdome 58,036
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at New Orleans Saints

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Week 1: Houston Oilers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 7 0 01421
Saints 3 10 61433

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Standings

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NFC West
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(2) San Francisco 49ers 10 6 0 .625 473 295 L2
New Orleans Saints 8 8 0 .500 317 343 W1
Atlanta Falcons 6 10 0 .375 316 385 L3
Los Angeles Rams 5 11 0 .313 221 367 W1

References

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  1. ^ 1993 New Orleans Saints
  2. ^ "Saints Fans Devilish in Booing QB Wilson". The Baltimore Sun. December 26, 1993. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  3. ^ Plaschke, Bill (July 7, 1993). "Toughest Test: Football Executive Jim Finks Has Always Tackled Difficult Projects, but Now Battles Lung Cancer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  4. ^ "Finks Resigns to Fight Battle With Cancer". Los Angeles Times. July 15, 1993. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  5. ^ "1993 New Orleans Saints Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2011.