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1999 New Orleans Saints season

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1999 New Orleans Saints season
OwnerTom Benson
General managerBill Kuharich
Head coachMike Ditka
Home fieldLouisiana Superdome
Results
Record3–13
Division place5th NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersT 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.

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

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NFL Draft

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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
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 5 Ricky Williams *  RB Texas from Carolina via Washington
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

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Staff

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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

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1999 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

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

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 12 Carolina Panthers W 19–10 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 58,166
2 September 19 at San Francisco 49ers L 21–28 1–1 3Com Park 67,685
3 Bye
4 October 3 at Chicago Bears L 10–14 1–2 Soldier Field 66,944
5 October 10 Atlanta Falcons L 17–20 1–3 Louisiana Superdome 57,289
6 October 17 Tennessee Titans L 21–24 1–4 Louisiana Superdome 51,875
7 October 24 at New York Giants L 3–31 1–5 Giants Stadium 77,982
8 October 31 Cleveland Browns L 16–21 1–6 Louisiana Superdome 48,817
9 November 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 16–31 1–7 Louisiana Superdome 47,129
10 November 14 San Francisco 49ers W 24–6 2–7 Louisiana Superdome 52,198
11 November 21 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 23–41 2–8 Alltel Stadium 69,772
12 November 28 at St. Louis Rams L 12–43 2–9 Trans World Dome 65,864
13 December 5 at Atlanta Falcons L 12–35 2–10 Georgia Dome 62,568
14 December 12 St. Louis Rams L 14–30 2–11 Louisiana Superdome 46,838
15 December 19 at Baltimore Ravens L 8–31 2–12 PSINet Stadium 67,597
16 December 24 Dallas Cowboys W 31–24 3–12 Louisiana Superdome 47,835
17 January 2, 2000 at Carolina Panthers L 13–45 3–13 Ericcson Stadium 56,929
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers

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Week 1: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 10 0010
Saints 7 3 9019

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

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Week 2: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 14 7021
49ers 7 7 01428

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

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Week 4: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 7 3010
Bears 0 0 01414

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

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Week 5: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 0 7620
Saints 0 17 0017

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

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Week 6: Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 0 71724
Saints 3 7 3821

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

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Week 7: New Orleans Saints at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 3 0 003
Giants 7 17 7031

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

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Week 8: Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 7 7721
Saints 7 3 3316

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

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Week 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 7 10 7731
Saints 3 3 01016

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

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Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 3 3 006
Saints 7 7 7324

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

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Week 11: New Orleans Saints at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 10 0623
Jaguars 14 3 141041

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Week 12: at St. Louis Rams

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Week 12: New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 3 9 0012
Rams 7 8 72143

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

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Week 13: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 3 3 0612
Falcons 7 14 14035

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

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Week 14: St. Louis Rams at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 7 17 3330
Saints 6 8 0014

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

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Week 15: New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 0 088
Ravens 3 14 01431

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

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Week 16: Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 17024
Saints 10 0 71431

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

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Week 17: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 0 01313
Panthers 10 7 141445

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

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NFC West
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(1) St. Louis Rams 13 3 0 .813 526 242 L1
Carolina Panthers 8 8 0 .500 421 381 W1
Atlanta Falcons 5 11 0 .313 285 380 W2
San Francisco 49ers 4 12 0 .250 295 453 L3
New Orleans Saints 3 13 0 .188 260 434 L1

Statistics

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Passing

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Player G QB Rat. Comp. Att. Pct. Yards Yards/Att. TD INT
Billy Joe Hobert 9 68.9 85 159 53.5 970 6.1 6 6
Billy Joe Tolliver 10 58.9 139 268 51.9 1916 7.1 7 16
Jake Delhomme 2 62.4 42 76 55.3 521 6.9 3 5
Danny Wuerffel 4 30.8 22 48 45.8 191 4.0 0 3

Rushing

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Player G Att. Yards Yards/Att. TD
Ricky Williams 12 253 884 3.5 2
Lamar Smith 13 60 205 3.4 0
Wilmont Perry 7 48 180 3.8 0
Troy Davis 16 20 32 1.6 0
Aaron Craver 13 17 40 2.4 0

Receiving

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Player G Rec Yards Yards/Rec TD
Eddie Kennison 16 61 835 13.7 4
Keith Poole 15 42 796 19.0 6
Andre Hastings 15 40 564 14.1 1
Ricky Williams 12 28 172 6.1 0
Cameron Cleeland 11 26 325 12.5 1
Lamar Smith 13 20 151 7.6 1
Aaron Craver 13 19 154 8.1 0
Lawrence Dawsey 10 16 196 12.3 1
Scott Slutzker 11 11 164 14.9 1
Troy Davis 16 7 53 7.6 0
Josh Wilcox 8 6 61 10.2 0
Brett Bech 8 4 65 16.3 1
Wilmont Perry 7 4 26 6.5 0
Dino Philyaw 13 2 23 11.5 0
P. J. Franklin 3 2 13 6.5 0

Kick Returns

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Player G Returns Yards Yards/Return TD
Dino Philyaw 13 53 1165 22.0 0
Troy Davis 16 20 424 21.2 0
Wilmont Perry 7 2 6 3.0 0
Lawrence Dawsey 10 1 20 20.0 0
Brett Bech 8 1 12 12.0 0
Kendall Gammon 16 1 9 9.0 0
Aaron Craver 13 1 3 3.0 0

Punt Returns

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Player G Returns Yards Yards/Return TD
Eddie Kennison 16 35 258 7.4 0

Punting

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Player G Punts Yards Yards/Punt Punts Blocked
Tommy Barnhardt 16 82 3262 39.8 0

Kicking

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Player G Extra Points Att. Extra Points Made Extra Point Pct. Field Goals Att. Field Goals Made Field Goal Pct. Total Points Scored
Doug Brien 16 20 21 95 24 29 82.8 92

Interceptions

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Player G Int Yards TD
Ashley Ambrose 16 6 27 0
Willie Clay 16 3 32 0
Keith Mitchell 16 3 22 0
Fred Weary 16 2 49 0
Mark Fields 14 2 0 0
Rob Kelly 16 1 6 0
Alex Molden 13 1 2 0
Sammy Knight 16 1 0 0

Sacks

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Player G Sacks
La'Roi Glover 16 8.5
Willie Whitehead 16 7.0
Brady Smith 16 6.0
Troy Wilson 16 5.5
Wayne Martin 16 4.5
Mark Fields 14 4.0
Keith Mitchell 16 3.5
Jared Tomich 8 3.0
Austin Robbins 14 2.0
Chris Hewitt 12 1.0

References

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