1996 New Orleans Saints season

The 1996 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 30th as a member of the National Football League. They were unable to match their previous season's output of 7–9 and finished with the second-worst sixteen-game record in franchise history at 3–13.^[1] The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

1996 New Orleans Saints season
Head coach	Jim Mora Rick Venturi (interim)
Home field	Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record	3–13
Division place	5th NFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	T Willie Roaf
← 1995 Saints seasons 1997 →

Jim Mora, who had been the team's head coach since 1986, resigned from his position after eight games with a 2–6 record to that point and was replaced by linebackers coach Rick Venturi, who went 1–7 to close the season. Mora's resignation came one day after the Saints lost to the Carolina Panthers, where he ripped into his team's performance during the game, calling it “horseshit” and “embarrassing” and saying the Saints could not do “diddley poo” offensively.^[2]

The week 14 game vs. the St. Louis Rams drew a minuscule 26,310, the lowest-attended home game in Saints history, and 3,335 fewer than a 1987 game vs. the Rams played with replacement players due to that season's strike by the National Football League Players Association.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1996 NFL draft

1996 New Orleans Saints draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	11	Alex Molden	Cornerback	Oregon
2	40	Je'Rod Cherry	Defensive back	California
3	70	Brady Smith	Defensive end	Colorado State
4	103	Ricky Whittle	Running back	Oregon
5	136	Mercury Hayes	Wide receiver	Michigan
5	145	Tom Ackerman	Guard	Eastern Washington
5	165	Terry Guess	Wide receiver	Gardner–Webb
6	179	Keno Hills	Guard	Louisiana–Lafayette
6	204	Toderick Malone	Wide receiver	Alabama
7	246	Henry Lusk	Tight end	Utah
Made roster

^[3]

Personnel

Staff

1996 New Orleans Saints staff

Front office Owner – Tom Benson Executive vice-president/general manager – Bill Kuharich Director of pro personnel – Chet Franklin Director of college scouting – Bruce Lemmerman Head coaches Head coach – Jim E. Mora (resigned October 21) Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Carl Smith Running backs – Dave Atkins Wide receivers – Steve Walters Tight ends – Bruce Arians Offensive line – John Matsko Offensive assistant – Jeff Davidson

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Jim Haslett Defensive line – Wayne Nunnely Linebackers – Rick Venturi (elevated to interim head coach October 21) Defensive backs – Jim L. Mora Defensive assistant – John Pagano Special teams coaches Special teams – Bobby April Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Russell Paternostro Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Glenn Mayeaux

^[4]

Roster

1996 New Orleans Saints roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 17 Jim Everett 14 Tommy Hodson 13 Doug Nussmeier Running backs (RB) 24 Mario Bates 20 Derek Brown 32 Earnest Hunter 22 Lorenzo Neal 23 Ricky Whittle Wide receivers (WR) 19 Brett Bech 87 Lee DeRamus 18 Terry Guess 89 Mercury Hayes 81 Michael Haynes 83 Torrance Small Tight ends (TE) 85 Paul Green 86 Tony Johnson 88 Henry Lusk

Offensive linemen (OL) 69 Tom Ackerman C/G 76 Keno Hills T 74 Clarence Jones T 61 Ed King G 67 Andy McCollum C 60 Craig Novitsky G 77 Willie Roaf T 66 Mike Verstegen G/T 63 Donald Willis G Defensive linemen (DL) 94 Joe Johnson DE/DT 93 Wayne Martin DT 92 Darren Mickell DE 75 Emile Palmer DT 95 Austin Robbins DT 91 Brady Smith DE 97 Renaldo Turnbull DE

Linebackers (LB) 53 Don Davis OLB 56 Ernest Dixon OLB 55 Mark Fields OLB 52 Richard Harvey OLB 58 Brian Jones MLB 59 Rufus Porter OLB 54 Winfred Tubbs MLB Defensive backs (DB) 21 Eric Allen CB 37 Je'Rod Cherry FS 28 Derrick Hoskins SS 33 Tyrone Hughes 47 Greg Jackson FS 29 Mark McMillian CB 25 Alex Molden CB 30 Anthony Newman SS 41 William Strong CB Special teams 10 Doug Brien K 62 Kendall Gammon LS  4 Klaus Wilmsmeyer P

Practice squad 98 Herb Coleman DE 40 Don Esposito RB 64 Kevin Farkas T 52 active, 9 inactive, 3 practice squad Reserve 99 Willie Broughton DT (IR) 45 Israel Byrd CB (NF-Inj.) 72 Jim Dombrowski G (IR) 80 Haywood Jeffires WR (IR) 46 Sean Lumpkin FS (IR) 84 Steve Rhem WR (IR) 82 Irv Smith TE (IR) 71 Fred Stokes DE (IR) 34 Ray Zellars FB (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 1	at San Francisco 49ers	L 11–27	0–1	3Com Park	63,970
2	September 8	Carolina Panthers	L 20–22	0–2	Louisiana Superdome	43,288
3	September 15	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 15–30	0–3	Cinergy Field	45,412
4	September 22	Arizona Cardinals	L 14–28	0–4	Louisiana Superdome	34,316
5	September 29	at Baltimore Ravens	L 10–17	0–5	Memorial Stadium	61,063
6	October 6	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 17–13	1–5	Louisiana Superdome	34,231
7	October 13	Chicago Bears	W 27–24	2–5	Louisiana Superdome	43,512
8	October 20	at Carolina Panthers	L 7–19	2–6	Ericsson Stadium	70,888
9	Bye
10	November 3	San Francisco 49ers	L 17–24	2–7	Louisiana Superdome	53,297
11	November 10	Houston Oilers	L 14–31	2–8	Louisiana Superdome	34,121
12	November 17	at Atlanta Falcons	L 15–17	2–9	Georgia Dome	43,119
13	November 24	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 7–13	2–10	Houlihan's Stadium	40,203
14	December 1	St. Louis Rams	L 10–26	2–11	Louisiana Superdome	26,310
15	December 8	Atlanta Falcons	L 15–31	2–12	Louisiana Superdome	32,923
16	December 15	at New York Giants	W 17–3	3–12	Giants Stadium	52,530
17	December 21	at St. Louis Rams	L 13–14	3–13	Trans World Dome	57,681
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(2) Carolina Panthers	12	4	0	.750	367	218	W7
(4) San Francisco 49ers	12	4	0	.750	398	257	W2
St. Louis Rams	6	10	0	.375	303	409	W2
Atlanta Falcons	3	13	0	.188	309	461	L2
New Orleans Saints	3	13	0	.188	229	339	L1

References

1. "1996 New Orleans Saints Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
2. Todd Williams (March 22, 2008). "Saints v Panthers hightlights Mora's rant (full version)" – via YouTube.
3. "1996 New Orleans Saints Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
4. "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2011.