| 1996 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim Mora (resigned October 21, 2-6 record) Rick Venturi (interim; 1-7 record) |
| Offensive coordinator | Carl Smith |
| Defensive coordinator | Jim Haslett |
| Home stadium | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–13 |
| Division place | 5thNFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | TWillie Roaf |
The1996 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 30th as a member of theNational Football League. They were unable to match theirprevious 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.
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 coachRick 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. theSt. Louis Rams drew a minuscule 26,310, the lowest-attended home game in Saints history, and 3,335 fewer than a1987 game vs. the Rams played withreplacement players due to that season's strike by theNational Football League Players Association. After the season,Jim Dombrowski, who had been with the team since1986, retired.
| 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 | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL)
| Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Practice squad Reserve
52 active, 9 inactive, 3 practice squad |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1 | atSan 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 | atCincinnati 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 | atBaltimore 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 | atCarolina 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 | atAtlanta Falcons | L 15–17 | 2–9 | Georgia Dome | 43,119 | |
| 13 | November 24 | atTampa 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 | atNew York Giants | W 17–3 | 3–12 | Giants Stadium | 52,530 | |
| 17 | December 21 | atSt. Louis Rams | L 13–14 | 3–13 | Trans World Dome | 57,681 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| NFC West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
