1992 New Orleans Saints
2nd Place in NFC Western Division!
Playoff Bubble Busted
Coming off a season in which the Saints won their division for the first time in franchise history, they were looking to break new ground in 1992 as the franchise had yet to enjoy the taste of a postseason victory.
The Saints defense has been one of the league's elite units over the past five years and they continued their dominance in '92 as they allowed a team-record low 202 points during the regular season, which led the NFL. They were the only team in the league to not allow a 300 yard passing game or a 100 yards rushing game. All four starting members of the Dome Patrol linebacking corps: Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, and Pat Swilling made the Pro Bowl. Defensive end Wayne Martin came into his own as a pass rusher and led the team with 15.5 sacks. Jackson finished second with 13.5 sacks. The Saints frequently rotate their defensive linemen with Jim Wilks and Frank Warren starting and Robert Goff and Les Miller playing frequently off the bench. Cornerback Toi Cook led the team with six interceptions and Reggie Jones unseated Vince Buck as the starter opposite Cook. Free safety Gene Atkins is a solid, underrated player and strong safety Brett Maxie is a solid player, whi spent some time on the injured list.
The offense is a conservative unit that thrives on a steady diet of runs and short pass plays. Bobby Hebert returned to start all 16 games at QB after missing major chunks of the previous two seasons, which provided the offense more stability. He threw for 3,287 yards and 19 TD's and finished 6th in the NFC with an 82.9 passer rating. The running game had its struggles in '92 as none of their backs have explosiveness or an ability to excel in short yardage situations. None of their backs produced a 100 yard rushing game and rookie Vaughn Dunbar led he team with 565 rushing yards - good for 14th in the NFC. Dalton Hilliard added 445 yards and Craig "Ironhead" Heyward added 416 yards. Eric Martin was the Saints' most productive receiver with 68 receptions for 1,041 yards and 5 TD's. Hilliard was the second leading receiver coming ou of the backfield with 48 catches for 465 yards. Wide receivers Quinn Early added 30 for 566 and rookie Torrance Small caught 23 for 278. The tight ends were primarily blockers as Hoby Brenner led the tight ends with 12 catches for 161 yards. The offensive line was a solid unit with Stan Brock and Richard Cooper at tackle, Derek Kennard and Jim Dombrowski the guards, and Joel Hilgenburg at center.
Morten Andersen was the top special teams performer with 29 of 34 on field goals and 33 for 34 on extra points. His 120 points tied for the NFC lead. Punter Tommy Barnhardt finished second in the NFC in gross and net average with 44.0 and 37.7, respectively. No Saints had enough kick returns to qualify for the conference lead, but Vaughn Dunbar had 18.7 yards per return and Hilliard had 18.6 yds per runback. Patrick Newman had the lowest punt return average in the NFC among qualifiers with 6.9 yards per return.
The Saints lost a defensive struggle in Philadelphia 15-13 to start the '92 campaign. The Saints beat Chicago 28-6 in the dome followed by getting their revenge at Atlanta against the team that ended their playoff run in '91. The Saints fell 6 points short against the 49ers at home, 16-10. The Saints went from 2-2 to 7-2 after a 5-game win streak with wins over the Rams, Cardinals, Bucs, Patriots, and Lions. The Saints tried to even the season series against the Niners in San Francisco but fell a point short, 21-20. The Saints would then go on a four-game win streak with wins over the defending champion Redskins, Dolphins, Falcons, and Rams. The AFC Champion Bills came to town the following week and handed the Saints a 20-16 loss. The Saints would bounce back six days later with a 20-0 shutout of the Jets to give the Saints 12-4 record and a home Wildcard playoff game against Philly the following Sunday.
The Saints appeared to be well on their way to earning their first playoff win in team history as they had a 20-7 lead against the Eagles late in the third quarter with the league's best defense protecting that 13 point lead. However, the lead would slip away. The Eagles would add a field goal prior to the end of period 3 to cut the lead to 10. With 11 minutes to play, Randall Cunningham hooked up with Fred Barnett on a 33-yard TD to draw the Eagles to within 3. On the Saints first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive, Bobby Hebert's pass was intercepted by Seth Joyner. Joyner's interception set up Heath Sherman's 6 yard TD run to put the Eagles up by 4. When the Saints got the ball back, more adversity resulted as Bobby Hebert was sacked in the end zone by Reggie White giving the Eagles a safety and 2 more points. The Eagles got the ball back and would add a 39 yard Roger Ruzek field goal to make the score 29-20 in favor of Philly. Just 19 seconds later Eric Allen would put the puncuation mark on this game with an interception that he would return for an 18 yard score to eal the deal and deal New Orleans another disappointing playoff loss. The loss was arguably the most disappointing loss in franchise history.
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1992 Record: 12-4 (Regular Season), 0-1 (Playoffs)
Head Coach: Jim Mora
Points Scored: 330 (10th out of 28 NFL teams)
Points Allowed: 202 (1st out of 28 NFL teams)
Home Stadium: The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, LA
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1992 Results
Regular Season
Date Opponent Result
9/ 6/92 at Philadelphia L 13-15
9/13/92 Chicago W 28- 6
9/20/92 at Atlanta W 10- 7
9/27/92 San Francisco L 10-16
10/ 4/92 at Detroit W 13- 7
10/11/92 L.A. Rams W 13-10
10/18/92 at Phoenix W 30-21
10/25/92 Bye Week
11/ 1/92 Tampa Bay W 23-21
11/ 8/92 at New England W 31-14
11/15/92 at San Francisco L 20-21
11/23/92 Washington W 20- 3
11/29/92 Miami W 24-13
12/ 3/92 Atlanta W 22-14
12/13/92 at L.A. Rams W 37-14
12/20/92 Buffalo L 16-20
12/26/92 at N.Y. Jets W 20- 0
Playoffs
Round Opponent Result
NFC Wildcard Philadelphia L 20-36
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Outside Linebacker Rickey Jackson (pictured below) earned his 5th trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing second on the Saints with 13.5 QB Sacks in 1992.
Inside Linebacker Sam Mills was not given much of a chance to succeed since he was undersized, but his tackling and cover skills led him to his fourth Pro Bowl appearance in 1992.
1992 New Orleans Saints Depth Chart / Roster:
# Player Ht Wt Age Exp College Face Shape Hair Equipment
Quarterbacks
1. 3 Bobby Hebert 6-4 215 32 7 N/A 33 6 brn crop 3 bar, eye paint, wt elbowpads (turf), bk sleeves
2. 16 Mike Buck 6-3 227 25 2 Maine 30 2 blo crop 3 bar qb, wt wristbands, bk sleeves
3. 4 Steve Walsh 6-3 210 25 3 Miami 6 3 brn crop 3 bar, wt wristbands, bk sleeves, wt elbowpads (turf)
Halfbacks
1. n/a (switch position to WR - use as Turner)
2. n/a (switch position to WR - use as Newman)
3. n/a (switch position to FB)
# 21 Dalton Hilliard 5-8 204 28 6 LSU 121 2 blk fade 3 bar, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, bk gloves, bk sleeves
# 32 Vaughn Dunbar 5-10 204 24 R Indiana 185 4 blk fade 3 bar, eye paint, bk extended, wt tc elbowpads, bk gloves (grass), wt gloves (turf)
# 25 Fred McAfee (lefty) 5-10 193 24 1 N/A 72 4 blk fade 3 bar, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Fullbacks
1. n/a (switch position to HB - use as Hilliard)
2. n/a (switch position to HB - use as McAfee)
# 34 Craig Heyward 5-11 260 26 4 Pittsburgh dk skin 226 17 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, bk sleeves, bk gloves
# 23 Buford Jordan 6-0 223 30 6 McNeese St. 45 14 blk fade half cage, neck roll, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Wide Receivers
1. 84 Eric Martin 6-1 207 31 8 LSU 18 14 blk fade 3 bar, wt wristbands, bk sleeves, rubber pads (turf), bk gloves (turf)
2. 89 Quinn Early 6-0 190 27 4 Iowa 133 4 blk fade 3 bar, wt wrist double, wt gloves (grass), rubber pads (turf), bk gloves (turf)
3. 80 Wesley Carroll 6-0 183 25 1 Miami 142 2 blk flat top 3 bar, eye paint, rubber pads, bk wrist double, bk gloves, wt wristbands (turf)
4. 83 Torrance Small 6-3 201 22 R Alcorn St. 160 4 blk fade 3 bar qb, wt gloves, bk sleeves
5. n/a (switch position to HB - use as Dunbar)
# 88 Floyd Turner 5-11 188 26 3 N'western St. 63 4 blk flat top 3 bar, wt elbowpads, wt wrist double, bk sleeves, wt gloves (grass)
# 86 Patrick Newman 5-11 189 24 1 Utah State bk gloves
Tight Ends
1. 85 Hoby Brenner 6-5 245 33 11 USC 86 8 brn crop half cage, wt elbowpads, bk sleeves
2. 87 Frank Wainright 6-3 236 25 1 N. Colorado 50 15 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands, bk gloves, right rubber pad (turf), left wt tc elbowpad (turf)
3. n/a (switch position to FB - use as Heyward)
# 49 Tommie Stowers 6-3 240 26 R Missouri half cage, wt wristbands
Left Tackles
1. 71 Richard Cooper 6-5 290 28 2 Tennessee 45 15 blk flat top full cage, tc extended, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 70 Chris Port 6-5 290 25 2 Notre Dame 54 2 blk crop half cage, neck roll, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands
Left Guards
1. 72 Jim Dombrowski 6-5 298 29 6 Virginia 28 19 brn crop half cage, tc extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 68 Paul Jetton 6-4 288 28 3 Texas 55 15 brn mullet half cage, wt elbowbands, wt wristbands, fingers taped
Centers
1. 61 Joel Hilgenberg 6-2 252 30 8 Iowa 92 13 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands, fingers taped, bk sleeves, rubber pads (turf)
2. n/a (switch position to RE)
Right Guards
1. 60 Derek Kennard 6-3 300 30 6 Nevada 71 14 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt tc elbowpads (turf)
2. 65 Steve Trapilo 6-5 289 28 4 Boston Coll. 61 13 brn crop half cage, tc extended, wt wristbands
Right Tackles
1. 67 Stan Brock 6-6 278 34 12 Colorado 9 11 blo crop half cage, neck roll, wt gloves, wt elbowpads, bk sleeves
2. 74 Kevin Haverdink 6-5 285 27 3 W. Michigan 5 18 blo crop half cage, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Left Defensive Ends
1. 57 Rickey Jackson 6-2 243 34 11 Pittsburgh 142 14 blk fade (2) full cage, dk visor, bk rb gloves, bk sleeves, wt gloves (turf)
2. 91 Robert Goff 6-3 270 27 5 Auburn dk skin 258 16 blk flat top half cage, wt wristbands, fingers taped
Right Defensive Ends
1. 73 Frank Warren 6-4 290 33 11 Auburn 219 14 blk crop full cage, wt rb gloves, wt half sleeves
2. n/a (switch position to TE)
# 99 Joel Smeenge 6-5 255 24 2 W. Michigan 61 12 brn crop half cage, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands
Defensive Tackles
1. 93 Wayne Martin 6-5 275 27 3 Arkansas 248 15 blk fade full cage, neck roll, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, fingers taped (grass), bk gloves (turf)
2. 94 Jim Wilks 6-5 275 34 11 S.D. State 118 13 blk crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, bk sleeves
# 69 Les Miller 6-7 285 27 4 N/A lt skin half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, left wt elbowband (turf)
Left Outside Linebackers
1. 51 Sam Mills 5-9 225 33 6 N/A 23 11 blk buzz style 3 helmet, half cage, wt tc elbowpads (grass), wt wristbands (grass), wt rb gloves (turf)
2. 92 DeMond Winston 6-2 239 24 1 Vanderbilt blk flat top full cage, neck roll, rubber pads, wt wristbands
Middle Linebackers
1. 53 Vaughan Johnson 6-3 235 30 6 N.C. State 150 14 blk bald full cage, neck roll, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt wrist double (turf)
2. 90 James Williams 6-0 230 24 2 Miss. State 148 12 blk bald (2) style 3 helmet, half cage, neck roll, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, bk gloves
3. n/a (switch position to DT)
4. n/a (switch position to SS)
Right Outside Linebackers
1. 56 Pat Swilling 6-3 242 28 6 Georgia Tech 102 7 blk flat top style 3 helmet, full cage, eye paint, wt wristbands, bk gloves, wt sleeves, wt gloves (turf)
2. 97 Renaldo Turnbull 6-4 255 26 2 West Virginia dk skin 147 9 blk buzz half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, rubber pads (turf)
Cornerbacks
1. 41 Toi Cook 6-0 190 28 5 Stanford 71 4 blk flat top 3 bar, wt wristbands, bk gloves, bk sleeves
2. 27 Reginald Jones 6-1 202 23 1 Memphis blk buzz 3 bar qb, rubber pads, wt wristbands, bk gloves, wt sleeves, wt tc elbowpads (turf), bk sleeves (turf)
3. 37 Jimmy Spencer 6-0 196 23 R Florida 182 3 blk fade (2) 2 bar, rubber pads, bk gloves, bk sleeves
4. 26 Vince Buck 6-0 198 24 2 Central St. Ohio 109 5 blk flat top 3 bar qb, eye paint, wt wristbands, bk gloves (grass), wt gloves (turf)
5. 47 Cedric Mack 5-11 190 32 9 Baylor 140 6 blk flat top half cage, rubber pads, wt wristbands
# 43 Tyrone Legette 5-9 177 22 R Nebraska med skin 36 7 blk buzz 3 bar, wt wristbands, bk gloves, wt ankles taped
Free Safeties
1. 28 Gene Atkins 6-1 200 28 4 Florida A&M 103 3 blk fade 3 bar, eye paint, wt wrist double, wt sleeves, right wt glove (grass), tc gloves (turf)
2. 46 Sean Lumpkin 6-0 206 22 R Minnesota 211 3 blk crop 3 bar qb, qb wristbands, bk gloves, rubber pads (turf)
Strong Safeties
1. 39 Brett Maxie 6-2 194 30 5 Texas South. 152 6 blk flat top full cage, eye paint, wt wristbands, wt gloves, rubber pads (turf), bk gloves (turf)
2. 29 Keith Taylor 5-11 206 28 5 Iliinois 208 8 blk flat top full cage, rubber pads, qb wristbands, wt gloves
3. n/a (switch position to CB)
# 44 Antonio Gibson 6-2 210 30 4 Cincinnati dk skin 58 5 blk flat top 3 bar qb, wt wrist double, fingers taped
Kicker
1. 7 Morten Andersen (lefty) 6-2 221 32 10 Michigan St. 3 7 blo mull 2 bar (thin), bk sleeves
Punter
1. 6 Tommy Barnhardt 6-2 207 29 5 N. Carolina 49 3 brn crop 2 bar, wt sleeves (grass), bk sleeves (turf)
Players Not Included
# 19 Marcus Dowdell WR 5-10 179 22 R Tennessee St. dk skin blk bald 3 bar, bk gloves, wt sleeves (grass), bk sleeves (turf)
# 63 Karl Dunbar RE 6-4 275 24 R LSU dk skin blk fade half cage, wt wristbands
# 81 Louis Lipps WR 5-10 193 30 8 Southern Miss. dk skin 3 bar, wt wristbands
# 76 Gene McGuire C 6-2 284 22 R Notre Dame lt skin 59 17 brn crop
# 82 John Tice TE 6-5 249 32 9 Maryland lt skin 73 12 brn crop half cage, wt elbowpads, bk sleeves
Player Ratings spd-str-awr-agi-acc-cth-car-jmp-btk-tkl-tpw-tac-pbk-rbk-kpw-kac-ret-stm-inj-tgh
B. Hebert 63-59-85-66-62-58-54-57-50-22-88-86-24-26-29-22-0-83-72-76
M. Buck 52-64-64-62-59-27-53-47-41-22-93-84-23-26-32-23-0-78-79-68
S. Walsh 46-49-78-58-58-23-47-51-36-28-79-86-21-24-23-18-0-85-83-65
D. Hilliard 87-70-82-87-85-85-74-57-82-22-52-48-34-38-27-22-65-79-85-72
V. Dunbar 86-69-59-81-88-68-84-63-86-24-36-27-31-30-32-22-65-78-85-69
F. McAfee 93-57-54-87-92-65-74-82-77-26-15-15-35-40-10-10-78-79-70-67
C. Heyward 78-79-76-70-84-70-70-44-80-25-65-38-65-72-37-21-10-83-81-87
B. Jordan 74-74-75-70-79-68-70-56-74-27-27-24-54-48-26-22-10-74-64-76
E. Martin 93-69-88-92-92-88-76-79-76-24-34-26-30-37-28-22-56-89-88-77
Q. Early 92-61-76-97-94-83-80-81-73-24-25-24-26-31-25-22-53-83-77-74
W. Carroll 90-59-65-87-96-80-70-83-65-21-25-21-22-24-23-21-10-82-78-73
T. Small 85-66-55-86-87-86-81-73-68-23-32-22-27-32-29-24-10-85-85-72
F. Turner 90-63-70-84-89-91-73-83-67-22-30-23-24-26-29-24-59-81-68-72
P. Newman 88-54-58-88-87-76-74-80-61-20-27-24-22-23-25-22-64-77-72-65
H. Brenner 72-70-84-71-67-76-76-58-66-22-27-25-60-60-26-24-8-77-72-75
Wainright 74-69-58-73-70-68-64-59-64-24-26-21-62-56-26-21-8-77-73-81
Stowers 64-73-52-59-70-57-52-55-62-27-34-26-62-52-26-23-8-76-79-83
R. Cooper 62-92-70-58-74-24-22-58-26-23-31-20-87-88-33-28-0-71-71-77
C. Port 56-88-65-55-63-22-20-53-29-24-34-26-77-87-29-21-0-66-68-72
J. Dombrowski 62-94-90-61-67-23-21-51-34-23-29-20-88-86-28-23-0-64-86-69
Jetton 56-86-73-56-64-19-22-45-27-24-26-22-81-85-23-21-0-66-64-68
J. Hilgenburg 46-80-89-44-54-20-18-45-30-26-26-21-91-87-28-25-0-63-78-76
D. Kennard 49-95-82-46-65-31-24-46-28-26-35-19-89-89-27-21-0-64-84-80
Trapilo 50-88-78-46-67-20-18-41-27-24-34-20-75-79-29-17-0-60-68-72
S. Brock 62-93-92-60-71-31-30-49-27-24-33-20-90-92-26-22-0-73-86-87
Haverdink 65-86-68-67-64-21-19-56-26-22-26-22-81-84-24-22-0-68-63-73
R. Jackson 85-83-95-83-83-38-36-49-28-93-26-22-28-52-29-22-0-84-93-86
R. Goff 70-85-70-75-70-20-19-51-29-75-25-22-26-37-30-22-0-76-77-83
F. Warren 70-91-92-69-69-25-27-57-27-79-26-24-24-29-29-10-0-78-80-83
W. Martin 79-92-76-78-77-26-24-53-30-94-26-24-25-30-27-22-0-83-88-73
J. Wilks 55-85-85-60-72-18-18-59-31-87-31-27-26-36-33-22-0-77-72-83
L. Miller 66-81-67-74-65-23-21-48-26-75-27-26-23-27-25-23-0-77-76-74
R. Turnbull 85-77-70-84-76-37-40-58-29-80-27-22-25-41-27-23-0-83-83-82
S. Mills 79-83-95-80-82-45-43-48-32-97-32-26-29-51-33-21-0-89-93-87
V. Johnson 75-81-91-80-77-43-40-47-28-95-30-22-26-47-32-21-0-79-81-78
J. Williams 71-76-57-70-75-41-38-56-30-84-24-19-28-51-27-18-0-78-84-76
D. Winston 72-75-55-71-76-37-41-46-29-85-27-23-27-50-33-20-0-74-67-72
P. Swilling 85-87-88-85-89-43-48-63-32-87-28-25-25-42-28-25-0-91-84-76
Smeenge 70-78-61-72-71-32-33-55-32-81-27-18-22-26-29-17-0-77-78-72
T. Cook 94-61-86-92-92-60-43-79-28-78-27-23-18-24-24-19-10-88-81-82
R. Jones 93-57-64-93-94-56-45-76-27-74-24-23-17-24-26-21-10-78-73-71
V. Buck 90-63-65-88-91-58-48-77-47-75-25-24-21-25-27-22-69-79-83-81
J. Spencer 90-52-56-94-89-63-51-87-26-54-18-21-15-19-21-18-10-84-83-74
C. Mack 87-55-81-88-86-60-58-73-39-58-26-22-21-23-25-22-10-77-76-65
T. Legette 89-55-52-86-92-53-41-85-26-49-23-22-15-22-23-17-10-76-79-65
G. Atkins 88-56-85-90-86-57-48-76-38-91-27-25-20-24-27-21-63-85-87-78
Lumpkin 85-62-56-82-86-52-43-75-29-83-26-21-21-24-28-21-10-82-76-68
B. Maxie 86-55-84-88-84-53-47-75-27-76-23-22-17-22-22-22-10-84-69-72
K. Taylor 85-56-74-84-86-64-54-74-31-78-27-23-19-28-27-20-10-78-80-74
A. Gibson 83-56-67-84-82-52-45-65-29-78-27-23-23-27-27-22-10-79-60-67
M. Andersen 45-42-92-45-44-28-34-41-17-22-17-20-20-18-98-96-0-72-76-41
Barnhardt 53-39-79-49-52-36-36-48-24-21-28-24-15-19-91-82-0-58-78-49
Wide Receiver Eric Martin led the Saints once again in receptions (68) and receiving yards (1,041) in 1992.
Kicker Morten Andersen continued to be the Saints' top offensive weapon in 1992 as his very strong leg produced 29 field goals and a team leading 120 points.
1992 New Orleans Saints Individual Leaders
Passing: Bobby Hebert, 3287 yds., 59.0 comp. pct, 16 TDs, 82.9 rating
Rushing: Vaughn Dunbar, 565 yds., 3 TDs, 3.7 yds./carry
Receiving: Eric Martin, 68 rec., 1041 yds., 5 TDs
Touchdowns: Dalton Hilliard, 7 (3 rush., 4 rec.)
QB Sacks: Wayne Martin, 15.5
Interceptions: Toi Cook, 6 int., 90 yds., 1 TDs
Scoring: Morten Andersen, 120 pts. (29 FG’s, 33 PAT’s)
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1992 NFC WEST STANDINGS
1st Place – San Francisco (14-2)
2nd Place – New Orleans (12-4)
3rd Place – Atlanta (6-10)
4th Place – L.A. Rams (6-10)
Quarterback Bobby Hebert played his first full season since 1989 and completed 59% of his passes and accumulated an 81.9 passer rating in 1992.
Please check out more old-time NFL teams from the 1950's to today on these sites:
www.vintagenfl.freeservers.com
www.classicnfl.freeservers.com