1985 New Orleans Saints season | |
---|---|
Head Coach | Bum Phillips (weeks 1-12) (5th season) Wade Phillips (interim, weeks 13-16) |
General Manager | Bum Phillips (Since 1981) |
Home Field | Louisiana Superdome |
Results | |
Record | 5–11 |
Place | 3rd NFC West |
Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
Timeline | |
Previous season | Next season |
1984 | 1986 |
The 1985 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints 19th season.
The offseason began with rampant rumors the franchise was on its way out of town. Original owner John W. Mecom Jr. was anxious to sell the team, and he threatened to move to Jacksonville, Florida if no suitable owner could be found.
In May, local car magnate Tom Benson stepped up and pledged to meet Mecom's asking price of $70 million. Mecom and Benson sat down with Louisiana governor Edwin W. Edwards and hammered out a deal, which was finalized May 31. Prior to the sale to Benson, businessman Abram Nicholas Pritzker attempted to purchase the team, but he could not meet Mecom's asking price, and Edwards was unable to secure a loan from the Louisiana Legislature to assist Pritzker.
Benson moved training camp from Vero Beach, Florida to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. The team quickly brought in local legend and United States Football League standout Bobby Hebert to compete with Richard Todd and Dave Wilson for the starting quarterback position. Hebert won the position late in the season and started the final five games.
Coach Bum Phillips offered to resign when Benson completed his purchase, but Benson declined the offer. The season got off to a disastrous start, as the Saints were routed 47–27 at home by the Kansas City Chiefs, and an angry woman poured a cup of beer on Phillips as he exited the field. The Saints won three consecutive games following a week two loss at Denver, but the season quickly turned sour, thanks to a six-game losing streak that dropped the club to 3-8.
One day after winning at Minnesota to end the skid, Phillips resigned. His son, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, took over as interim coach for the final four games. The Saints won their first game under the younger Phillips, routing the eventual NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams 29-3, but losses to the Cardinals, 49ers and Falcons ended the year on another glum note.
The Saints finished with a non-winning record for the nineteenth time in as many seasons, going 5–11. Benson promised big changes following the campaign, which he delivered upon.
Offseason[]
NFL Draft[]
1985 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 | Alvin Toles | Linebacker | Tennessee | |
2 | 38 | Daren Gilbert | Offensive tackle | Cal State Fullerton | |
3 | 68 | Jack Del Rio * | Linebacker | USC | |
4 | 95 | Billy Allen | Defensive back | Florida State | |
7 | 179 | Eric Martin * | Wide receiver | LSU | |
8 | 206 | Joe Kohlbrand | Linebacker | Miami (FL) | |
9 | 236 | Earl Johnson | Defensive back | South Carolina | |
12 | 320 | Treg Songy | Defensive back | Tulane | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnel[]
Staff[]
1985 New Orleans Saints staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Strength and Conditioning
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Roster[]
1985 New Orleans Saints roster | |||||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
{{{reserve_lists}}}
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Regular season[]
Schedule[]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 8, 1985 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 47–27 | |
2 | September 15, 1985 | at Denver Broncos | L 34–23 | |
3 | September 22, 1985 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 20–13 | |
4 | September 29, 1985 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 20–17 | |
5 | October 6, 1985 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 23–21 | |
6 | October 13, 1985 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 23–13 | |
7 | October 20, 1985 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 31–24 | |
8 | October 27, 1985 | New York Giants | L 21–13 | |
9 | November 3, 1985 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 28–10 | |
10 | November 10, 1985 | Seattle Seahawks | L 27–3 | |
11 | November 17, 1985 | at Green Bay Packers | L 38–14 | |
12 | November 24, 1985 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 30–23 | |
13 | December 1, 1985 | Los Angeles Rams | W 29–3 | |
14 | December 8, 1985 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 28–16 | |
15 | December 15, 1985 | San Francisco 49ers | L 31–19 | |
16 | December 22, 1985 | Atlanta Falcons | L 16–10 |
Game summaries[]
Week 12[]
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- Earl Campbell 35 Rush, 160 Yds
Standings[]
NFC West | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Los Angeles Rams(2) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 8–4 | 340 | 277 | L1 |
San Francisco 49ers(5) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 411 | 263 | W2 |
New Orleans Saints | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 294 | 401 | L3 |
Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3–3 | 4–8 | 282 | 452 | W2 |
Notable events[]
On opening day, quarterback Dave Wilson set the unwanted record of completing only two of twenty-two passes: the lowest pass completion percent in an NFL game for any quarterback with a double figure total of attempts.
References[]
- ↑ "1985 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nor/1985_draft.htm. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Nov-09.
- ↑ (PDF) 2010 NFL Record and Fact Book. National Football League. p. 383. http://www.nfl.info/download/2010%20NFL%20Record%20and%20Fact%20Book.pdf. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
External links[]
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