1993 New Orleans Saints season

1993 New Orleans Saints season
General manager	Jim Finks (resigned July 14) Jim Miller
Head coach	Jim Mora
Home field	Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	2nd NFC West
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1993 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 27th as a member of the National Football League (NFL). They were unable to match their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games, despite starting the season 5–0. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Quarterback Bobby Hebert, who was the Saints' starter from late 1985 through 1992, save for a season-long holdout in 1990, signed as a free agent with the division rival Atlanta Falcons. Wade Wilson, who had fallen out of favor with the Minnesota Vikings after the hiring of coach Dennis Green in 1992, was signed as Hebert's replacement.

During a loss to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, fans in the Louisiana Superdome let out a sarcastic cheer when Wilson was injured. The incident enraged coach Jim Mora, who let loose with a tirade during his post-game press conference.

Offseason

Organizational changes

Jim Finks, the club's president and general manager since January 1986, was diagnosed with lung cancer in April. He was limited to consulting with team officials by telephone since undergoing chemotherapy. During his absence, most of Finks' day-to-day duties were handled by vice president of administration Jim Miller. On July 14, Finks resigned from all his duties to concentrate on the treatment of his illness.

NFL Draft

Main article: 1993 NFL Draft

1993 New Orleans Saints draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	8	Willie Roaf * †	Offensive tackle	Louisiana Tech
1	20	Irv Smith	Tight end	Notre Dame
2	53	Reggie Freeman	Linebacker	Florida State
4	89	Lorenzo Neal *	Fullback	Fresno State
4	109	Derek Brown	Running back	Nebraska
5	137	Tyrone Hughes *	Cornerback	Nebraska
6	165	Ronnie Dixon	Defensive tackle	Cincinnati
7	193	Othello Henderson	Defensive back	UCLA
8	221	Jon Kirksey	Defensive tackle	Sacramento State
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1993 New Orleans Saints staff

Front office Owner/General Partner – Tom Benson Vice President of Administration – Jim Miller Director of Player Personnel – Bill Kuharich Head coaches Head Coach – Jim E. Mora Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Carl Smith Running Backs – Jim Skipper Wide Receivers – Steve Walters Tight Ends – Joe Marciano Offensive Line – Paul Boudreau

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers – Steve Sidwell Defensive Line – John Pease Outside Linebackers – Vic Fangio Defensive Backs – Jim L. Mora Special teams coaches Special Teams – Joe Marciano Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Russell Paternostro

Roster

1993 New Orleans Saints roster

Quarterbacks (QB)  4 Steve Walsh 18 Wade Wilson Running backs (RB) 24 Derek Brown 21 Dalton Hilliard 25 Fred McAfee 22 Brad Muster FB 36 Derrick Ned FB Wide receivers (WR) 89 Quinn Early 84 Eric Martin 86 Pat Newman 83 Torrance Small 88 Floyd Turner Tight ends (TE) 85 Hoby Brenner 82 Irv Smith

Offensive linemen (OL) 71 Richard Cooper T 72 Jim Dombrowski G 62 Jay Hilgenberg C 61 Joel Hilgenberg C 70 Chris Port G 77 Willie Roaf T Defensive linemen (DL) 63 Karl Dunbar DE 91 Robert Goff NT 93 Wayne Martin DE 69 Les Miller DE 99 Joel Smeenge DE 94 Jim Wilks NT

Linebackers (LB) 55 Reggie Freeman OLB 57 Rickey Jackson OLB 53 Vaughan Johnson ILB 51 Sam Mills ILB 97 Renaldo Turnbull OLB 90 James Williams ILB 92 DeMond Winston ILB Defensive backs (DB) {{{defensive_back}}} Special teams  7 Morten Andersen K  6 Tommy Barnhardt P

Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 5, 1993	Houston Oilers	W 33–21	69,029
2	September 12, 1993	at Atlanta Falcons	W 34–31	64,287
3	September 19, 1993	Detroit Lions	W 14–3	69,039
4	September 26, 1993	San Francisco 49ers	W 16–13	69,041
5	October 3, 1993	at Los Angeles Rams	W 37–6	50,709
6	Bye
7	October 17, 1993	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 37–14	56,056
8	October 24, 1993	Atlanta Falcons	L 26–15	69,043
9	October 31, 1993	at Phoenix Cardinals	W 20–17	36,778
10	Bye
11	November 14, 1993	Green Bay Packers	L 19–17	69,043
12	November 22, 1993	at San Francisco 49ers	L 42–7	66,500
13	November 28, 1993	at Minnesota Vikings	W 17–14	53,030
14	December 5, 1993	at Cleveland Browns	L 17–13	60,388
15	December 12, 1993	Los Angeles Rams	L 23–20	69,033
16	December 20, 1993	New York Giants	L 24–14	69,036
17	December 26, 1993	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 37–26	50,085
18	January 2, 1994	Cincinnati Bengals	W 20–13	58,036

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(2) San Francisco 49ers	10	6	0	.625	473	295	L2
New Orleans Saints	8	8	0	.500	317	343	W1
Atlanta Falcons	6	10	0	.375	316	385	L3
Los Angeles Rams	5	11	0	.313	221	367	W1