Saints 1993 review

I'll admit I had one foot on the magic carpet after the 5-0 start, but
in the end my preseason projections were pretty accurate.  I was a little
too optimistic (I said 10-6, wildcard) but many of my predictions were
on target (the following are paraphrases of my predictions):

* The defense will survive the loss of Pat Swilling.

It's true that the defense was down this year, but it wasn't because
Swilling is gone (Renaldo Turnbull will start in front of him in the Pro
Bowl).  Most of the defensive problems can be traced to injuries.  Anyway,
approximately one-fifth of the points the team gave up came on
returns of fumbles, interceptions, and kicks for touchdowns.


* Vaughn Dunbar's injury will not hurt the running game.

I don't think he would have done any better than Derek Brown did.


* I strongly believe that the Saints' best shot at making postseason noise
  passed in 1992 and that their window of opportunity is closing.

I think most observers agree that the team is on the way down.  Of course
it's way to early to make predictions about 1994, but there could be
serious trouble down the road if the Saints make some bad decisions.


* I like the Saints' draft choices very much.

Here are my grades:

Tyrone Hughes: A+    The first return threat since Mel Gray.  Pro Bowler.
William Roaf:  A     Did a great job on the offensive line.
Irv Smith:     B+    After a slow start, appears ready to take over for Hoby.
Derek Brown:   B     Did a fine job.
Lorenzo Neal:  I     Looked very promising, but not enough there to evaluate.

There's also Othella Henderson and Reggie Freeman.  They saw special teams
action and will be quality backups, at the least.


* I don't see any way that the team will be better at QB this year.

Here's the biggie.  This is what I singled out as the reason why the team
would drop a notch from their 12-4 effort in 1992.  I was an Hebert supporter,
but his clutch-time chokes prevented me from complaining too loudly when
the team let him go.  Unfortunately, the QB of the future is not currently 
on the Saints' roster.


A look to the future...............

Like all NFL teams, the Saints will be busy dealing with free agency.
Here's the list of our free agents ("*" means the Saints get to match offers):

Gene Atkins
Toi Cook
Jay Hilgenberg
Joel Hilgenberg
Dalton Hilliard
Rickey Jackson 
Derek Kennard
Brett Maxie
Fred McAfee *
Sam Mills
Chris Port *
Tommie Stowers *
Keith Taylor
Renaldo Turnbull
Floyd Turner
Frank Warren
Jim Wilks
James Williams
DeMond Winston

Note that just about all the linebackers are FAs.  Rickey claims he's 
leaving, but a lot of people think he's just blowing smoke.  I hope 
Tom Benson gives him the respect he deserves and resigns him.  Winston
will probably pull a James Haynes and leave for a team with less talented
LBs.  Turner seems like he wants to leave.


The Saints' draft position is #12.  Free agency makes it too early to
tell what positions they should look for.


Here are their 1994 opponents:

Home             Away

Falcons          Falcons 
49ers            49ers
Rams             Rams
Cowboys          Bears
Giants           Buccaneers
Redskins         Raiders
Chargers         Broncos
Chiefs           Vikings


It's going to be an interesting off-season.


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Frank Serpas III