*** 'Twas the day before Christmas/and all through Mile High/not a team could
make playoffs/but still they did try ***

The Saints ended the season on a winning note with an exciting victory over the
Broncos.  Huge days by Torrance Small & Jim Everett and a bunch of Denver
turnovers allowed each team to finish at 7-9.  About nine years ago I attended
Wade Phillips' first game as head coach (a blowout win over the Rams- I
remember a spectacular TD catch by Eric Martin and Phillips' ugly tan
corduroy-looking suit).  The Christmas Eve contest may have been his last
(at least for a while).  John Elway didn't play.

The game started with Bronco LB Richard Harvey tackling Tyrone Hughes' head
on the opening kickoff.  The teams traded 3 & punt series.  Everett completed
two passes to Quinn Early and one to Michael Haynes to move the team into
Bronco territory.  On 1st & 10 from the 42, the QB overthrew an open Early
on what would've been a TD route- maybe the thin (but not too cold, luckily)
air was a factor.  The team wound up punting (for a touchback).

Denver drove to near midfield, but had to punt (Hughes was tackled at the 10).
The Saints went 3 & punt again (Milburn returned the kick to the NO 47).
Three runs by Clark and a quick slant to Miller moved the Broncos to the 18,
but third down pressure from Vince Buck forced a 32 yard Elam FG.

The Saints responded with a FG drive of their own.  It began with an 8 yard
catch by Irv Smith, a 10 yard catch by Early, and a 9 yard catch by Smith to
move the ball to midfield.  A generous pass interfernce call on a Haynes
deep route put the ball at the 17.  Mario Bates was stuffed on 3rd & 1 from
the 8, so Morten Andersen came on to make a 27 yard FG with 9:56 left before
the half.

After a 3 & punt Denver series, the Saints embarked on a TD drive with two
catches by Brad Muster (!) for 26 yards to the Bronco 35.  Denver kept the
drive alive with a high hit on Everett on 3rd & 2 from the 27.  One play
later, Chad hit a wide-open Haynes on a sprint-out for an eight yard TD.

A sack by Wayne Martin on 2nd down forced another quick Bronco punt, but
the kick went further than Hughes expected, and his over-the-shoulder catch
attempt was ill-fated.  Denver recovered at the NO 22.  The defense prevented
a TD when good coverage allowed Renaldo Turnbull & Darrion Conner to sack
Millen on 3rd & goal from the 4.  Elam's 29 yard FG attempt hit the left
upright and went through with 1:45 showing on the clock.

*** When out on the field there arose such a clatter/I sprang from my sofa to
see what was the matter/Away to the endzone he flew like a flash/Torr' opened
the defense- "Jim threw and I catched" ***

The Saints moved quickly from their own 17 with a 12 yard Derek Brown run,
a 5 yard Brown catch, and a catch by Small to midfield.  After another Brown
catch moved the ball to the 36, Small caught a pass over the middle and 
sliced through the secondary with surprising speed for a TD to make the
halftime score 17-6 Saints.

Denver couldn't do much with their first possession of the second half, but
an illegal block on the ensuing punt put the Saints back at their own 14.
Another Everett to Small connection solved the field position problem, as
the WR ran all the way to the Denver 30 after catching a short slant on the
Saints' first second-half play.  Unfortunately, the team couldn't pick up
another 1st, and Morten's 44 yard FG attempt was blocked.

The Broncos started moving- Clark 3 run, Clark 7 catch, Rivers 5 catch, 
Clark 6 run.  On the next play Millen somehow got out of Frank Warren's grasp
to scramble for 8 yards.  Clark ran for 4 more on the following play, but
Denver was to penetrate no farther- Turnbull sacked the QB on 1st, Vinnie
Clark forced a no-gain screen pass on 2nd, and Martin sacked the QB on 3rd.
The punt went into the endzone.

The offense again couldn't get a 1st.  Millen went to the second option on a
flea flicker to reach the NO 40 on the first play of Denver's drive.  After
two incompletions, Russell caught a ball for 13.  Milburn ran for 20 on the
next play, and two Clark runs were good for a TD.  Turnbull deflected Denver's
shovel pass 2-point conversion attempt, but Sharpe caught it anyway to bring
the Broncos within 3.

*** Now rushers!, now sackers!, now Spencer!, now Dixon!/On Warren!, on
Lumpkin!, on Conner!- let's blitz 'em! ***

Actually, it was the Broncos doing most of the blitzing on Saturday (to
make up for their poor pass defense).  The strategy came back to haunt them,
as Everett hit Small with a quick one that turned into a big play (again).
The WR outran the Orange Slush defense for a 75 yard TD.  Everett reinjured
his elbow on the play (nothing major) and sat out the fourth quarter.

Denver matched the Saints' score with a nice TD drive.  Starting from their
37, Russell caught a 2nd down pass to pick up 19 to the NO 44.  A 4 yard
Milburn catch and a 6 yard Rivers catch moved the sticks.  One play later
Miller caught one for 13.  Following a 2 yard Rivers run, Sharpe took a pass
down to the one-inch line.  Clark dove over on the next play to return the
margin to three.

Mookie Mitchell (in for a banged-up Hughes) had his head tackled by Richard
Harvey on the ensuing kickoff.  Wade Wilson moved the team to the Denver 37
with 4 consecutive successful plays- Bates 7 run, Smith 16 catch, Brown 10
run, Small 10 catch.  Two holding penalties in a row and a sack killed the
drive, however.  Milburn was only able to return Tommy Barnhardt's punt to
the Bronco 12.

The offense got the ball back immediately when Carl Lee picked off a pass
deflected at the line by Conner.  The O couldn't get a TD, though, and
Morten's 33 yard attempt was blocked.  The Broncos seemed determined to give
the game to the Saints, however.  Milburn dropped the handoff on Denver's
next play from scrimmage, and Joe Johnson fell on the ball at the Bronco 24.
Once again the offense couldn't get a TD in the red zone.  Andersen made a
38 yarder with 5:45 remaining to give the Saints a 6 point edge.

*** As he drew in his head/and was turning around/(unlike Jimmy) Saint Vinnie
Clark came down in bounds ***

Denver moved to their own 41 before Vinnie Clark's great coverage of Miller
resulted in an interception of a deep pass (he returned it from the 5 to the
36).  A 4 yard Muster catch and a Wilson scramble put the Saints near midfield.
On 3rd & 11, the Broncos helped the Saints again by committing a defensive
holding penalty.  Four consecutive runs by Derek Brown set up a 41 yard FG
by Andersen, which was ruled good (but was very close to being a miss).

Long completions to Tillman and Miller allowed Millen to complete a desperation
TD pass to Sharpe on 4th & goal from the NO 6 (the QB was being dragged down
as he threw it) with :44 left.  Muster clinched the win by cleanly catching
the Broncos' onside kick.

I'll post a 1994 wrap-up and a 1995 preview soon.


key stats: Everett 23-27-343, 3 TD (in 3 quarters)
           Small 6-200, 2 TD


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Frank Serpas III    serpas@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu