The Saints earned a much-needed victory in a bizarre, exciting game.  Tyrone
Hughes (starting at cornerback for the first time in his career) had an
incredible day- 2 long kickoff returns for TDs & an interception.  Jim Everett
played well against his former team.  The D did its part by containing Jerome
Bettis.  Though the margin of victory should've been greater, IMO any sort of
win was an acceptable way to close out the first half of the season.


The Saints started the game at their own 23, with Craig Novitsky in at center
for the injured Jeff Uhlenhake.  Derek Brown began things with a 5 yard run.
He was stopped for a one yard loss on the next play, but that was to be the
only unsuccessful play of the drive.  Everett picked up the 3rd down conversion
by hitting Torrance Small down the middle for 17 yards.  After another 5 yard
Brown run, Early caught a ball at the LA 40.  On the next play, Michael Haynes
took a reverse for a gain of a dozen yards (with a fired-up Everett leading the
blockers downfield).  The next play was a fake reverse that ended with a throw
to Haynes at the 8.  Brown got 5 more on the next play, then ran it in from
3 yards out for an easy TD (thanks to good blocking).

The Saints' coverage team pulled the ball free from Todd Kinchen's grasp on the
ensuing kickoff, but the Rams recovered at the 19.  There were plenty of
defensive replacements for the Saints this week (the result of a combination of
injuries and strategic moves).  In addition to CB Hughes (Tyrone Leggette/
Carl Lee), there were DE Les Miller (Joe Johnson), OLB Ernest Dixon (Darrion
Conner), and ILB Winfred Tubbs (James Williams).  The Rams began with two
Bettis runs for 8 yards, but good coverage by Vince Buck on an unsuccessful
3rd down pass forced a punt.  Hughes returned it to the NO 44, but a block in 
the back by Israel Byrd (recently activated from the practice squad) moved the
ball back to the 23.

The O picked up where it left off.  The start of the series was like deja vu-
two runs by Brown (the first one for a gain, the second for a loss) set up a
3rd & 4, and Everett picked up the 1st with a throw (this time to Quinn Early
for 10).  Mario Bates (back for the first time since his unfortunate incident
in Club 57) provided more of the same (a successful 1st down run and an
unsuccessful 2nd down run), and Everett came through on 3rd down again, this
time hitting Haynes on a crossing route.  Everett evaded a Ram rusher to hit
Irv Smith for 5.  A 2 yard run by Bates set up yet another 3rd down situation,
and Everett came through once more by throwing for 8 to Wesley Walls.  Everett
went back to a wide-open Walls down the middle on the next play, and the TE ran
the ball into the endzone.  With 2:04 remaining in the first quarter, Everett
was perfect and the Saints were up 14-0.

Los Angeles quickly responded with a touchdown of their own.  Kinchen (who had
a good game returning kicks but was overshadowed by Hughes) ran the ensuing
kickoff to almost midfield.  Miller threw to Anderson at the NO 30 on the first
play of the drive.  Griffith caught a 7 yard play action pass in the flat on
the next play, and consecutive 2 yard runs by Bettis gave LA a 1st at the 19.
On the next play, Bruce caught a pass and took it into the endzone.

The first play of the Saints' next drive was a 2 yard run by Brown to the 27.
Everett threw his first incomplete pass of the game on the next play, but that
was a shame because Haynes was running a deep route and had a step on the
defender (the ball was underthrown).  The QB bounced back by picking up another
3rd down conversion with a 13 yard strike to Small.  Two Brown runs were good
for 6 yards, but intended receiver Small fell down on 3rd down and the pass
fell incomplete.  Tommy Barnhardt hit a good punt, which was fair-caught at
the nine yard line.

The O got the ball back immediately when Miller's 1st down pass went through
Bettis' hands and into Hughes' at the 12.  A two yard Bates run, a 5 yard
blitz-beater to Haynes, and a 2 yard Brown run set up 4th & 1 at the 3.  Mora
elected to go for the FG, and Morten Andersen put it through from 21 yards out.

Andersen's skidding kickoff appeared to go out of bounds at the 1, but the
officials apparently ruled it as a touchback (the ball was placed at the 20).
Bettis ran for 3 on 1st down.  On 2nd down, Miller threw the ball right at
Jimmy Spencer, who intercepted it at the LA 32.  The Saints went for a score
right away.  Haynes dropped a pass in the endzone, but a defensive pass
interference call put the ball at the one.  The team went to a 2 FB set in an
attempt to power the ball into the endzone (Derrick Ned leading the way for
Lorenzo Neal), but the 1st down run was unsuccessful.  The Saints tried the
same play on 2nd down, with disastrous consequences.  Though it appeared Neal
was simply stopped for a loss on the play, Wright scooped up the ball and ran
98 yards for a Ram TD.  The replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball
was loose before Neal was down, but it sure felt bogus.  Instead of being up
by 17, the Saints led by only 3.

Hughes quickly changed the mood of the crowd by taking the ensuing kickoff 92
yards for a TD.  For the last half of the run, James Williams served as Hughes'
personal guard by sustaining a long block.

The Rams began the next series at their own 37.  Consecutive catches by Bruce
(of 8 & 17 yards) moved LA into Saint territory.  On 3rd & 12 from the 40,
Miller scrambled for 9 yards to set up a 47 yard FG, which was good.

The Saint O failed to pick up a first down on the next series (Brown dropped
a 3rd down pass that would've moved the chains), but Barnhardt's punt backed
the Rams up to their own 17.  A Bettis screen moved the ball to the 29, but
two 10 yard penalties in a row against Los Angeles moved the visitors backward.
The Rams didn't make a serious effort to pick up a first down, and the Saints
used their timeouts to set up a drive before the end of the half.  Hughes
returned the punt 20 yards to midfield to give the O possession with 48 seconds
to go.  A middle screen to Brown picked up 13 yards.  A 3rd down facemask call
against the Rams kept the ball moving.  Following a 9 yard catch by Early,
Andersen nailed a 40 yard FG just before the end of the half (a very welcome
sight, considering Morten's recent misses).  Uhlenhake was apparently healthy
enough to snap the ball for the kick (I assume he did the other deep snaps
during the game, too- I didn't check).

Kinchen returned the 2nd half kickoff from the goal line to the Ram 40.  Chris
Chandler came in (and played the rest of the game) for Miller, who suffered a
concussion at some point during the first half.  Superb coverage caused three
consecutive incomplete passes.  On 1st down, two defenders had a deep route
well covered.  On 2nd, Williams broke up a downfield pass (pretty far away from
the line of scrimmage for a LB).  On 3rd, Spencer reached over the intended
receiver and knocked the ball away.  A bit of luck negated a potential blemish
on Hughes' day- he was stripped of the ball while returning the punt, but it
flew directly into Small's hands.

Two Brown runs set up a 3rd & 3 from the NO 42.  Walls caught a short pass,
broke a tackle that would've forced a punt, and ran all the way to the LA 30.
Three runs by Bates & one by Brown moved the ball to the 15, but a holding
call against William Roaf caused the drive to stall.  Eventually the team
settled for a 37 yard FG.

The Rams seemed determined to get Bettis untracked during the next drive.
Starting at the 30, it was Bettis for 5, Bettis for 4, Bettis for 4.  On the
next play, he slipped a tackle at the line and got outside to make it to the
NO 40- a brief glimpse of what happened in the 'Dome last year.  Hughes (yep,
him again) broke up a potential TD pass at the last minute on 2nd & 10, but
an 11 yard catch by Kinchen kept the Rams' drive going.  Bettis for 3, Bettis
for 6.  The D held Bettis for no gain on 3rd & 1, but he got exactly the needed
yardage on 4th down.  Finally, the Ram drive was halted when heavy pressure
from Renaldo Turnbull forced a throwaway incompletion on 3rd & 6.  The Rams
kicked a 32 yard FG.

Former St. Aug Purple Knight Hughes turned on the jets again and took the
kickoff 98 yards for a TD on the last play of the third quarter.  This tied
the NFL record for TD kickoff returns in a game by a player (2) and helped set
records for single-game kickoff return yards (304) & total return yards (347).

The Saints forced the Rams to go 3 & punt on the next series, but not before
Buck & Kinchen were ejected from the game.  Buck hit Kinchen on a pass attempt
during a play that had been whistled dead.  The WR didn't like it, and the two
ended up scuffling on the ground.  The fight wasn't serious, but the officials
were probably keeping last week's fight between Deion Sanders & Andre Rison in
mind and wanted to set an example.  Othello Henderson came in to replace Buck.

The Saints also went 3 & punt.  During the punt return (to the NO 47), J.J.
McCleskey was pushed out of bounds and into the LA offensive line coach, who
was momentarily dazed (but apparently OK in the long run).  The Rams went to
the air on the next drive.  An offensive interference call against Drayton
negated a sizable gain, but consecutive catches by Bailey moved the ball to the
31.  A short time later, catches by Anderson & Hester put the ball at the 7.
From there, a Bailey draw was good for a TD with 8:38 left in the game.

Satisfied with their 10 point lead, the Saints tried to execute a long drive
to run out the clock.  A catch by Small on 3rd & 9 from the 29 gave the Saints
a 1st down by the smallest possible margin.  Everett delivered the goods again
with a 9 yard slant-in to Early on 3rd & 4 from the NO 44.  At this point LA
began to use their timeouts.  The strategy was successful, as Everett was
unable to complete a pass on 3rd & 3 from the LA 40.  Barnhardt attempted to
put the Rams in a hole, but his punt landed in the endzone.  As the punt
bounced around in the 'zone, the Saint players began to walk off the field.
Bailey scooped the ball up and ran unchallenged 103 yards for a TD (an NFL
record).  The score counted because the Rams hadn't called for a fair catch
and because the NO special teams didn't touch the ball.  With 4:08 to go, the
stunned crowd realized that Los Angeles was down by only 3 in a game that had
looked to be a sure win for the home team.

A tired-looking Hughes returned the kickoff to the 28 and went to the sideline
to be treated for leg cramps.  An 8 yard rollout pass to Smith on 1st down was
followed by a 5 yard run by Brown.  Unfortunately, on the next play Roaf was
guilty of holding.  Facing a 1st & 20 with one play remaining before the 2
minute warning, Mora faced an important decision.  Option 1 was to go to the
air to try and pick up a game-clinching first down (but risk stopping the clock
for the timeoutless Rams with incompletions).  Option 2 was to run the ball
into the line 3 times to eat clock (but give the ball back to the Rams).  Mora
chose option 2, and Bailey's punt return gave LA the ball at their own 40 with
23 seconds remaining.  A first down sack caused a 5 yard loss, but the clock
paused at :16 seemingly forever as the refs spotted the ball.  Fortunately,
Spencer snagged a tipped ball for his second INT of the day to seal the win.
I was halfway expecting to see a Ram in the endzone holding the football for
yet another inexplicable TD, but (as in the Tampa Bay game) the deserving team
had actually won.

There were some good signs in this game.  Everett repeatedly threw on the money
to pick up 3rd down conversions.  Brown had his second good running game in a
row.  The defense solved the Bettis problem.  Andersen stopped his miss streak.
It's a shame that that the Saints are 3-5 and facing a tough second half of the
season, because they finally seem to be putting it all together.


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