1988 New Orleans Saints season

The 1988 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 22nd as a member of the National Football League (NFL). They were unable to match their previous season's output of 12–3, winning only ten games and missing the playoffs (and losing the division) by a tiebreaker, going 6-6 vs. NFC opponents compared to 8-4 for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Road losses to the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings, as well as a sweep by San Francisco, ended up being the difference in New Orleans staying home and the California teams advancing.[1]

1988 New Orleans Saints season
Head coach	Jim Mora
General manager	Jim Finks
Owner	Tom Benson
Home field	Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	3rd NFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	T Hoby Brenner WR Eric Martin LB Sam Mills K Morten Andersen

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1988 NFL Draft

1988 New Orleans Saints draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	24	Craig Heyward *	Running back	Pittsburgh
2	52	Brett Perriman	Wide receiver	Miami (FL)
3	81	Tony Stephens	Defensive tackle	Clemson
4	106	Lydell Carr	Running back	Oklahoma
5	112	Greg Scales	Tight end	Wake Forest
5	134	Keith Taylor	Defensive back	Illinois
6	162	Bob Sims	Guard	Florida
7	190	Brian Forde	Linebacker	Washington State
8	218	Glenn Derby	Offensive tackle	Wisconsin
9	246	Clarence Nunn	Defensive back	San Diego State
10	274	Todd Santos	Quarterback	San Diego State
10	276	Vincent Fizer	Linebacker	Southern
11	302	Gary Couch	Wide receiver	Minnesota
12	330	Paul Jurgensen	Defensive end	Georgia Tech
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[2]

Personnel

Staff

1988 New Orleans Saints staff

	Front office Owner/General Partner – Tom Benson President/General Manager – Jim Finks Vice President of Administration – Jim Miller Director of Player Personnel – Bill Kuharich Head coaches Head Coach – Jim Mora Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Carl Smith Running Backs – Jim Skipper Wide Receivers – Steve Walters Offensive Line – Paul Boudreau			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Steve Sidwell Defensive Line – John Pease Linebackers – Vic Fangio Defensive Backs – Dom Capers Special teams coaches Special Teams/Tight Ends – Joe Marciano Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Russell Paternostro

[3]

Roster

1988 New Orleans Saints roster

	Quarterbacks 11 John Fourcade  3 Bobby Hebert 18 Dave Wilson Running backs 34 Craig Heyward 21 Dalton Hilliard 36 Rueben Mayes 34 Barry Word Wide receivers 89 Robert Clark 37 Mel Gray KR/PR 87 Lonzell Hill 84 Eric Martin 88 Mark Pattison 80 Brett Perriman Tight ends 86 Cliff Benson 85 Hoby Brenner 82 John Tice		Offensive linemen 67 Stan Brock T 59 James Campen C 66 Chuck Commiskey G 70 Bill Contz T 72 Jim Dombrowski T 63 Brad Edelman G 77 Daren Gilbert T 61 Joel Hilgenberg C 60 Steve Korte C 65 Steve Trapilo G Defensive linemen 76 Dwaine Board DE 75 Bruce Clark DE 99 Tony Elliott NT 97 Jumpy Geathers DE 74 Ted Gregory NT 73 Frank Warren DE 94 Jim Wilks NT		Linebackers 52 Brian Forde 92 James Haynes 57 Rickey Jackson OLB 53 Vaughan Johnson ILB 55 Joe Kohlbrand ILB 51 Sam Mills ILB 56 Pat Swilling OLB 54 Alvin Toles Defensive backs 28 Gene Atkins FS 41 Toi Cook CB 27 Antonio Gibson S 22 Van Jakes CB 24 Milton Mack 39 Brett Maxie SS 29 Reggie Sutton CB 44 Dave Waymer CB Special teams  7 Morten Andersen K 10 Brian Hansen P		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 4, 1988	San Francisco 49ers	L 34–33	66,357
2	September 11, 1988	at Atlanta Falcons	W 29–21	48,901
3	September 18, 1988	at Detroit Lions	W 22–14	32,943
4	September 25, 1988	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 13–9	66,671
5	October 3, 1988	Dallas Cowboys	W 20–17	68,474
6	October 9, 1988	at San Diego Chargers	W 23–17	42,693
7	October 16, 1988	at Seattle Seahawks	W 20–19	63,569
8	October 23, 1988	Los Angeles Raiders	W 20–6	66,249
9	October 30, 1988	Los Angeles Rams	L 12–10	68,238
10	November 6, 1988	at Washington Redskins	L 27–24	54,183
11	November 13, 1988	at Los Angeles Rams	W 14–10	63,305
12	November 20, 1988	Denver Broncos	W 42–0	68,075
13	November 27, 1988	New York Giants	L 13–12	66,526
14	December 4, 1988	at Minnesota Vikings	L 45–3	61,215
15	December 11, 1988	at San Francisco 49ers	L 30–17	62,977
16	December 18, 1988	Atlanta Falcons	W 10–9	60,566

Game summaries

Week 1

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total • Saints 3 9 10 7 29 Falcons 7 7 7 0 21 Date: September 11 Location: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 48,901 Game weather: 75°F; wind 10

Scoring summary Q1 NO Andersen 41 yard field goal NO 3–0 Q1 ATL Whisenhunt 12 yard pass from Miller (Davis kick) ATL 7–3 Q2 ATL Higdon 34 yard pass from Miller (Davis kick) ATL 14–3 Q2 NO Andersen 29 yard field goal ATL 14–6 Q2 NO Martin 14 yard pass from Hebert (kick failed) ATL 14–12 Q3 NO Andersen 28 yard field goal NO 15–14 Q3 ATL Settle 1 yard run (Davis kick) ATL 21–15 Q3 NO Mayes 17 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 22–21 Q4 NO Hilliard 4 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 29–21

[4]

Week 3

The Saints won for the first time in Detroit going 0-4-1 in their previous five trips to Michigan (three to Tiger Stadium and two to the Pontiac Silverdome).

1 2 3 4 Total • Saints 0 7 12 3 22 Lions 7 7 0 0 14 Date: September 18 Location: Pontiac Silverdome Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 32,943 Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Johnny Grier TV announcers (CBS): James Brown and Gary Fencik

Scoring summary Q1 DET Bland 9 yard pass from Long (Murray kick) DET 7–0 Q2 NO Hill 29 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 DET Bland 10 yard pass from Long (Murray kick) DET 14–7 Q3 NO Andersen 37 yard field goal DET 14–10 Q3 NO Safety, Long tackled by Jackson in end zone DET 14–12 Q3 NO Hilliard 4 yard run (Anderson kick) NO 19–14 Q4 NO Andersen 29 yard field goal NO 22–14

[5]

Week 4

1 2 3 4 Total Buccaneers 0 6 0 3 9 • Saints 10 3 0 0 13 Date: September 25 Location: Louisiana Superdome Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 66,671 Game weather: Indoors (dome)

Scoring summary Q1 NO Hill 5 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q1 NO Andersen 28 yard field goal NO 10–0 Q2 TB Igwebuike 25 yard field goal NO 10–3 Q2 NO Andersen 41 yard field goal NO 13–3 Q2 TB Igwebuike 35 yard field goal NO 13–6 Q4 TB Igwebuike 35 yard field goal NO 13–9

[6]

Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 7 7 3 17 • Saints 7 7 3 3 20 Date: October 3 Location: Louisiana Superdome Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 68,474 Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Gene Barth TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf

Scoring summary Q1 NO Hill 7 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q2 NO Perriman 17 yard pass from Hebert (Anderson kick) NO 14–0 Q2 DAL Martin 13 yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick) NO 14–7 Q3 DAL Martin 14 yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick) Tie 14–14 Q3 NO Andersen 27 yard field goal NO 17–14 Q4 DAL Ruzek 39 yard field goal Tie 17–17 Q4 NO Andersen 49 yard field goal NO 20–17

[7]

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total • Saints 0 13 7 3 23 Chargers 14 0 3 0 17 Date: October 9 Location: Jack Murphy Stadium Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 42,693 Game weather: 72°F; wind 8 Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Dan Jiggetts

Scoring summary Q1 SD Miller 47 yard pass from Laufenberg (Abbott kick) SD 7–0 Q1 SD Roy Bennett recovered fumble in end zone (Abbott kick) SD 14–0 Q2 NO Andersen 27 yard field goal SD 14–3 Q2 NO Andersen 35 yard field goal SD 14–6 Q2 NO Hill 19 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) SD 14–13 Q3 NO Martin 10 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 20–14 Q3 SD Abbott 35 yard field goal NO 20–17 Q4 NO Andersen 34 yard field goal NO 23–17

[8]

Week 7

1 2 3 4 Total • Saints 0 10 7 3 20 Seahawks 3 3 6 7 19 Date: October 16 Location: Kingdome Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 63,569 Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts

Scoring summary Q1 SEA Johnson 22 yard field goal SEA 3–0 Q2 NO Martin 19 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–3 Q2 SEA Johnson 47 yard field goal NO 7–6 Q2 NO Andersen 23 yard field goal NO 10–6 Q3 SEA Johnson 46 yard field goal NO 10–9 Q3 NO Waymer 58 yard blocked field goal return (Andersen kick) NO 17–9 Q3 SEA Johnson 42 yard field goal NO 17–12 Q4 NO Andersen 31 yard field goal NO 20–12 Q4 SEA Blades 3 yard pass from Stouffer (Johnson kick) NO 20–19

[9]

Week 8

The Saints defeated the Raiders for the first time in six meetings (the 1971 matchup, the first between the teams, ended in a 21-21 tie).

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 6 0 0 6 • Saints 3 0 14 3 20 Date: October 23 Location: Louisiana Superdome Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 66,249 Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Jerry Seeman Television network: NBC

Scoring summary Q1 NO Andersen 51 yard field goal NO 3–0 Q2 LA Fernandez 85 yard pass from Schroeder (kick failed) LA 6–3 Q3 NO Heyward 73 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 10–7 Q3 NO Hilliard 7 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 17–7 Q4 NO Andersen 25 yard field goal NO 20–7

[10]

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total • Saints 0 7 7 0 14 Rams 0 3 0 7 10 Date: November 13 Location: Anaheim Stadium Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 63,305 Game weather: 61°F; wind 6 Referee: Tom Dooley TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts

Scoring summary Q2 NO Hilliard 4 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q2 LA Lansford 23 yard field goal NO 7–3 Q3 NO Mayes 3 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 14–3 Q4 LA Bell 1 yard run (Lansford kick) NO 14–10

[11]

Week 12

In the Broncos' first appearance in the Louisiana Superdome since Super Bowl XII 11 years earlier, the Saints defeated Denver for the first time in five tries, and posted their largest margin of victory at the time.

1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 0 0 0 0 0 • Saints 14 7 14 7 42 Date: November 20 Location: Louisiana Superdome Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 68,075 Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Scoring summary Q1 NO Mayes 2 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q1 NO Hilliard 2 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 14–0 Q2 NO Martin 40 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 21–0 Q3 NO Gray 66 yard punt return (Andersen kick) NO 28–0 Q3 NO Tice 8 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 35–0 Q4 NO Martin 6 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 42–0

[12]

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 0 3 3 3 9 • Saints 7 0 0 3 10 Date: December 18 Location: Louisiana Superdome Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 60,566 Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts

Scoring summary Q1 NO Hilliard 13 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q2 ATL Davis 27 yard field goal NO 7–3 Q3 ATL Davis 43 yard field goal NO 7–6 Q4 ATL Davis 39 yard field goal ATL 9–7 Q4 NO Andersen 30 yard field goal NO 10–9

[13]

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
San Francisco 49ers^(2)	10	6	0	.625	4–2	8–4	369	294	L1
Los Angeles Rams^(5)	10	6	0	.625	4–2	8–4	407	293	W3
New Orleans Saints	10	6	0	.625	3–3	6–6	312	283	W1
Atlanta Falcons	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	244	315	L3

References

1. 1988 New Orleans Saints
2. "1988 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
3. "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
4. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
5. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
6. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
7. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
8. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
9. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
10. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-27.
11. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-29.
12. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-30.
13. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-31.