What's the best Mora Saints squad?

[74_75_78_79_]

I'm guessing that '87 & '92 will be the two most popular ones, especially the latter whose D gave up the least points of any '90s team. 1991's 11-5 installment could also be a candidate. According to Football Outsiders, their D as far as efficiency goes is considered among the all-time greats. In '88 they lose the opener to SF by a single point, win their next 7, lose to Rams by 2, then lose by 3 at RFK, then three weeks later lose by 1 on Sunday Night at home to Giants in, arguably, LT's best game ever (playing in a cast). 9-4 losing their four by a total of 7 points, not bad. However, in the following two weeks, they stink up at Vikes** then at Candlestick by a combined 20-75 which, in effect, eliminated them from the post-season. Like the '92 Eagles' 4-0 start (burying Dallas on MNF) being the "last hurrah" of the Reggie White era in Philly, I guess the Saints' 5-0 start in 1993 was Mora's in the Big Easy.


** - Wow, did Burnsie ever have his way vs Mora in their first four head-to-head contests! In '86, '87 (playoff), '88, and '90, Vikes topple Saints by a combined 154-33 (121-16 in the latter three)! Mora, however, had the last laugh in '91 (Burnsie's final season) with a 26-0 victory at home in Week #4.

[7DnBrnc53]

I'm guessing that '87 & '92 will be the two most popular ones, especially the latter whose D gave up the least points of any '90s team. 1991's 11-5 installment could also be a candidate. According to Football Outsiders, their D as far as efficiency goes is considered among the all-time greats. In '88 they lose the opener to SF by a single point, win their next 7, lose to Rams by 2, then lose by 3 at RFK, then three weeks later lose by 1 on Sunday Night at home to Giants in, arguably, LT's best game ever (playing in a cast). 9-4 losing their four by a total of 7 points, not bad. However, in the following two weeks, they stink up at Vikes** then at Candlestick by a combined 20-75 which, in effect, eliminated them from the post-season. Like the '92 Eagles' 4-0 start (burying Dallas on MNF) being the "last hurrah" of the Reggie White era in Philly, I guess the Saints' 5-0 start in 1993 was Mora's in the Big Easy.


** - Wow, did Burnsie ever have his way vs Mora in their first four head-to-head contests! In '86, '87 (playoff), '88, and '90, Vikes topple Saints by a combined 154-33 (121-16 in the latter three)! Mora, however, had the last laugh in '91 (Burnsie's final season) with a 26-0 victory at home in Week #4.

That 1992 team was 13 points away from being undefeated. They lose by two against Philly on opening day, they lose two tough ones to SF (in the first, they had the ball in the red zone late, but couldn't score, and in the second, they blew a 20-7 fourth quarter lead), and they got screwed against the Bills at home in Week 16.

In that game, the Bills have the ball around NO's 30 with about five minutes left and a fourth and one. They go for it, and Kelly threw a pass to Reed in the end zone. They got a weak pass interference call, and the refs didn't see Howard Ballard mugging Pat Swilling on the play. They end up punching it in at the goal line, and getting a 20-16 win (that was one of a myriad of breaks that the Bills got in 1992 and 93).

[CSKreager]

I think the '87 Saints probably play Washington in the NFC title game if the Vikings don't get the break of breaks thanks to Dallas knocking out the Cardinals.

Ironically, Herschel Walker was the only reason Minnesota had that shot to begin with.

Sidenote about the 5-0 start in 1993- looking back in retrospect, the Saints got killed by the first true free agency (Lose Swilling, Heyward, Hebert, Hilliard). If anything, I'm surprised they salvaged 8-8. Really, they went from an OK offense in the early 90s to an unimpressive one by '93.

[7DnBrnc53]

I think the '87 Saints probably play Washington in the NFC title game if the Vikings don't get the break of breaks thanks to Dallas knocking out the Cardinals.

Ironically, Herschel Walker was the only reason Minnesota had that shot to begin with.

Here's what's funny: Dallas may have been playing for their future on the last day of the 1987 season. If they don't win, the Vikings don't make the playoffs.

If Minnesota doesn't have that run (and has the same season that they had the next year or worse), do they still feel that they are one player away from a SB in October of 1989? Maybe not. They may have had to take a much lesser deal from Cleveland, if they get any at all.