NFL team season
The 1999 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints' thirty-third season in the National Football League (NFL). This was Mike Ditka 's third and final season as the Saints' head coach, as he was fired, along with his entire coaching staff and general manager Bill Kuharich , three days after the conclusion of the season.
During 1999, the Saints became the first team to lose to the expansion Cleveland Browns and in the process became the only team since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970 to lose to the last winless team in successive seasons.[ 1]
With the only pick in the draft the New Orleans Saints selected running back Ricky Williams out of the University of Texas with the fifth overall pick. The Saints traded all of their draft picks in the 1999 draft in order to move up so they could draft Williams, as well as a first round pick in the 2000 NFL draft that eventually was used by the Washington Redskins to draft LaVar Arrington .
1999 New Orleans Saints staff Front office
Owner – Tom Benson President/general manager/chief operating officer – Bill Kuharich Vice president of football operations/assistant general manager – Charles Bailey Director of college scouting – Bruce Lemmerman Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Zaven Yaralian Defensive line – Walt Corey Defensive backs – Carlos Mainord Defensive assistant/pass rush – Rickey Jackson Defensive assistant/linebackers – Ned James Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
1999 New Orleans Saints final roster Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen Defensive linemen
Linebackers Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists Practice squad
Rookies in italics 53 active, 13 inactive, 3 practice squad
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 Carolina Panthers W 19–10 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 58,166 2 September 19 at San Francisco 49ers L 21–28 1–1 3Com Park 67,685 3 Bye 4 October 3 at Chicago Bears L 10–14 1–2 Soldier Field 66,944 5 October 10 Atlanta Falcons L 17–20 1–3 Louisiana Superdome 57,289 6 October 17 Tennessee Titans L 21–24 1–4 Louisiana Superdome 51,875 7 October 24 at New York Giants L 3–31 1–5 Giants Stadium 77,982 8 October 31 Cleveland Browns L 16–21 1–6 Louisiana Superdome 48,817 9 November 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 16–31 1–7 Louisiana Superdome 47,129 10 November 14 San Francisco 49ers W 24–6 2–7 Louisiana Superdome 52,198 11 November 21 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 23–41 2–8 Alltel Stadium 69,772 12 November 28 at St. Louis Rams L 12–43 2–9 Trans World Dome 65,864 13 December 5 at Atlanta Falcons L 12–35 2–10 Georgia Dome 62,568 14 December 12 St. Louis Rams L 14–30 2–11 Louisiana Superdome 46,838 15 December 19 at Baltimore Ravens L 8–31 2–12 PSINet Stadium 67,597 16 Dallas Cowboys W 31–24 3–12 Louisiana Superdome 47,835 17 January 2, 2000 at Carolina Panthers L 13–45 3–13 Ericcson Stadium 56,929 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
NO – Doug Brien 46-yard field goal, 12:52. Saints 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 2:59. CAR – Wesley Walls 5-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (John Kasay kick), 9:22. Saints 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 3:30. CAR – John Kasay 52-yard field goal, 1:39. Tied 10–10. Drive: 5 plays, 13 yards, 0:35. Third quarter
NO – Doug Brien 21-yard field goal, 6:14. Saints 13–10. Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 2:13. NO – Keith Poole 67-yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert (pass failed), 5:03. Saints 19–10. Drive: 2 plays, 68 yards, 0:49. Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
With the win, the Saints started 1–0 for the second season in a row. However, this would be New Orleans' last win for two months.
Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers [ edit ] Week 2: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Saints 0 14 7 0 21 49ers 7 7 0 14 28
at 3Com Park , San Francisco, California
Date : September 19Game time : 4:05 p.m. CDT/2:05 p.m. PDT Game weather : Partly cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 67,685Referee : Phil Luckett Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
NO – Eddie Kennison 2-yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert (Doug Brien kick), 13:29. Tied 7–7. Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 7:39. NO – Keith Poole 58-yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert (Doug Brien kick), 9:54. Saints 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 61 yards, 0:57. SF – Tommy Vardell 1-yard run (Wade Richey kick), 5:59. Tied 14–14. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:55. Third quarter
NO – Lawrence Dawsey 12-yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert (Doug Brien kick), 9:46. Saints 21–14. Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 5:14. Fourth quarter
SF – Terell Owens 4-yard pass from Steve Young (Wade Richey kick), 2:03. Tied 21–21. Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 4:50. SF – Lance Schulters 64-yard interception return (Wade Richey kick), 1:31. 49ers 28–21. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
NO – Keith Poole – 2 receptions, 69 yards, TD SF – Charlie Garner – 5 receptions, 88 yards
Week 4: at Chicago Bears [ edit ] Week 4: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Saints 0 7 3 0 10 Bears 0 0 0 14 14
at Soldier Field , Chicago, Illinois
Date : October 3Game time : 12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C)Game attendance : 66,944Referee : Ron Blum Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
NO – Doug Brien 30-yard field goal, 3:23. Saints 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 2:18. Fourth quarter
CHI – Curtis Conway 22-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Jeff Jaeger kick), 1:48. Saints 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards, 2:47. CHI – Curtis Conway 6-yard pass from Shane Matthews (Jeff Jaeger kick), 0:07. Bears 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 1:01. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
The Saints had a 10–0 lead with just under 2 minutes left to play, but saw the lead quickly fade away. The Bears scored their first points of the game with 1:48 left in the 4th on a 22-yard pass from Shane Matthews to wide receiver Curtis Conway . Chicago would recover the onside kick and go down the field in 61 seconds to win 14–10 after scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 6 seconds left to play.
Week 5: vs. Atlanta Falcons [ edit ] Week 5: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 7 0 7 6 20 Saints 0 17 0 0 17
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Date : October 10Game time : 12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : None (played indoors)Game attendance : 57,289Referee : Johnny Grier Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
ATL – Bob Christian 1-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 10:59. Saints 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:18. Fourth quarter
ATL – Morten Andersen 36-yard field goal, 14:17. Tied 17–17. Drive: 9 plays, 13 yards, 3:32. ATL – Morten Andersen 44-yard field goal, 8:29. Falcons 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 22 yards, 4:05. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 6: vs. Tennessee Titans [ edit ] Week 6: Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Titans 0 0 7 17 24 Saints 3 7 3 8 21
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Date : October 17Game time : 1:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 51,875Referee : Bernie Kukar
Week 7: at New York Giants [ edit ] Week 7: New Orleans Saints at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Saints 3 0 0 0 3 Giants 7 17 7 0 31
at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date : October 24Game time : 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather : Mostly cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)Game attendance : 77,982Referee : Phil LuckettTV announcers (Fox ) : Sam Rosen , Bill Maas , and Jim Gallagher
Week 8: vs. Cleveland Browns [ edit ] Week 8: Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 7 7 7 21 Saints 7 3 3 3 16
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
CLE – Marc Edwards 27-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 7:37. Tied 7–7. Drive: 1 play, 22 yards, 0:06. NO – Doug Brien 49-yard field goal, 0:08. Saints 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 0:58. Third quarter
CLE – Kevin Johnson 24-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 8:53. Browns 14–10. Drive: 2 plays, 22 yards, 0:44. NO – Doug Brien 22-yard field goal, 1:15. Browns 14–13. Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 7:38. Fourth quarter
NO – Doug Brien 46-yard field goal, 0:21. Saints 16–14. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:20. CLE – Kevin Johnson 56-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 0:00. Browns 21–16. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:21. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
For week 8, the 1–5 Saints hosted the 0–7 Browns, who were playing in their first season since 1995 following a relocation controversy that saw the franchise officially being deactivated for three seasons.
The Saints would take a 16–14 lead with 0:21 left in the game. On the final play of the game, Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch heaved a Hail Mary pass into the end zone that was tipped by several New Orleans defenders before being caught by Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson as the clock struck 0:00, giving Cleveland its first win since December 17, 1995.
The Saints' offense finished the game with 351 yards of total offense and controlled the ball for 40:50, while the Brown's offense only had 243 total yards and a possession time of 19:10. However, New Orleans committed five turnovers, two of which gave Cleveland a short field that resulted in touchdowns for the Browns.
With the loss, the Saints fell to 1–7 and their losing streak was extended to six games. Additionally, the Saints became the first team to lose to the expansion Browns and lost to the last winless team in the NFL, having lost to the 0–7 Carolina Panthers during week 9 of the previous season. This also marked the second time an expansion franchise got its first win over New Orleans, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who started 0–26, got its first win as a franchise by defeating the Saints 33–14 during the 1977 season.
Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [ edit ] Week 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Buccaneers 7 10 7 7 31 Saints 3 3 0 10 16
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Date : November 7Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 47,129Referee : Ed Hochuli
Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers [ edit ] Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 3 3 0 0 6 Saints 7 7 7 3 24
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Date : November 14Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 52,198Referee : Larry Nemmers
With the win, the Saints improved to 2–7 and snapped a seven game losing streak that lasted for just over two months.
Week 11: at Jacksonville Jaguars [ edit ] Week 12: at St. Louis Rams [ edit ] Week 12: New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Saints 3 9 0 0 12 Rams 7 8 7 21 43
at Trans World Dome , St. Louis, Missouri
Date : November 28Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 65,864Referee : Bill Carollo TV announcers (Fox) : Sam Rosen, Bill Maas, and Pete Peterson
Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons [ edit ] Week 13: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Saints 3 3 0 6 12 Falcons 7 14 14 0 35
at Georgia Dome , Atlanta, Georgia
Date : December 5Game time : 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 62,568Referee : Ron Winter
Week 14: vs. St. Louis Rams [ edit ] Week 14: St. Louis Rams at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Rams 7 17 3 3 30 Saints 6 8 0 0 14
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Date : December 12Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 46,838Referee : Bob McElwee TV announcers (Fox) : Thom Brennaman , Jeff Lageman , and Jim Gallagher
Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens [ edit ] Week 15: New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Saints 0 0 0 8 8 Ravens 3 14 0 14 31
at PSINet Stadium , Baltimore, Maryland
Date : December 19Game time : 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Sunny, 43 °F (6 °C)Game attendance : 67,597Referee : Dick Hantak
Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys [ edit ] Week 16: Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 7 17 0 24 Saints 10 0 7 14 31
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Date : Game time : 2:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 47,835Referee : Ed Hochuli
Week 17: at Carolina Panthers [ edit ] Week 17: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Saints 0 0 0 13 13 Panthers 10 7 14 14 45
at Ericcson Stadium , Charlotte, North Carolina
Date : January 2, 2000Game time : 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Cloudy, 61 °F (16 °C)Game attendance : 56,929Referee : Gerry Austin
Player G Punts Yards Yards/Punt Punts Blocked Tommy Barnhardt 16 82 3262 39.8 0
Player G Extra Points Att. Extra Points Made Extra Point Pct. Field Goals Att. Field Goals Made Field Goal Pct. Total Points Scored Doug Brien 16 20 21 95 24 29 82.8 92
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Wild card berths (5) Division championships (9) Conference championships (1) League championships (1) Retired numbers Ring of Honor Current league affiliations