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1978 New Orleans Saints

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Record: 7-9-0, Finished 3rd in NFC West Division
NFL Season Summary

Scored 281 points (17.6/g), 16th of 28 in the NFL.
 Allowed 298 points (18.6/g), 16th.
 Differential of -17 points (-1.1/g), 16th.
 Expected W-L: 7.4-8.6.

 Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +10 (0.6/g), 2nd.

Simple Rating System: Total -1.7, Offense: -0.5, Defense: -1.2, SoS: -0.6, versus averages of 0.0.

Coached by Dick Nolan (7-9-0)
 Defensive Coordinator: Paul Wiggin

Training Camp: Dodgertown (Vero Beach, Florida)

Starters

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),Hide Non-primary Starters
Pos Age Yrs GS Summary of Player Stats Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
 Offensive Starters
QB Archie Manning* 29 7 16 291 for 471, 3,416 yards, 17 td, 16 int, & 38 rushes for 202 yards and 1 td New Orleans Saints / 1st / 2nd pick / 1971
RB Chuck Muncie 25 2 11 160 rushes for 557 yards, 7 td, & 26 catches for 233 yards and 0 td New Orleans Saints / 1st / 3rd pick / 1976
RB Mike Strachan 25 3 0 108 rushes for 388 yards, 4 td, & 10 catches for 51 yards and 0 td New Orleans Saints / 9th / 216th pick / 1975
FB Tony Galbreath 24 2 16 186 rushes for 635 yards, 5 td, & 74 catches for 582 yards and 2 td New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 32nd pick / 1976
WR Ike Harris 26 3 15 40 catches for 590 yards, 4 td, & 2 rushes for 22 yards and 0 td St. Louis Cardinals / 4th / 91st pick / 1974
WR Tinker Owens 24 2 10 40 catches for 446 yards, 2 td New Orleans Saints / 4th / 95th pick / 1976
WR Wes Chandler 22 Rook 5 35 catches for 472 yards, 2 td, & 2 rushes for 10 yards and 0 td New Orleans Saints / 1st / 3rd pick / 1978
TE Henry Childs 27 4 16 53 catches for 869 yards, 4 td, & 2 rushes for -4 yards and 0 td Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 109th pick / 1974
LT J.T. Taylor 22 Rook 16 2 fumbles recovered New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1978
LG Fred Sturt 27 4 11 St. Louis Cardinals / 3rd / 59th pick / 1973
C John Hill 28 6 16 New York Giants / 6th / 132nd pick / 1972
RG Dave Lafary 23 1 13 New Orleans Saints / 5th / 118th pick / 1977
RT Robert E. Woods 28 5 13 New York Jets / 2nd / 38th pick / 1973
 Defensive Starters
LDE Elois Grooms 25 3 16 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 63rd pick / 1975
LDT Elex Price 28 5 16 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered
RDT Derland Moore 27 5 14 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 29th pick / 1973
RDE Joe Campbell 23 1 16 New Orleans Saints / 1st / 7th pick / 1977
LLB Jim Merlo 27 5 16 0 interceptions, 5 fumbles recovered New Orleans Saints / 4th / 86th pick / 1973
MLB Joe Federspiel 28 6 16 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered New Orleans Saints / 4th / 99th pick / 1972
RLB Pat Hughes 31 8 0 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered New York Giants / 9th / 221st pick / 1970
LCB Clarence Chapman 25 2 14 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered Oakland Raiders / 7th / 204th pick / 1976
RCB Mo Spencer 26 4 16 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 71st pick / 1974
SS Ray Brown 29 7 16 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 148th pick / 1971
FS Tom Myers 28 6 16 6 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 74th pick / 1972
 Special Teams Starters
K Steve Mike-Mayer 31 3 0 6 of 13 field goals & 18 of 18 extra points San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1975
P Tom Blanchard 30 7 0 84 punts for a 42.0 average, 2 blocked New York Giants / 12th / 304th pick / 1971
PR Wes Chandler 22 Rook 5 34 punt returns for a 6.9 average and 0 td New Orleans Saints / 1st / 3rd pick / 1978
KR Wes Chandler 22 Rook 5 32 kick returns for a 23.8 average and 0 td New Orleans Saints / 1st / 3rd pick / 1978

Roster

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),
No. Age Pos G GS Wt Ht College/Univ BirthDate Yrs Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
77 Gary A. Anderson 23 G 2 0 253 6-3 Stanford 9/22/1955 1 Detroit Lions / 10th / 263rd pick / 1977
63 Barry Bennett 23 DT-DE 16 1 257 6-4 Concordia (MN) 12/10/1955 Rook New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 60th pick / 1978
16 Tom Blanchard 30 P 16 0 190 6-0 Oregon 5/28/1948 7 New York Giants / 12th / 304th pick / 1971
27 Ray Brown 29 DB 16 16 208 6-1 West Texas A&M 1/12/1949 7 Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 148th pick / 1971
73 Joe Campbell 23 DE-NT 16 16 254 6-6 Maryland 5/8/1955 1 New Orleans Saints / 1st / 7th pick / 1977
89 Wes Chandler 22 WR 16 5 196 6-0 Florida 8/22/1956 Rook New Orleans Saints / 1st / 3rd pick / 1978
24 Clarence Chapman 25 DB 14 14 185 5-10 East. Michigan 12/10/1953 2 Oakland Raiders / 7th / 204th pick / 1976
85 Henry Childs 27 TE 16 16 223 6-2 Kansas St. 4/16/1951 4 Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 109th pick / 1974
51 Ron Crosby 23 LB 14 0 224 6-3 Penn St. 3/2/1955 Rook Detroit Lions / 5th / 114th pick / 1977
66 Conrad Dobler 28 G 3 3 254 6-3 Wyoming 10/1/1950 6 St. Louis Cardinals / 5th / 110th pick / 1972
58 Joe Federspiel 28 LB 16 16 230 6-1 Kentucky 5/6/1950 6 New Orleans Saints / 4th / 99th pick / 1972
20 Eric Felton 23 DB 16 2 200 6-0 Texas Tech 10/8/1955 Rook New Orleans Saints / 5th / 115th pick / 1978
69 Bill Fifer 23 T 4 0 250 6-4 West Texas A&M 10/26/1955 Rook Detroit Lions / 4th / 94th pick / 1978
72 Mike Fultz 24 DT 12 0 278 6-5 Nebraska 1/28/1954 1 New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 34th pick / 1977
34 Tony Galbreath 24 RB 16 16 228 6-0 Missouri 1/29/1954 2 New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 32nd pick / 1976
78 Elois Grooms 25 DE-DT 16 16 249 6-4 Tennessee Tech 5/20/1953 3 New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 63rd pick / 1975
87 Larry Hardy 22 TE 16 1 234 6-3 Jackson St. 7/9/1956 Rook New Orleans Saints / 12th / 309th pick / 1978
82 Ike Harris 26 WR 15 15 210 6-3 Iowa St. 11/27/1952 3 St. Louis Cardinals / 4th / 91st pick / 1974
62 John Hill 28 C-T 16 16 249 6-2 Lehigh 4/16/1950 6 New York Giants / 6th / 132nd pick / 1972
45 Jack Holmes 25 RB 11 0 210 5-11 Texas Southern 6/20/1953 Rook Houston Oilers / 15th / 377th pick / 1975
54 Pat Hughes 31 LB-C 16 0 240 6-2 Boston Univ. 6/2/1947 8 New York Giants / 9th / 221st pick / 1970
76 Kevin Hunt 30 T-G 10 0 260 6-5 Doane 11/29/1948 6 Green Bay Packers / 10th / 246th pick / 1971
32 Kim Jones 26 RB 16 0 238 6-4 Colorado St. 1/19/1952 2 Baltimore Colts / 7th / 157th pick / 1975
10 Tom Jurich 22 K 1 0 185 5-10 Northern Arizona 7/26/1956 Rook Pittsburgh Steelers / 10th / 276th pick / 1978
53 Rick Kingrea 29 LB 1 0 233 6-1 Tulane 7/18/1949 7 Cleveland Browns / 14th / 352nd pick / 1971
64 Dave Lafary 23 T-G 15 13 280 6-7 Purdue 1/13/1955 1 New Orleans Saints / 5th / 118th pick / 1977
3 John Leypoldt 32 K 2 0 229 6-2 Northern Virginia CC 3/31/1946 7
8 Archie Manning* 29 QB 16 16 212 6-3 Mississippi 5/19/1949 7 New Orleans Saints / 1st / 2nd pick / 1971
84 Rich Mauti 24 WR 16 1 190 6-0 Penn St. 5/25/1954 1
49 Ralph McGill 28 DB 16 0 183 5-11 Tulsa 4/28/1950 6 San Francisco 49ers / 2nd / 28th pick / 1972
57 Jim Merlo 27 LB 16 16 221 6-1 Stanford 10/3/1951 5 New Orleans Saints / 4th / 86th pick / 1973
70 Mark Meseroll 23 T 16 0 270 6-5 Wesley,Florida St. 7/22/1955 Rook
10 Steve Mike-Mayer 31 K 9 0 180 6-0 Maryland 9/8/1947 3 San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1975
74 Derland Moore 27 DT-NT-DE 15 14 250 6-4 Oklahoma 10/7/1951 5 New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 29th pick / 1973
42 Chuck Muncie 25 RB 13 11 227 6-3 California 3/17/1953 2 New Orleans Saints / 1st / 3rd pick / 1976
37 Tom Myers 28 DB 16 16 184 5-11 Syracuse 10/24/1950 6 New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 74th pick / 1972
68 Richard Neal 31 DE-DT 2 0 260 6-3 Southern 9/27/1947 9 New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 45th pick / 1969
83 Tinker Owens 24 WR 14 10 170 5-11 Oklahoma 10/3/1954 2 New Orleans Saints / 4th / 95th pick / 1976
75 Elex Price 28 DT 16 16 260 6-3 Alcorn St. 8/11/1950 5
56 Rusty Rebowe 22 LB 1 0 213 5-10 Nicholls St. 1/17/1956 Rook
60 Don Reese 27 DT-DE 14 0 254 6-6 Jackson St. 9/4/1951 4 Miami Dolphins / 1st / 26th pick / 1974
55 Floyd Rice 29 LB-TE 15 0 223 6-3 Alcorn St. 8/31/1949 7 Houston Oilers / 9th / 212th pick / 1971
48 Don Schwartz 22 DB 16 0 191 6-1 Washington St. 2/24/1956 Rook New Orleans Saints / 4th / 87th pick / 1978
12 Bobby Scott 29 QB 1 0 201 6-1 Tennessee 4/2/1949 5 New Orleans Saints / 14th / 340th pick / 1971
29 Mo Spencer 26 DB 16 16 175 6-0 North Carolina Central 6/15/1952 4 Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 71st pick / 1974
33 Mike Strachan 25 RB 15 0 199 6-0 Iowa St. 5/24/1953 3 New Orleans Saints / 9th / 216th pick / 1975
68 Fred Sturt 27 G 12 11 255 6-4 Bowling Green 1/6/1951 4 St. Louis Cardinals / 3rd / 59th pick / 1973
15 Rich Szaro 30 K 4 0 205 5-11 Harvard 3/7/1948 3
71 J.T. Taylor 22 T 16 16 265 6-4 Missouri 8/12/1956 Rook New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1978
35 Jim Van Wagner 23 RB 5 0 202 6-2 Michigan Tech 5/3/1955 Rook San Francisco 49ers / 7th / 183rd pick / 1977
52 Skip Vanderbundt 32 LB 15 0 225 6-3 Oregon St. 12/4/1946 9 San Francisco 49ers / 3rd / 69th pick / 1968
67 John Watson 29 G-T-C 5 0 249 6-4 Oklahoma 1/11/1949 7 San Francisco 49ers / 7th / 179th pick / 1971
88 Brooks Williams 24 TE 16 0 226 6-4 North Carolina 12/7/1954 Rook New Orleans Saints / 8th / 199th pick / 1978
65 Robert E. Woods 28 T-G 16 13 255 6-3 Tennessee St. 7/26/1950 5 New York Jets / 2nd / 38th pick / 1973
79 Emanuel Zanders 27 G 3 3 251 6-1 Jackson St. 7/31/1951 4
Team Total 26.2 16 226.2 6-2.0 3.4