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1981 New Orleans Saints
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Record: 4-12-0, Finished 4th in NFC West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 207 points (12.9/g), 28th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 378 points (23.6/g), 24th.
Differential of -171 points (-10.7/g), 27th.
Expected W-L: 3.1-12.9.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -13 (-0.8/g), 22nd.
Coached by Bum Phillips (4-12-0)
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1981 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Archie Manning | 32 | 10 | 11 | 134 for 232, 1,447 yards, 5 td, 11 int, & 2 rushes for 28 yards and 0 td | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 2nd pick / 1971 |
| QB | Dave Wilson | 22 | Rook | 4 | 82 for 159, 1,058 yards, 1 td, 11 int, & 5 rushes for 1 yards and 0 td | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 1st pick / 1981 Supp |
| RB | George Rogers*+ | 23 | Rook | 16 | 378 rushes for 1,674 yards, 13 td, & 16 catches for 126 yards and 0 td | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 1st pick / 1981 |
| FB | Jack Holmes | 28 | 3 | 15 | 58 rushes for 194 yards, 2 td, & 38 catches for 206 yards and 0 td | Houston Oilers / 15th / 377th pick / 1975 |
| WR | Jeff Groth | 24 | 2 | 13 | 20 catches for 380 yards, 1 td, & 2 rushes for 27 yards and 0 td | Miami Dolphins / 8th / 206th pick / 1979 |
| WR | Guido Merkens | 26 | 3 | 11 | 29 catches for 458 yards, 1 td, & 2 rushes for -1 yards and 0 td | |
| TE | Larry Hardy | 25 | 3 | 16 | 23 catches for 275 yards, 1 td | New Orleans Saints / 12th / 309th pick / 1978 |
| LT | J.T. Taylor | 25 | 3 | 12 | 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1978 |
| LG | Fred Sturt | 30 | 7 | 16 | St. Louis Cardinals / 3rd / 59th pick / 1973 |
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| C | John Hill | 31 | 9 | 11 | New York Giants / 6th / 132nd pick / 1972 |
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| C | Jim Pietrzak | 28 | 7 | 5 | New York Giants / 6th / 132nd pick / 1974 |
|
| RG | Sam Adams | 33 | 9 | 16 | ||
| RT | Stan Brock | 23 | 1 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 12th pick / 1980 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Derland Moore | 30 | 8 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 29th pick / 1973 |
| NT | Jerry Boyarsky | 22 | Rook | 7 | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 128th pick / 1981 |
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| NT | Monte Bennett | 22 | Rook | 6 | ||
| RDE | Elois Grooms | 28 | 6 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 63rd pick / 1975 |
| LOLB | Rickey Jackson | 23 | Rook | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 51st pick / 1981 |
| LILB | Glen Redd | 23 | Rook | 16 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | New Orleans Saints / 6th / 166th pick / 1981 |
| RILB | Jim Kovach | 25 | 2 | 15 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 4th / 93rd pick / 1979 |
| ROLB | Rob Nairne | 27 | 4 | 13 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| LCB | Dave Waymer | 23 | 1 | 13 | 4 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 41st pick / 1980 |
| RCB | Johnnie Poe | 22 | Rook | 15 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 6th / 144th pick / 1981 |
| SS | Russell Gary | 22 | Rook | 14 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 29th pick / 1981 |
| FS | Tom Myers | 31 | 9 | 15 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 74th pick / 1972 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Benny Ricardo | 27 | 5 | 0 | 13 of 25 field goals & 24 of 24 extra points | |
| P | Russell Erxleben | 25 | 2 | 0 | 66 punts for a 40.5 average, 0 blocked | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 11th pick / 1979 |
| PR | Jeff Groth | 24 | 2 | 13 | 37 punt returns for a 11.8 average and 0 td | Miami Dolphins / 8th / 206th pick / 1979 |
| KR | Wayne Wilson | 24 | 2 | 0 | 31 kick returns for a 23.3 average and 0 td | Houston Oilers / 12th / 324th pick / 1979 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Adams | 33 | G-T | 16 | 16 | 256 | 6-3 | Prairie View | 9/20/1948 | 9 | |
| Gordon Banks | 23 | WR | 6 | 1 | 175 | 5-10 | Stanford | 3/12/1958 | 1 | |
| Barry Bennett | 26 | DT-DE | 3 | 3 | 257 | 6-4 | Concordia (MN) | 12/10/1955 | 3 | New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 60th pick / 1978 |
| Monte Bennett | 22 | NT-DE | 16 | 6 | 265 | 6-3 | Kansas State | 4/27/1959 | Rook | |
| Ken Bordelon | 27 | LB | 15 | 3 | 228 | 6-4 | LSU | 8/26/1954 | 5 | Los Angeles Rams / 5th / 149th pick / 1976 |
| Jerry Boyarsky | 22 | NT | 11 | 7 | 290 | 6-3 | Pittsburgh | 5/15/1959 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 128th pick / 1981 |
| Hoby Brenner | 22 | TE | 9 | 1 | 240 | 6-4 | USC | 6/2/1959 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 71st pick / 1981 |
| Stan Brock | 23 | T | 16 | 16 | 295 | 6-6 | Colorado | 6/8/1958 | 1 | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 12th pick / 1980 |
| Rich Caster | 33 | TE-WR | 4 | 0 | 228 | 6-5 | Jackson State | 10/16/1948 | 11 | New York Jets / 2nd / 46th pick / 1970 |
| Wes Chandler | 25 | WR | 4 | 4 | 196 | 6-0 | Florida | 8/22/1956 | 3 | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 3rd pick / 1978 |
| Russell Erxleben | 25 | P | 16 | 0 | 223 | 6-4 | Texas | 1/13/1956 | 2 | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 11th pick / 1979 |
| Chuck Evans | 25 | LB | 16 | 1 | 235 | 6-3 | Stanford | 12/19/1956 | 1 | New Orleans Saints / 8th / 206th pick / 1980 |
| Russell Gary | 22 | DB | 14 | 14 | 195 | 5-11 | Nebraska | 7/31/1959 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 29th pick / 1981 |
| Elois Grooms | 28 | DE-DT | 16 | 16 | 249 | 6-4 | Tennessee Tech | 5/20/1953 | 6 | New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 63rd pick / 1975 |
| Jeff Groth | 24 | WR | 15 | 13 | 176 | 5-10 | Bowling Green | 7/2/1957 | 2 | Miami Dolphins / 8th / 206th pick / 1979 |
| Larry Hardy | 25 | TE | 16 | 16 | 234 | 6-3 | Jackson State | 7/9/1956 | 3 | New Orleans Saints / 12th / 309th pick / 1978 |
| Ike Harris | 29 | WR | 3 | 3 | 210 | 6-3 | Iowa State | 11/27/1952 | 6 | St. Louis Cardinals / 4th / 91st pick / 1974 |
| John Hill | 31 | C-T | 13 | 11 | 249 | 6-2 | Lehigh | 4/16/1950 | 9 | New York Giants / 6th / 132nd pick / 1972 |
| Jack Holmes | 28 | RB | 16 | 15 | 210 | 5-11 | Texas Southern | 6/20/1953 | 3 | Houston Oilers / 15th / 377th pick / 1975 |
| Nat Hudson | 24 | G | 16 | 0 | 268 | 6-3 | Georgia | 10/11/1957 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 6th / 139th pick / 1981 |
| Rickey Jackson | 23 | LB-DE | 16 | 16 | 243 | 6-2 | Pittsburgh | 3/20/1958 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 51st pick / 1981 |
| Jim Kovach | 25 | LB | 15 | 15 | 230 | 6-2 | Kentucky | 5/1/1956 | 2 | New Orleans Saints / 4th / 93rd pick / 1979 |
| Dave Lafary | 26 | T-G | 16 | 4 | 280 | 6-7 | Purdue | 1/13/1955 | 4 | New Orleans Saints / 5th / 118th pick / 1977 |
| Archie Manning | 32 | QB | 12 | 11 | 212 | 6-3 | Mississippi | 5/19/1949 | 10 | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 2nd pick / 1971 |
| Rich Martini | 26 | WR | 12 | 0 | 185 | 6-2 | California-Davis | 11/19/1955 | 2 | Oakland Raiders / 7th / 190th pick / 1977 |
| Guido Merkens | 26 | WR-QB-DB | 16 | 11 | 200 | 6-1 | Sam Houston State | 8/14/1955 | 3 | |
| Derland Moore | 30 | DT-NT-DE | 16 | 16 | 250 | 6-4 | Oklahoma | 10/7/1951 | 8 | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 29th pick / 1973 |
| Tom Myers | 31 | DB | 16 | 15 | 184 | 5-11 | Syracuse | 10/24/1950 | 9 | New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 74th pick / 1972 |
| Rob Nairne | 27 | LB | 16 | 13 | 223 | 6-4 | Oregon State | 3/24/1954 | 4 | |
| Scott Pelluer | 22 | LB | 16 | 0 | 219 | 6-2 | Washington State | 4/28/1959 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 91st pick / 1981 |
| Jim Pietrzak | 28 | C-DT-T | 16 | 5 | 260 | 6-5 | Eastern Michigan | 2/21/1953 | 7 | New York Giants / 6th / 132nd pick / 1974 |
| Johnnie Poe | 22 | DB | 15 | 15 | 190 | 6-1 | Missouri | 8/29/1959 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 6th / 144th pick / 1981 |
| Ricky Ray | 24 | DB | 4 | 4 | 180 | 5-11 | Norfolk State | 5/30/1957 | 2 | New Orleans Saints / 6th / 146th pick / 1979 |
| Glen Redd | 23 | LB | 16 | 16 | 229 | 6-1 | BYU | 6/17/1958 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 6th / 166th pick / 1981 |
| Benny Ricardo | 27 | K | 16 | 0 | 175 | 5-10 | San Diego State | 1/4/1954 | 5 | |
| George Rogers*+ | 23 | RB | 16 | 16 | 228 | 6-2 | South Carolina | 12/8/1958 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 1st pick / 1981 |
| Jimmy Rogers | 26 | RB | 15 | 0 | 190 | 5-10 | Oklahoma | 6/29/1955 | 1 | |
| Paul Ryczek | 29 | C | 8 | 0 | 230 | 6-2 | Virginia | 6/25/1952 | 7 | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 252nd pick / 1974 |
| Bobby Scott | 32 | QB | 4 | 1 | 201 | 6-1 | Tennessee | 4/2/1949 | 8 | New Orleans Saints / 14th / 340th pick / 1971 |
| Mike Spivey | 27 | DB | 12 | 0 | 197 | 6-0 | Colorado | 3/10/1954 | 4 | Chicago Bears / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1977 |
| Scott Stauch | 22 | RB | 10 | 0 | 204 | 5-11 | UCLA | 1/3/1959 | Rook | |
| Fred Sturt | 30 | G | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-4 | Bowling Green | 1/6/1951 | 7 | St. Louis Cardinals / 3rd / 59th pick / 1973 |
| J.T. Taylor | 25 | T | 12 | 12 | 265 | 6-4 | Missouri | 8/12/1956 | 3 | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1978 |
| Aundra Thompson | 28 | WR-RB | 10 | 0 | 186 | 6-1 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 1/2/1953 | 4 | Green Bay Packers / 5th / 132nd pick / 1976 |
| Toussaint Tyler | 22 | RB | 16 | 0 | 220 | 6-2 | Washington | 3/19/1959 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 9th / 222nd pick / 1981 |
| Frank Warren | 22 | DE-NT | 16 | 0 | 285 | 6-4 | Auburn | 9/14/1959 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 3rd / 57th pick / 1981 |
| Frank Wattelet | 23 | DB | 16 | 3 | 185 | 6-0 | Kansas | 10/25/1958 | Rook | |
| Dave Waymer | 23 | DB | 16 | 13 | 195 | 6-1 | Notre Dame | 7/1/1958 | 1 | New Orleans Saints / 2nd / 41st pick / 1980 |
| Jim Wilks | 23 | DE-NT | 16 | 0 | 266 | 6-5 | California,San Diego State | 3/12/1958 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 12th / 305th pick / 1981 |
| Brooks Williams | 27 | TE | 7 | 0 | 226 | 6-4 | North Carolina | 12/7/1954 | 3 | New Orleans Saints / 8th / 199th pick / 1978 |
| Dave Wilson | 22 | QB | 11 | 4 | 206 | 6-3 | Illinois | 4/27/1959 | Rook | New Orleans Saints / 1st / 1st pick / 1981 Supp |
| Wayne Wilson | 24 | RB | 16 | 0 | 215 | 6-3 | Shepherd | 9/4/1957 | 2 | Houston Oilers / 12th / 324th pick / 1979 |
| Bob Young | 39 | G-DE-DT | 2 | 0 | 270 | 6-1 | Howard Payne,Texas,Texas State | 9/3/1942 | 15 | St. Louis Cardinals / 19th / 261st pick / 1964 |
| Team Total | 26.0 | 16 | 225.7 | 6-2.1 | 3.3 |