New Orleans Saints Information
The New Orleans Saints were founded in 1967, but until their remarkable run in 2009, the Saints were listed as one of three teams to never play in a Super Bowl, along with the Jaguars and Texans. The Saints earned a 12-3 record in 1987 to mark their first winning season and they won their first playoff contest in 2000 when they defeated the Rams in the Wild Card round.
2005 marked New Orleans fifth consecutive season without post-season play. Aside from their dismal 3-13 record the Saints had to suffer through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina devastated the New Orleans area and forced the Saints to play their home games in San Antonio, Baton Rouge, and East Rutherford, NJ. At the end of the 2005 season the Saints fired head coach Jim Haslett.
In 2006, the Saints moved back in the Superdome and finished the regular season at 10-6. They beat out the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round but fell short of the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship. Following a pair of mediocre seasons, the Saints posted a 13-3 record in 2009 en route to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. New Orleans beat out the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings to match-up with the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. QB Drew Brees completed 32 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns to lead his Saints to a 31-17 victory while claiming Super Bowl MVP rights in the process.
The Saints followed up their Championship season with an 11-5 record and another spot in the playoffs, but they lost to the Seahawks in the first round, 41-36. In 2011, they came back to win 13-3 in the regular season, beat the Lions in the Wildcard round, but fell to the 49ers in the Divisional round. During the off-season, a bounty controversy shrouded the team when it was learned that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was rewarding his players for injuring members of other teams. The Saints are looking to make amends and start fresh for the upcoming season.
