Monday, November 5, 2012

Monday Night Memories - 1980 New Orleans Saints


NFL MONDAY NIGHTS
                                                1980 New Orleans Saints

New Orleans had high hopes for the Saints at the start of the 1980 Season.  The Saints were coming off an 8-8 season in 1979, their first non-losing record.  Fans envisioned Quarterback Archie Manning and running back Chuck Muncie leading the Saints to their first playoff appearance.

It didn't turn out that way.  Amid rumors that the team had a handful of players with serious drug issues, the Saints never got out of the starting gate.  The Saints lost their first fourteen games. 

ABC got caught in the Saints optimism too.  The network had scheduled the Rams visit to New Orleans as the week twelve Monday Night game.  The Rams rolled over the Saints 27-7.  Many Saint fans wore paper bags over their heads in anonymous protest to the sorry state of their team.

The Saints edged the New York Jets 21-20 in week fifteen to preserve the first 0-16 mark for the 2008 Detroit Lions.


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