2000 New Orleans Saints season

2000 New Orleans Saints season
2000 New Orleans Saints season
Owner	Tom Benson
General manager	Randy Mueller
Head coach	Jim Haslett
Offensive coordinator	Mike McCarthy
Defensive coordinator	Ron Zook
Home field	Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	1st NFC West
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs; (vs. Rams) 31–28; Lost Divisional Playoffs; (at Vikings) 16–34
Pro Bowlers	T Willie Roaf; WR Joe Horn; DT La'Roi Glover; DE Joe Johnson; LB Keith Mitchell; LB Mark Fields
	← 1999; Saints seasons; 2001 →;

The 2000 season was the New Orleans Saints' 34th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 25th playing home games at the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints were looking to improve on their 3–13 finish from a year earlier under new head coach Jim Haslett.^[1] Not only did the Saints do so, but they finished with a 10–6 record to win the NFC West and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1992. They also won their first ever playoff game in franchise history by defeating the defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams in the wild-card round. The Saints went no further, though, as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings in the next round.

This was the only time the Saints made the playoffs under Haslett. For the next four seasons, the Saints fell out of contention. They would not return to the playoffs until 2006.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
WR Joe Horn (Chiefs)	LB Kevin Mitchell (Redskins)
WR Jake Reed (Vikings)	WR Eddie Kennison (Bears)
CB Kevin Mathis (Cowboys)	DE Brady Smith (Falcons)
S Darren Perry (Ravens)	QB Billy Joe Hobert (Colts)
RB Terry Allen (Patriots)	QB Danny Wuerffel (Packers)
P Toby Gowin (Cowboys)	WR Andre Hastings (Buccaneers)
QB Jeff Blake (Bengals)	CB Ashley Ambrose (Falcons)
CB Fred Thomas (Seahawks)	RB Lamar Smith (Dolphins)
LB Darrin Smith (Seahawks)	LB Chris Bordano (Cowboys)
CB Steve Israel (Patriots)	P Tommy Barnhardt (Redskins)
DT Norman Hand (Chargers)	CB Tyronne Drakeford (Redskins)
S Chris Oldham (Steelers)

NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
2000 New Orleans Saints draft
2	33	Darren Howard	Defensive end	Kansas State
4	96	Terrelle Smith	Fullback	Arizona State
5	131	Tutan Reyes	Guard	Mississippi
5	158	Austin Wheatley	Tight end	Iowa
5	166	Chad Morton	Running back	USC
6	168	Marc Bulger *	Quarterback	West Virginia
6	195	Michael Hawthorne	Defensive back	Purdue
6	200	Sherrod Gideon	Wide receiver	Southern Miss
7	228	Kevin Houser	Center	Ohio State
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[2]

Undrafted free agents

2000 undrafted free agents of note
Player	Position	College
Jamal Brooks	Linebacker	Hampton

Personnel

Staff

**2000 New Orleans Saints staff**
	Front office Owner – Tom Benson General manager of football operations – Randy Mueller Assistant general manager of football operations – Charles Bailey Director of football administration – Mickey Loomis Director of player personnel – Rick Mueller College scouting coordinator – Rick Thompson Head coaches Head coach – Jim Haslett Assistant head coach/secondary – Rick Venturi Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Mike McCarthy Quarterbacks – Frank Cignetti, Jr. Running backs – Dave Atkins Wide receivers – Hubbard Alexander Tight ends – Bob Palcic Offensive line – Jack Henry Offensive assistant/quality control – Phil Pettey			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Ron Zook Defensive line – Sam Clancy Linebackers – John Bunting Secondary assistant – Joe Baker Defensive assistant/quality control – Winston Moss Special teams coaches Special teams – Al Everest Special teams assistant – Joe Baker Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Rock Gullickson Assistant strength and conditioning – Evan Marcus

Roster

**2000 New Orleans Saints roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 2 Aaron Brooks 12 Jake Delhomme 11 Billy Joe Tolliver Running backs (RB) 20 Terry Allen 26 Fred McAfee KR 40 Brian Milne FB 32 Jerald Moore 30 Chad Morton 44 Terrelle Smith FB 34 Ricky Williams Wide receivers (WR) 87 Joe Horn 88 Willie Jackson 83 Keith Poole 86 Jake Reed 80 Robert Wilson Tight ends (TE) 82 Andrew Glover 81 Lamont Hall 89 Dave Stachelski 84 Austin Wheatley		Offensive linemen (OL) 69 Tom Ackerman C/G 62 Jerry Fontenot C 65 Chris Naeole G 70 Marcus Price T 76 Tutan Reyes G/T 77 Willie Roaf T 78 Daryl Terrell G/T 68 Kyle Turley T 63 Wally Williams G Defensive linemen (DL) 92 Martin Chase DT 97 La'Roi Glover DT 99 Norman Hand DT 93 Darren Howard DE 94 Joe Johnson DE 90 Jared Tomich DE 98 Willie Whitehead DE/DT		Linebackers (LB) 51 Phil Clarke MLB 55 Mark Fields OLB 53 Donta Jones OLB 59 Keith Mitchell OLB 54 Darrin Smith MLB Defensive backs (DB) 35 Chris Canty CB 37 Steve Gleason SS 36 Michael Hawthorne CB 27 Rob Kelly FS 29 Sammy Knight SS 23 Kevin Mathis 25 Alex Molden CB 28 Chris Oldham SS 39 Darren Perry FS 22 Fred Thomas CB Special teams 10 Doug Brien K 4 Toby Gowin P 47 Kevin Houser LS				Practice squad 46 Corey Harris CB 19 Michael Lewis WR 52 Ron Merkerson LB 61 Blaine Saipaia T 75 Bobby Setzer DE Reserve 18 Jeff Blake QB (IR) 85 Cam Cleeland TE (IR) 56 Charlie Clemons LB (IR) 95 Marques Douglas DE (IR) 79 Mike Halapin DT (PUP) 21 Steve Israel CB (IR) 50 Corey Terry LB (IR) 24 Fred Weary CB (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 8 reserve, 5 practice squad

^[3]

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	July 29	at New York Jets	L 20–24	0–1	Giants Stadium
2	August 5	at Minnesota Vikings	W 25–24	1–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
3	August 12	at Indianapolis Colts	L 0–17	1–2	Ross–Ade Stadium (West Lafayette)
4	August 25	Miami Dolphins	L 17–22	1–3	Louisiana Superdome

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 3	Detroit Lions	L 10–14	0–1	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
2	September 10	at San Diego Chargers	W 28–27	1–1	Qualcomm Stadium	51,300
3	September 17	at Seattle Seahawks	L 10–20	1–2	Husky Stadium	59,513
4	September 24	Philadelphia Eagles	L 7–21	1–3	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
5	Bye
6	October 8	at Chicago Bears	W 31–10	2–3	Soldier Field	66,944
7	October 15	Carolina Panthers	W 24–6	3–3	Louisiana Superdome	50,015
8	October 22	at Atlanta Falcons	W 21–19	4–3	Georgia Dome	56,508
9	October 29	at Arizona Cardinals	W 21–10	5–3	Sun Devil Stadium	35,016
10	November 5	San Francisco 49ers	W 31–15	6–3	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
11	November 12	at Carolina Panthers	W 20–10	7–3	Ericsson Stadium	72,981
12	November 19	Oakland Raiders	L 22–31	7–4	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
13	November 26	at St. Louis Rams	W 31–24	8–4	Trans World Dome	66,064
14	December 3	Denver Broncos	L 23–38	8–5	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
15	December 10	at San Francisco 49ers	W 31–27	9–5	3Com Park	67,892
16	December 17	Atlanta Falcons	W 23–7	10–5	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
17	December 24	St. Louis Rams	L 21–26	10–6	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

NFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
⁽³⁾ New Orleans Saints	10	6	0	.625	354	305	L1
⁽⁶⁾ St. Louis Rams	10	6	0	.625	540	471	W1
Carolina Panthers	7	9	0	.438	310	310	L1
San Francisco 49ers	6	10	0	.375	388	422	L1
Atlanta Falcons	4	12	0	.250	252	413	W1

Playoffs

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Wild Card	December 30	St. Louis Rams (6)	W 31–28	1–0	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
Divisional	January 6, 2001	at Minnesota Vikings (2)	L 16–34	1–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	63,881

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (6) St. Louis Rams

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (6) St. Louis Rams at (3) New Orleans Saints – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	7	0	0	21	28
Saints	0	10	7	14	31

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: December 30
Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 64,900
Referee: Gerald Austin
TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark, and Eric Dickerson
Box score

Game information

First quarter

STL – Isaac Bruce 17-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick), 5:58. Rams 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 6:55.

Second quarter

NO – Robert Wilson 12-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (Doug Brien kick), 14:56. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 6:02.
NO – Doug Brien 33-yard field goal, 1:30. Saints 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 0:51.

Third quarter

NO – Willie Jackson 10-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (Doug Brien kick), 8:40. Saints 17–7. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:23.

Fourth quarter

NO – Willie Jackson 49-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (Doug Brien kick), 13:22. Saints 24–7. Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:55.
NO – Willie Jackson 16-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (Doug Brien kick), 11:57. Saints 31–7. Drive: 1 play, 16 yards, 0:05.
STL – Ricky Proehl 17-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick), 9:36. Saints 31–14. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 2:21.
STL – Marshall Faulk 25-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick), 3:52. Saints 31–21. Drive: 3 plays, 62 yards, 0:48.
STL – Kurt Warner 5-yard run (Jeff Wilkins kick), 2:36. Saints 31–28. Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:07.

Top passers

STL – Kurt Warner – 24/40, 365 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
NO – Aaron Brooks – 16/29, 266 yards, 4 TD, INT

Top rushers

STL – Marshall Faulk – 14 rushes, 24 yards
NO – Terry Allen – 16 rushes, 21 yards

Top receivers

STL – Isaac Bruce – 7 receptions, 127 yards, TD
NO – Willie Jackson – 6 receptions, 142 yards, 3 TD

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Minnesota Vikings

NFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) New Orleans Saints at (2) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	3	0	7	6	16
Vikings	10	7	10	7	34

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: January 6, 2001
Game time: 11:30 a.m. CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 63,881
Referee: Walt Coleman
TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen, and Pam Oliver
Box score

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Randy Moss 57-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 11:57. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 64 yards, 1:20.
NO – Doug Brien 33-yard field goal, 7:46. Vikings 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 4:11.
MIN – Gary Anderson 24-yard field goal, 1:36. Vikings 10–3. Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 6:10.

Second quarter

MIN – Cris Carter 17-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 1:29. Vikings 17–3. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 3:40.

Third quarter

MIN – Randy Moss 68-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 13:33. Vikings 24–3. Drive: 3 plays, 77 yards, 1:27.
NO – Dave Stachelski 2-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (Doug Brien kick), 9:33. Vikings 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 4:00.
MIN – Gary Anderson 44-yard field goal, 4:31. Vikings 27–10. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 5:02.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Robert Smith 2-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 10:46. Vikings 34–10. Drive: 8 plays, 29 yards, 4:32.
NO – Willie Jackson 48-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (pass failed), 2:19. Vikings 34–16. Drive: 3 plays, 66 yards, 0:58.

Top passers

NO – Aaron Brooks – 30/48, 295 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 17/31, 302 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

NO – Chad Morton – 5 rushes, 25 yards
MIN – Robert Smith – 25 rushes, 74 yards, TD

Top receivers

NO – Willie Jackson – 9 receptions, 125 yards, TD
MIN – Randy Moss – 2 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD

Player stats

Passing

Player	Completions	Attempts	Percentage	Yards	TD	Int	Rating
Jeff Blake	184	302	60.9	2,025	13	9	82.7
Aaron Brooks	113	194	58.2	1,514	9	6	85.7

Rushing

Player	Attempts	Yards	Avg Yards	Long	Touchdowns
Ricky Williams	248	1000	4.0	26	8
Jeff Blake	57	243	4.3	20	1
Terry Allen	46	179	3.9	18	2
Aaron Brooks	41	170	4.1	29	2

^[4]

Receiving

Player	Attempts	Yards	Avg Yards	Long	Touchdowns
Joe Horn	94	1340	14.3	52	8
Ricky Williams	44	409	9.3	24	1
Willie Jackson	37	523	14.1	53	6
Chad Morton	30	213	7.1	35	0
Keith Poole	21	293	14.0	49	1
Andrew Glover	21	281	13.4	39	4

^[4]

Defense

Sacks

Player	Number
La'Roi Glover	17
Joe Johnson	12
Darren Howard	11
Keith Mitchell	6.5
Willie Whitehead	5.5

^[4]

Interceptions

Player	Number	Yards	Avg Yards	Long	Touchdowns
Sammy Knight	5	68	13.6	37	2
Alex Molden	3	24	8.0	24	0
Darren Perry	3	3	1.0	3	0

^[4]

Awards and records

Jim Haslett, AP Coach of the Year,^[5]
Jim Haslett, College and Pro Football Newsweekly Coach of the Year,^[5]
Jim Haslett, Football Digest Coach of the Year,^[5]
Jim Haslett, Football News Coach of the Year,^[5]
Jim Haslett, Pro Football Writers Association Coach of the Year,^[5]
Jim Haslett, Sports Illustrated Coach of the Year ^[6]
Jim Haslett, USA Today NFC Coach of the Year,^[5]

Milestones

Ricky Williams, 1st 1000 rushing yards season

References

^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.129
^ "2000 New Orleans Saints Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
^ "2000 New Orleans Saints starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 127
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 201
^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 202

[1] NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.129

[2] "2000 New Orleans Saints Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2014.

[3] "2000 New Orleans Saints starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.

[Fact_Book_p._127-4] NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 127

[Fact_Book_p._201-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 201

[6] NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 202

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v t e New Orleans Saints
Founded in 1967 Based in New Orleans, Louisiana Headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana
Franchise	Franchise Seasons History All-time roster Coaches Expansion draft First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Broadcasters
Stadiums	Tulane Stadium Caesars Superdome Temporary home venues in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina: Alamodome Giants Stadium Tiger Stadium
Culture	Gumbo Sir Saint Saintsations Who Dat? Tom Benson Effect of Hurricane Katrina Buddy D "When the Saints Go Marching In" Home Team Number One A Saintly Switch
Lore	"Aints" (1–15) Dempsey's 63-yard field goal Dome Patrol Ricky Williams trade River City Relay Steve Gleason's blocked punt Beast Quake Bountygate Minneapolis Miracle NOLA No-Call
Rivalries	Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers Los Angeles Rams Minnesota Vikings Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wild card berths (5)	1987 1990 1992 2010 2013
Division championships (9)	1991 2000 2006 2009 2011 2017 2018 2019 2020
Conference championships (1)	2009
League championships (1)	2009 (XLIV)
Retired numbers	31 81
Ring of Honor	Andersen Benson Jackson Manning Mills Roaf Smith
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: South Division