The 1981 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints' fifteenth season in the National Football League. Hoping past success would bring a bright future to New Orleans the Saints hired Bum Phillips to be their new head coach. Phillips had turned around the Houston Oilers after they had suffered similar struggles, eventually taking them to consecutive AFC Championship Games in 1978 and 1979, both of which ended with defeats to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coming of an NFL worst 1–15 record the previous year, the Saints received the first overall pick in the 1981 draft, which they used to select Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers out of South Carolina. Phillips banked on Rogers giving the Saints the same boost that Earl Campbell did when Phillips drafted him out of Texas three years earlier.
Rogers won the Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he rushed all-time rookie record of 1,674 yards, a record which was eclipsed just two years later when Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams rushed for 1,808. However, the Saints would continue to struggle finishing with a 4–12 record. It was the Saints’ thirteenth of fifteen seasons with five or fewer wins, and eighth with double-digit defeats.
Despite finishing with a poor record, they did have a couple bright moments, such as defeating the eventual AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals in the Superdome and defeating the Houston Oilers, Bum Phillips' old team, on the road.
New Orleans swept the NFC West division rival Los Angeles Rams for the first time since they were placed in the same division for the 1970 season.
Offseason
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1981 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeMonte BennettDefensive tackleKansas State
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 6 at Atlanta Falcons L 0–27 0–1 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 57,406 2 September 13 Los Angeles Rams W 23–17 1–1 Louisiana Superdome 62,063 3 September 20 at New York Giants L 7–20 1–2 Giants Stadium 69,814 4 September 27 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–21 1–3 Candlestick Park 44,433 5 October 4 Pittsburgh Steelers L 6–20 1–4 Louisiana Superdome 64,578 6 October 11 Philadelphia Eagles L 14–31 1–5 Louisiana Superdome 52,728 7 October 18 at Cleveland Browns L 17–20 1–6 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 76,059 8 October 25 Cincinnati Bengals W 17–7 2–6 Louisiana Superdome 46,336 9 November 1 Atlanta Falcons L 10–41 2–7 Louisiana Superdome 63,637 10 November 8 at Los Angeles Rams W 21–13 3–7 Anaheim Stadium 61,068 11 November 15 at Minnesota Vikings L 10–20 3–8 Metropolitan Stadium 45,215 12 November 22 at Houston Oilers W 27–24 4–8 Houston Astrodome 49,581 13 November 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 14–31 4–9 Louisiana Superdome 62,209 14 December 6 at St. Louis Cardinals L 3–30 4–10 Busch Memorial Stadium 46,923 15 December 13 Green Bay Packers L 7–35 4–11 Louisiana Superdome 45,518 16 December 20 San Francisco 49ers L 17–21 4–12 Louisiana Superdome 43,639 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Awards and records George Rogers, NFL rushing title, 1,674 yardsNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 437 George Rogers, franchise record, most rushing yards by a rookie, 1,674 yards George Rogers, NFL Record (since broken), most rushing yards by a rookie, 1,674 yards
References
External links Saints on Pro Football Reference Saints on jt-sw.com