WhoDat!656

In early 1982, then-Saints head coach Bum Phillips had enough.

His place kicker, Benny Ricardo, a hold-over from the previous regime under Dick Nolan that had gone 1-15 in 1980 in what was one of the worst seasons in NFL history much less Saints history, couldn’t hit on his field goal attempts with any sort of consistency during Phillips’ first year as coach in 1981.

Even worse, he couldn’t resurrect the kicking career of 3rd year punter Russell Erxleben, who had been the kicker before Ricardo but wilted under the enormous pressure of being the first ever kicker in NFL history to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, which the Saints inexplicably did in 1979.

Frustrated, in the 4th Round of the 1982 Draft, Phillips pulled the trigger on an All-American kicker from the Michigan State Spartans named Morten Andersen, who would go on to become a Saints legend — and today’s featured player of the Saints Legends Where Are They Now? Series, for Big Easy Believer.

Where Are Saints Legends Now? Morten Andersen

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

jeanpierre

Mora was an idiot for letting him go; Andersen underestimated how fans would react to his signing with Atlanta...

Beastmode

For $499 he will give you 90 minutes of kicking instruction.

Rugby Saint II

Besides helping me hate the word playoffs Mora also took away Morton Anderson. Thank God for Sean Payton!

Beastmode

It was the only thing you could depend on during that era. We likely lose the game but or kicker is going to score on you. We are getting on the scoreboard.

WhoDat!656

It kind of took the sting out of Bum trading Archie Manning.

hagan714

I met Mort a few times before during and after the move the Falcons. one thing held true each time. he was always amazed the saints would not keep him over chicken feed. It was not the reason why they would not match but more the attitude they took when talked about it. He could of signed for more and played else where but the Falcons were more of a revenge signing against the front office.

Jim Mora and that front office have a long list of reasons to hate them. this is just one.

come on man just match the falcons.

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

jeanpierre

Any goodwill credit Mora had by being the HC when the Saints were perennial losers has been methodically removed by his f***tard ways...

In time, we've come to learn that...

Carl Smith was actually a good coordinator who was a loyal soldier who Mora threw under the bus because of his own insecurities and lack of faith in his players - this per on-air testimony from Bobby Hebert on his radio show...

And if you look at the successful personnel moves under the Mora era, they were best when Mr. Jim Finks was the President & General Manager.

vpheughan

Wasn't it Jim Finks who branded him a player in decline and cut him?

foreverfan

If I can forgive Bobby Hebert, I can certainly forgive Morten Anderson.