Bum’s Gone; Owner’s On His Own : Strange Happenings in New Orleans Usually Greet Rams

One can always tell when the Rams are about to go to New Orleans because strange things start to happen in the Crescent City.

Two years ago, the Saints wound themselves into a frenzy of “Who Dat?” fever that was ultimately cooled by Mike Lansford’s last-second, 42-yard field goal. The 26-24 win put the Rams in the playoffs and denied the Saints their first winning season.

Last year, a few days before the game, Coach Bum Phillips traded a first-round draft choice to the Houston Oilers for Earl Campbell.

That set up one of the most bizarre game plans in the annals of the National Football League. In the first half against the Rams, Phillips alternated series with his old Oiler backfield of quarterback Ken Stabler and Campbell with quarterback Richard Todd and runner George Rogers. Veteran NFL observers watched in disbelief as the Rams happily stole away with a 28-10 victory.

The Rams will return to New Orleans Sunday, so this week the Saints did it again. Phillips, with exquisite timing, abruptly quit after his team snapped a six-game losing streak with a 30-23 win at Minnesota. Then owner Tom Benson fired three other front office executives.

Phillips was hired by the previous owner, his old friend John Mecom. It’s apparent that he would have been gone by season’s end, anyway, with the Saints 4-8 and assured of missing the playoffs again, but Phillips’ action effectively told Benson: “You won’t fire me. I quit.”

Thus deprived of the privilege, Benson responded by dismissing Eddie Jones, Pat Peppler and Greg Suit, apparently reasoning that canning a club president, director of football operations and public relations director was equivalent to the satisfaction of firing one coach.

As anyone knows, the best way to turn a franchise around is to fire the PR guy.

At least one New Orleans insider insists that Phillips really did just flat walk away from the last three years of his contract worth $1.3 million. No buy-out, no settlement.

But more strange than that was for Phillips to leave the sorry Saints in the hands of his son Wade, the 38-year-old defensive coordinator who becomes the interim head coach.

What does Bum have against his kid, anyway?

The NFL says this is the first time a son has ever succeeded his father as head coach, although Charley Winner followed his father-in-law, Weeb Ewbank, with the Jets in 1974.

With Son of Bum in charge, the team probably won’t look much different Sunday, and it’s difficult to say how the Saints will react.

A long-range look presents even more questions, such as, where is this lost ship of fools headed next?

Benson’s purge leaves nobody with a football background in a top management position. Benson said he will be his own general manager until he finds another. If it continues that way, the NFL would be concerned.

Hank Stram, a former Saints coach-turned broadcaster who still lives in New Orleans, has said he’s not interested, but George Allen may be among the first to apply.

Joe Browne, the NFL’s director of communications, indicated that the league is watching closely.

“It appears to be an interim move,” Browne said. “I would think Mr. Benson will seek at least one experienced football individual.”

Benson also must answer to his partners. He owns only 30% of the franchise and is listed officially as “managing general partner,” just like Al Davis of the Raiders. He and 10 “limited partners,” along with about 25 other minor investors, bought the operation for $70 million.

“I’ve got to say I don’t know a lot about football,” Benson is quoted in the Saint media guide published last summer, “but I think I know something about people. Winners are people that put in a little extra effort to rise a little higher, to achieve a little more. We have that kind of people in this organization.”

And, clearly, the owner stood behind every one of them, as he kicked them out the door.