Son of a Bum, Saints Make Game a Reversal of Form for Everyone

The team that defeated the Rams, 29-3, Sunday afternoon was led by an owner who now doubles as general manager, a head coach who, by his own assessment, is three games away from unemployment, a Bible-thumping quarterback making only his third start of the season and a defense that brings new meaning to the word sieve .

But there were the new New Orleans Saints Sunday thumping the Rams . . . Lambs (does it matter anymore?) like bullies and proving once and for all that the NFC West is no place for half-hearted efforts.

So thorough was the beating that there was considerable question as to which team was 5-8 and which was 9-4. The Saints, headed nowhere and supposedly in disarray following the resignation of Coach Bum Phillips last Monday, sent the Ram self-esteem to new depths. They showed Ram quarterback Dieter Brock a place on the bench and then treated his replacement, Jeff Kemp, to generous helpings of humiliation. Kemp stayed long enough to fumble twice and witness another bobble after a completion. All three fumbles became Saint scores.

Brock was kept on the sidelines by Coach John Robinson with 12:04 left in the game. By then, the Saints had built a 19-3 lead and allowed just five Brock completions for, ta-da , 46 yards. They also intercepted a Brock pass and later turned it into a touchdown. In short: The best Saint defense was the Ram offense.

As if the loss to New Orleans didn’t hurt enough, Saint All-Pro linebacker Rickey Jackson decided to sprinkle a few more grains of salt into the open Ram wound.

Asked about the rejuvenated Saint defense (previously ranked 26th in the NFL), Jackson said: “What I’d like to do is face someone like Chicago with the system we’ve got. Or San Francisco. I’ll be glad to face someone who is good, to see how it works.

“Even though (the Rams) are a good team, too, I’d like to face somebody who is supposed to be on top,” Jackson said.

At last look the Rams were leading their division, but isn’t that the San Francisco 49ers with a reservation for next Monday night’s game at Candlestick Park? The Rams and Coach John Robinson may yet be fighting for only a wild-card playoff berth.

“Listen, we weren’t going to be denied,” said Jack Del Rio, formerly of USC and now a Saint linebacker.

The Saints went about their business this week by doing what they do best, which is to be embroiled in some form of controversy. This season they have endured a quarterback shuffle, a change in ownership, a 19th year without a playoff appearance and, most recently, a new coach. Wade Phillips replaced his father and promised to be his own man. He didn’t say anything about being his own coach.

Without warning, the Saints chucked conservatism and played as if they were the favorites. Quarterback Bobby Hebert, who replaced Dave Wilson two weeks ago, tossed long passes all afternoon, including a 43-yard score to wide receiver Eric Martin early in the fourth period. Martin made a remarkable catch against All-Pro cornerback Gary Green.

Hebert said he thought the Ram defense appeared confused and unsure of itself and the Saint offense. Had he not underthrown two long passes, Hebert said, “I think we would have had two more touchdowns.”

Also included in the day’s events was the running of Earl Campbell, who gained 74 yards and added another 45 yards worth of receptions. Kicker Morten Andersen contributed five field goals.

“Yes, this was the biggest win in my coaching career,” said the younger Phillips.

Phillips, who considers himself an interim replacement until owner Tom Benson names a new head coach, received a game ball. So did Bum, who was back home in Texas.

Said Wade Phillips, who spoke with his father on Thanksgiving: “My dad did tell me it was a lot tougher than it ended up.”

Strange, but another controversy may have been born Sunday. Benson, a post-game visitor to the Saint locker room, said he hasn’t eliminated his new coach from consideration. “Wade has the same opportunity as anybody else,” he said.

Benson said a search committee has been assembled to find a new general manager and head coach. Selections for a general manager are expected by the end of December while a coach should be named by the end of January. Meanwhile, said Benson, “I think we’re going to win these next three games, too, and in the same fashion: we’re going to blow them out.”

The Rams, with their uninspired performance, provided the reason for such optimism. Ram quarterbacks were sacked nine times. When they weren’t running for their lives, they were trying for first downs, which is a strange chore when running backs Eric Dickerson and Barry Redden are available.

Early in the third period, when the Rams trailed 9-3, Brock attempted a sneak with the ball on the New Orleans 34 and less than a yard to go for a first down. Trouble was, it was fourth down and the Saint defense was expecting Brock.

“I couldn’t believe they called it,” Jackson said. “We had been practicing against that all week. We knew they liked to sneak their quarterbacks. We had all three guys on the front of the center. We were just waiting on that.”

Brock was stopped for no gain.

The remainder of the game became a Mardi Gras for the 44,122 fans who visited the Superdome. The Saints scored four times in the fourth period and the Rams watched in disbelief.

“Even though they were looking ahead (to the 49ers game), after the first couple of licks, they had to start looking at us,” Jackson said. “They didn’t adjust.”