A look back at the history of the Saints Offensive Coordinators

Klint Kubiak is the new offensive coordinator for New Orleans but who else has held the position?

On Wednesday, February. 14th, the New Orleans Saints announced that they hired San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak to be their new offensive coordinator. With this announcement, it makes him the team’s 10th offensive coordinator.

This got me thinking “Who else has held that position?” and led to me starting a deep dive into the history of the offensive coordinators of the team. I went all the way back to the inaugural season in 1967 and moved forward from there.

One thing that I found out is that there was only one offensive coordinator for the Saints during the first decade of the team’s history. In those situations, the head coach is the one who ran the offense with the help of their respective assistants.

1967-70… no one?

During the first three and a half seasons of Saints football, the offense was helmed by the team’s first-ever head coach: Tom Fears. He had the help of three – and in one season four – offensive assistants throughout the years. Fear’s groups of assistants had some slightly different faces in its first few years, but he would bring on offensive line coach Brad Ecklund in 1968 and stick with him for two and a half years.

The offense was improving a little bit each year – always finishing with more points scored than the previous season – but the defense was either the worst in the league or close to it. It was never able to be better than 10th in points against, and that’s what eventually led to the dismissal of Tom Fears by the team just halfway through the 1970 season.

1971 – 1972: Ken Shipp

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J.D Roberts was brought on to be the team’s new head coach during the latter half of the 1970 season. In his first off-season, he decided to hire Ken Shipp to be his new offensive coordinator. Shipp was previously the receivers coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.

During Shipp’s two seasons in New Orleans, the offense was near the bottom of the league in points scored. In his first season, the team scored 266 points. When compared to the rest of the NFL, that leaves only two other teams with fewer points scored. Unfortunately, his second year wasn’t much better with the team scoring 215 points, but in 1972 four teams had fewer points scored.

Ken Shipp would not get a third shot as the Saints offensive coordinator. John North, who was the receivers coach for the Lions, would be the new offensive coordinator for the Saints. At least, he was for a few months. Following a winless preseason in August, head coach J.D Roberts would be let go. North would get the promotion and become the team’s head coach.

1973-1975: Head coach John North ran the offense

This three-season stretch might be the worst offense the Saints have put out. For three straight seasons, the offense ranked in the bottom three of the NFL. The 1974 season is actually the only one in this span where it ranked anywhere other than last in the league.

What makes this a bit interesting, however, is the fact that the offense managed to produce nearly the same number of points for three seasons straight, even with a coaching change partway through the 1975 season. They scored 163 points in 1973, 166 points in 1974, and 165 points in 1975.

On October 27th, 1975, the Saints fired head coach John North. Ernie Hefferle was the team’s interim coach for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t fare much better, going 1-7 to finish out the season.

1976-77: Head coach Hank Stram ran the offense

According to the Saints website, the team officially hired Hank Stram as their new head coach on January 20th, 1976. With him having already won a Super Bowl as head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs (Super Bowl IV), it made him the most significant hire that owner John Meacom Jr. had made yet. Unfortunately, he was never able to bring the Saints to the same heights.

Quarterback Archie Manning had season-ending shoulder surgery in the 1976 off-season, which didn’t give Hank Stram the start that he wanted. That season, the offense would be nearly middle of the pack – ranking 18th in the NFL in points scored with 253. Unfortunately, the Saint’s defense wasn’t doing any better though they would finish the season 4-10 and miss the playoffs.

The following season the offense didn’t improve but was still able to be ranked 14th in points scored. However, the defense got worse. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, the defense allowed 346 total points. That would be more than any other defense that season. At the end of the 1977 season, head coach John North would be relieved of his duties.

1978-1980: Ed Hughes

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New head coach Dick Nolan was defensive-minded. He spent the previous season as the Saints linebackers coach but had previous head coaching experience before coming to New Orleans. With him being a defensive-minded coach, he would have to hire someone to run the offense. Eventually, his search would lead him to a familiar face, Ed Hughes. They previously worked together in San Francisco, where Hughes was the offensive coordinator and Nolan was head coach.

In his first season, the offense would be middle of the pack, ranking scoring 298 points. This would put them around 15th when compared with the rest of the league. It was his second season though, when the offense took off. They would score 370 points in the 1979 season – the most in franchise history. There were only five other teams that year that would score more points. Unfortunately, they would not make the playoffs in those years.

The defense of the team didn’t do Ed Hughes any favors, especially in the 1980 season. They would give up a total of 487 points that year, per football focus. That gives them the award for the worst defense in the league that year. Head coach Dick Nolan would be fired after a 27-7 loss against the LA Rams. The loss put the team at 0-12 for the year.

They would go on to be the first team to ever finish with a 1-15 record. In his three seasons with the Saints, he would have a record of 16-32.

1981-1985: King Hill

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Before becoming an NFL coach, King Hill would have a 10-year career in the NFL that saw him play for three different teams. Hill would first start coaching as an assistant with the Houston Oilers. It was there that he first met Oail “Bum” Phillips, who would go on to become the Saints head coach in 1981. King Hill would end up following Bum Phillips to the Crescent City and become the Saints offensive coordinator the same year.

Things didn’t start well. In his first season with the team, the offense would have the least number of points scored in the league (207). They didn’t score more points the next season, only scoring 129, but it’s important to note that the players went on strike in 1982, shortening the number of games played to nine, so there were fewer opportunities to score points. That year, only the Baltimore Colts would score fewer points.

The following season would be the best the offense would look under Hill’s tenure. They would score 319 points, ranking them 17th in the league. They would digress a bit in 1984, only scoring 298 points.

In his five years with the team, he would not only go through a player strike, but an ownership change. On May 31st, 1985, ownership of the New Orleans Saints would officially be in the possession of Tom Benson. His record with the team would be 28-45.

1986-1996: Carl Smith

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New head coach Jim Mora would bring on Carl Smith to be the new offensive coordinator of the Saints in the same year that he was hired, 1986. He would serve the team in that role for the next decade, with head coach Jim Mora resigning partway through the 1996 season.

Under Carl Smith, the Saints offense would be the best they’ve ever been up to that point. In his second season with the team, (1987), they would make their playoff debut as a franchise. That season would also see the most points scored by the offense at 422. Only the 49ers offense with 459 points would score more points that year. It would also be the debut of the Dome Patrol, which was one of the most iconic defenses the team has seen.

The offense would take a dip the following season in 1988 – only scoring 312 points – but the defense would hold strong, being ranked 4th in the league by Pro Football Focus. That season however the team would finish with a record of 10-6 and miss division title and the playoffs by a tiebreaker. They would fail to improve the next season, falling to 9-7 and miss the playoffs.

In 1990, they would return to the playoffs and stay there for three straight years. For those three straight years, the offense would consistently be ranked in the top 10 in points scored. The defense would be the best in the league during that time. Unfortunately, they were never able to make it past the wild-card round.

After the 1992 season, the Dome Patrol split up, with the defense never being able to recover, at least while Jim Mora was head coach. Carl Smith’s offense would stay relatively consistent, staying within the top 10 of points scored, except in 1995. That season, the Saints would finish 7-9 and last in their division, which then was the NFC West. With Jim Mora resigning partway through, the 1995 season, Carl Smith would not be brought back for the next season. His record in the regular season with the team would be 94-81-0, with his playoff record being 0-4.

1997-1999: Danny Abramowicz

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Abramowicz didn’t have much offensive coaching experience before this appointment. Previously, he served as the special teams coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 1992-1996. When Mike Ditka was hired as the Saints head coach, in ‘97, Abramowicz would follow him and reunite with the Crescent City. During the 1998 draft, head coach Mike Ditka would make the worst trade in team history, trading every pick the Saints had that year to select Texas running back Ricky Williams.

The offense would be a far cry from what it was during the previous decade. Even with one of the best running backs the college game has ever seen, under Abramowicz, playoff hopes would only be hopes. The most points that the offense would score during his tenure would be 305 in 1998. That would put them at 21st in the league.

At the end of the 1999 season, head coach Mike Ditka was fired, and Abramowicz would not make a return to the NFL. The Saints would have a record of 15-33-0.

2000-2004: Mike McCarthy

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Going into the 2000 season, New Orleans had faced seven straight losing seasons. That streak would snap in Mike McCarthy’s first season as offensive coordinator. Not only would the Saints make the playoffs that year, but they would also win their first playoff game in franchise history.

Under McCarthy, the offense was never in the bottom half of the league. The lowest amount of points they would score in a season would be in his second season with 333 in 2001. In 2002, the offense would score 432, which would be third best in the league, but they would fail to make the playoffs. That year, the Saint’s defense would be the biggest thing holding the team back, ranking 26th out of 32 teams.

In the next two years, the city would see the team miss the playoffs. The offense wasn’t half bad – ranking 11th in points scored in 2003 and 13th in 2004. Mike McCarthy’s record as offensive coordinator was 42-38-0 in the regular season, with the Saints having a record of 1-1 in the playoffs during his tenure.

He would become the offensive coordinator of the 49ers in 2005.

2005: Mike Sheppard

With Mike McCarthy leaving for the Golden State, head coach Jim Haslett needed a new offensive coordinator. He chose an internal hire, promoting quarterbacks coach Mike Sheppard to the role.

2005 would be a tumultuous year for the city of New Orleans. On August 23rd, Hurricane Katrina hit the city. The team would not play a down in the Super Dome that season, as it was heavily damaged by the storm. Their home stadiums included the Alamo Dome, Tiger Stadium, and the Giants Stadium at the meadowlands. Under Mike Sheppard, the offense would score 235 points, the second worst in the league. The team would go 3-13 in his one year as the offensive coordinator.

2006-2008: Doug Marrone

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On January 18th, 2006, the Saints would make the second most important move in team history and hire Sean Payton. He would decide to bring in former Saints offensive lineman Doug Marrone to be his first offensive coordinator. In March of that same year, they would make the most important move in team history and sign free-agent quarterback Drew Brees.

Under Marrone, the Saint’s offense would be among the best in the league. It would be among the best in the league, never dipping below 12th in points scored. New Orleans made it to their first-ever NFC championship in his first season, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to make it in his final two with the team. Again, the defense wasn’t able to support the offense. This was especially true in 2008 when the Saint’s offense scored a league best 463 points, but their defense was ranked 26th in points given up.

At the end of the 2008 season, he would leave the Saints and the NFL behind to become the head coach at Syracuse University. His record with the team would be 25-23 in the regular season, and 1-1 in the postseason.

2009-2023: Pete Carmichael Jr.

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With Marrone on his way out, head coach Sean Payton decided to make an internal hire for the offensive coordinator position. In 2009, then quarterbacks coach Pete Carmichael Jr. was promoted to help run the Saint’s offense. He would go on to be the longest-tenured offensive coordinator in team history.

The Saints would become the Super Bowl champions for the 2009 season, the first in franchise history. Carmichael has been praised a thousand times over by previous players and coaches as being a major contributing factor to that victory. Since then, the team has made it to the playoffs multiple times although never returning to the final stage.

In 2011, the Saints would see the highest-scoring offense in team history. They would score 547 points, second most in the league that year behind a historic Green Bay Packers team.

Following the 2021 season, head coach Sean Payton would announce his initial retirement from coaching. On February 8th, 2022, the Saints would promote defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to be their new head coach. Carmichael would have to run the offense without Payton for the first time in his career.

But didn’t pan out well, having scored only the 22nd most in the league in 2022. The offense did score more points the following season – scoring 402 – but most of those points came in garbage time. At the end of the 2023 season, Pete Carmichael’s offense was considered to be among the least creative in the league. This is probably what led to him being let go by the Saints on January 26th of this year.

His record with the team would be 150-93 in the regular season and 8-7 in the playoffs.

2024 – now: Klint Kubiak

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Klint Kubiak is the son of legendary NFL coach Gary Kubiak, who won four Super Bowls during his time in the league. Kubiak has spent the last season as the San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator. With contrast to Pete Carmichael’s offense, the 49ers offense was considered to be among the more creative in the league.

In 2022, he was the passing game coordinator and the quarterbacks coach of the Denver Broncos. He was also the Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach from 2019-2020, and later their offensive coordinator in 2021.

Only time will tell what Kubiak’s offense might look like, but everything is looking good for the future.