Overtime

It was Jan. 3, 1988.
In the final minutes of the Saints 44-10 loss to the Vikings in the Wild Card playoffs, a sold out Superdome stood and cheered their Saints as the seconds ticked off.

New Orleans, a woebegone franchise, for most of its first 20 seasons, had reached the playoffs.

The architects of that giant turnaround were general manager Jim Finks and head coach Jim Mora.

Finks was such a great executive for three franchises, that he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

Mora would coach the Saints to four playoff appearances.

He would do that for a franchise that up until then, did not have a winning season.

By any measure, the Jims, Finks and Mora, are among the most significant individuals in franchise history.

So, why are they not in the club’s Ring of Honor?

All of those who are, Morten Andersen, Tom Benson, Rickey Jackson, Archie Manning, Sam Mills, Willie Roaf and Will Smith are quite deserving.

But, there’s no questioning the credentials of Finks and Mora.

Finks helped assemble one of the most talented rosters in the National Football League.

He was a top notch executive and leader, who also had success with the Vikings and Bears. In 1984, Finks was president of the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs won the National League East championship, and lost the decisive game five in the National League Championship Series.

Mora was Mora, a hard driving ex-Marine who pushed his team to a 12-win season in 1987.

It was in the middle of that year, after a two-point loss to the 49ers, that Mora galvanized a football team, and its city.

After a question from then New Orleans TV Sports Director Ron Swoboda, Mora went off.

“Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda,” said Mora.

“The Saints aren’t good enough to beat the 49ers.”

Three weeks later, the Saints were defeating the 49ers 26-24 in San Francisco.

New Orleans won nine straight games to the end the regular season, then the longest winning streak in franchise history.

From 1990 to 1992, the Saints reached the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, and won the club’s first ever Division Championship in 1991.

Yes, the Saints did not win a playoff game in Mora’s tenure.

But, that was as much to do about the opposition as anything.

In the 80’s, the 49ers, Redskins, Giants and Bears all had superb teams that won Super Bowl championships.

What Jim Mora deserves now is to stand on the floor of the Superdome, and for Saints fans to tell him in person how much they appreciate what he and the late Jim Finks did for the franchise and the city of New Orleans.

Mora turned 87 in May.

The time for the Saints to make it happen is yesterday.