A most unimpressive season. Standouts Archie Manning and rookie linebacker Joe Federspiel could do little to salvage the season.
The highlights of the year where few. Though the 1972 draft did produce a couple of standouts that would be mainstays throughout the seasons to come. Third round pick Tommy Myers from Syracuse would eventually become a Pro Bowl safety and the fourth round pick -- Joe Federspiel, a middle linebacker from Kentucky, would remain with the Saints for the next 8 years.
This was the year the New Orleans Saints played their first ever Monday Night Football game. It was a loss, but only by 3 points to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The running game continued to be a problem. Leading rusher Bob Gresham had but 381 yards to his credit. And QB Manning was only 30 yards behind. Manning's totals were respectable, completing 51 percent of his 448 attempts for 2781 yards and 18 tds. And for the first time ever, the Saints had someone besides Danny Abramowicz lead the team in receiving. Rookie Bob Newland had 47 catches and 579 yards while Abramowicz had 38 grabs and 688 yards.
