Found this little gem of Saints History at St. Mary’s Poker Club and thought it would be really cool to share with you Saints fans. It’s a video of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jeff Groth. After 2 modest seasons with the Houston Oilers, Groth joined the Saints when Bum Phillips took over in 1981 and handled much of the punt return duties in first years with the Saints.
With such running backs as George Rodgers, Wayne Wilson and Hokie Gajan, Bum Phillips remained very run-heavy and relied little on the passing game. Even so, Jeff Groth led the team in receiving in 1982 and 1983.
Jeff Groth’s Career Receiving Statistics With New Orleans Saints (1981-1985)
| Catches | Yards | Average | Longest | TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 20 | 380 | 19.0 | 54 | 1 |
| 1982 | 30 | 383 | 12.8 | 39 | 1 |
| 1983 | 49 | 585 | 11.9 | 42 | 1 |
| 1984 | 33 | 487 | 14.8 | 31 | 0 |
| 1985 | 15 | 238 | 15.9 | 56 | 2 |
| Totals | 147 | 2073 | 14.1 | 5 | 5 |
Career Punt Returns With The Saints
| Returns | Yards | Average | Longest | TDs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 37 | 436 | 11.8 | 36 | 0 |
| 1982 | 21 | 144 | 6.9 | 18 | 0 |
| 1983 | 39 | 276 | 7.1 | 30 | 0 |
| 1984 | 6 | 32 | 5.3 | 9 | 0 |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 104 | 887 | 14.4 | 36 | 0 |