It is safe to say Jim Mora is a conservative type-the kind who never lets his AAA card expire, who comparison-shops paper towels, who highlights map routes with a felt-tip pen the night before a trip.
Last Sunday in a tiny room at Candlestick Park, the New Orleans Saints coach threw caution to the wind when asked if the NFC West was shaping up as a legitimate race now that the New Orleans Saints trail the San Francisco 49ers by just a game.
”Yep,” he said, ”sure does.”
Jimmy, you`re becoming a wild man. What`s next? Returning library books a day late? Drinking milk out of the carton?
Mora had been adamantly refusing to use the word ”contender” to describe his team, strongly downplaying playoff chances. The ”contender”
issue began a month ago when the Saints lost to the 49ers by two points in the Superdome.
Mora blasted reporters who asked if the Saints ought to be considered a contender in the division. He said they absolutely were not a contender and anyone who even entertained such a notion didn`t know what he was talking about.
”Boy, did we get a cussin` out,” said nose tackle Tony Elliot. ”The hurting part was that it was public. But we understood what he was saying: If we weren`t good enough to beat the 49ers, we weren`t good enough to be contenders.”
Since that loss, the Saints have won three consecutive games, all on the road: 38-0 over the Falcons, 31-14 over the Rams and 26-24 over the 49ers.
”The players understood what he was saying when he blasted us in the papers. He was telling us we have to earn his respect, and it worked,” Elliot said. ”We`ve won three in a row on the road, haven`t we? But even now, I bet he doesn`t call us a contender. He won`t say it. He`ll think it`s too early.” But Mora did say it. He came right out and used the ”C” word.
”Yes, we`re contenders. I thought we were contenders the last couple of weeks. But being a contender doesn`t count. Being a contender means you haven`t done it yet. All that matters is where you are in the end.”
If the Saints are on top in the end, it will be due in large part to their defense. It is the top-rated defense in the league. Yet, it gave up 140 yards rushing and 258 yards passing, and three touchdowns, to San Francisco.
Mora said a couple of San Francisco scores were because of New Orleans mistakes ”though I don`t want to take anything away from the 49ers.”
Despite mistakes and a less-than-brilliant day by quarterback Bobby Hebert, Mora was pleased. His team showed spirit, a rare commodity in New Orleans for many years.
”There were a couple of times when they really could have gotten down,” Mora said. ”But they kept battling. They kept fighting back, fighting back, fighting back. And in the end, they found a way to win.”
Contenders seem to do that.
