Following Will Smith, more Saints legends deserving of Ring of Honor induction

Will Smith is going into the SaintS Ring of Honor this Sunday. It’s a good honor for Smith and great for his family which suffered a tremendous loss.

An excellent player for the Saints over the period of nine years including being an integral member and captain of a Super Bowl championship team, Smith earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 2006 after making 49 tackles including 10.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered one.

In the Super Bowl season of 2009, Smith had a career-best 13 sacks as part of 49 tackles. He forced three fumbles and had an interception.

One can fully understand the honor.

Smith was not just a very good player but he was a popular teammate.

While there is joy for Smith – inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2016 (his first year of eligibility) – there are others who are richly deserving of the Ring of Honor, some of whom may be overdue.

Jim Finks is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Finks brought respectability and winning to New Orleans, presiding over the first winning season, the first playoff appearance and four playoff appearances during his tenure with the Saints. He is deserving.

Jim Mora was the coach who did the job for Finks and Tom Benson, bringing a winner to New Orleans, including the same accomplishments as Finks, who hired him, with the Saints. He is deserving.

Sam Mills made four Pro Bowls with the Saints in nine seasons (1986-94). He was simply brilliant, a team captain and the signal caller for the terrific defenses the franchise had in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. He was named first-team All-Pro by several entities with the Saints in both 1991 and 1992. He was a tackling machine, posting over 100 tackles five times.

Like Smith, Mills played nine seasons with the franchise. Mills was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 1998. Mills has already been inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2001), the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame (2002), and the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame (2003). Mills has been a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is on the ballot once again. Mills was a member of the “Dome Patrol,” voted the best corps of linebackers in NFL history.

Pat Swilling is the only player in franchise history to be named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. That occurred in 1991, when the Saints won their first-ever division title. Swilling led the NFL in 1991 with 17 sacks. Swilling played seven seasons with the Saints (1986-92). He still ranks third all-time in franchise history with 76.5 sacks. He was a first-team All-Pro in both 1991 and 1992 and was a four-time Pro Bowl participant in his seven years with the Saints.

Swilling was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2007), the College Football Hall of Fame (2009) and the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame (2019).

Vaughan Johnson was also a member of the Dome Patrol and the hardest hitter of all. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player in eight seasons (1986-93) with the Saints. He posted over 100 tackles three times. Johnson was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame (2000), the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame (2017) and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2011).

Wayne Martin played 11 seasons with the Saints and was outstanding at defensive end. Martin was a Pro Bowl participant in 1994. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame (2003). Martin was superb and he was durable, starting 144 consecutive games. He ranks eighth all-time in games played (171) in franchise history and he is second all-time in sacks with 82.5 to his credit. Martin had 10 more sacks five times, forced 12 fumbles and recovered 13 fumbles.

Deuce McAllister played eight seasons with the Saints from 2001-08. He is the all-time rushing leader in franchise history with 6,096 yards, second in touchdowns (55) and the eighth leading scorer with 330 points. Deuce was first-team All-Pro by Pro Football Weekly in 2002 and in 2003 and reached the Pro Bowl in both seasons. He was an integral part of the team that reached the NFC Championship game in 2006. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2012 and is now the color analyst on New Orleans Saints radio broadcasts.

Marques Colston is going into the Saints Hall of Fame in three weeks in his first year of eligibility. Colston is the all-time leader in franchise history in receptions (711) and receiving yards (9,759) and receiving touchdowns (72). He played for 10 seasons and is 15th all-time in games played with 146. He led the team in receiving yards five times. He was a huge part of the Super Bowl XLIV championship team.

Joe Horn is third in receptions (523) and in receiving yards (7,622) in franchise history. He is second in touchdown catches (50). Horn played seven seasons in New Orleans and was a four-time Pro Bowl participant who was part of the 2000 season when the Saints won their first playoff game ever and the 2006 season when the Saints went to the NFC Championship game. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2010 and will join the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame next June.

Keep in mind that Jahri Evans becomes eligible for the Saints Hall of Fame in 2020 and he will be a slam dunk for that honor. Evans, who played 12 seasons for the Saints, is 10th in games played in franchise history (169). He was a first-team All-Pro four times and a six-time Pro Bowl player.

Once Evans is inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame, he should immediately be on watch for the Ring of Honor as one of the two best linemen in franchise history along with Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Willie Roaf.