Jim Haslett

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James Donald "Jim" Haslett (born December 9, 1955 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams. He was the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and was selected in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He was a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills until 1985, and played with the New York Jets in 1987. In 2005 he admitted to using steroids for a brief time during his playing days. [1] He was awarded Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1979.

He was named head coach of the New Orleans Saints in January, 2000. That season, he guided the Saints to a 10-6 regular-season record, their second NFC West title, and the first playoff victory in team history as they defeated the St. Louis Rams, before falling to the Minnesota Vikings the following week. As a result of the Saints' turnaround from their previous 3-13 season under previous head coach Mike Ditka, Haslett was named NFL Coach of the Year.

Unfortunately, the Saints were unable to duplicate the success of that season under the remainder of Haslett's tenure. The Haslett-era Saints were marred by inconsistency and mediocrity, and were known for being considered playoff contenders early in the season only to collapse later in the season and miss the playoffs. After losing their final four games in the 2001 season to finish 7-9, the Saints started strong the following season with a 9-4 record, only to lose their final three games (all to teams with losing records) to miss the playoffs in 2002. During that season, despite cries from fans to bench injured quarterback Aaron Brooks and play backup Jake Delhomme, Haslett stuck with Brooks, which likely contributed to the team's late-season fade. Winning just one of those last three games would have secured them a playoff spot. Conversely, in 2004, the Saints started off poorly, struggling to a 4-8 start, before surging late in the season to win their last four games to finish 8-8. However, it was not enough to earn them a spot in the playoffs. The Saints did not return to the playoffs during Haslett's tenure.

In 2005, Haslett's sixth and final year with the Saints, the team stumbled to a 3-13 record after Hurricane Katrina forced the team to temporarily relocate their operations to San Antonio, Texas, and play three of their home games there (in the Alamodome), four in Baton Rouge at LSU's Tiger Stadium, and one at Giants Stadium in New Jersey against the New York Giants. Despite Haslett's strong leadership during a difficult season marred with extensive travelling and substandard practicing conditions in San Antonio, it was not enough to save his job.

Haslett was fired on January 2, 2006, due to the team's disappointing performance over the previous five years. He was hired as defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams shortly thereafter.

Preceded by Dick LeBeau	Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator 1997-1999	Succeeded by Tim Lewis
Preceded by Mike Ditka	New Orleans Saints Head Coaches 2000–2005	Succeeded by Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints Head Coaches
Fears • Roberts • North • Hefferle • Stram • D. Nolan • Stanfel • B. Phillips • W. Phillips • J.E. Mora • Venturi • Ditka • Haslett • Payton