Countdown to New Orleans Saints Kickoff: A History of No. 7

The 2017 regular season begins for the New Orleans Saints in Minneapolis, MN. The Saints begin their 51st season on Monday night football, when they take on the Minnesota Vikings.

The game is just 7 days from now, and Canal Street Chronicles continues counting down to kickoff by looking at some of the Saints players that have worn the No. 7.

Some player information courtesy of Pro Football Reference.

Morten Andersen (K, 1982-1994)

Andersen was a 4th round selection in 1982 by New Orleans and would take over the team's placekicking duties that season, a post he would hold for the next thirteen years. Andersen made six Pro Bowls during his time in New Orleans, and finished top 5 in the league in scoring five times. He ranked in the top 10 in field goal percentage and field goals made 7 different times, leading the league in percentage in 1986, and field goals in 1987.

Andersen was named to the NFL's All-Decade team of both the 1980s and 1990s. He was released by New Orleans after the 1994 season, going on to play with the Atlanta Falcons for the next eight years. He then played with Kansas City and Minnesota before finishing his career back with Atlanta in 2007. His 382 games played were the most in NFL history.

Andersen scored 1,318 points in his thirteen year Saints career. He was a unanimous selection on the Saints 45th Anniversary team, and in 2009 was elected into the Saints Hall of Fame. Morten Andersen was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, only the 3rd primary placekicker, along with Jan Stenerud and George Blanda (also a quarterback) to receive the highest honor.

Danny Wuerffel (QB, 1997-1999)

Wuerffel, a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback at Florida, was selected in the 4th round of the 1997 draft by New Orleans. He started two games during his rookie year, finishing 0-2, while throwing for 518 yards with 4 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He went 2-2 over four more starts in 1998, and threw for 695 yards with 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Wuerffel finished his career with the Saints after the '99 season, with a total of 1,404 yards, 9 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He played for three more teams, ending his NFL career in Washington in 2002.

Luke McCown (2013-2016)

McCown was originally signed by the Saints as a free agent in the summer of 2012 after spending the first six years of his career with Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Jacksonville. He was released by New Orleans before the season opener that year, and would serve as the Falcons' backup QB for 2012. He re-signed with New Orleans in the following offseason, serving as the team's holder and backup to Drew Brees for the next four years.

McCown would get his first start in four seasons in 2015, when Brees was sidelined due to injury for a game against Carolina. Although the Saints lost McCown's start, he completed 82% of his passes for 310 yards in the loss. McCown was released at the conclusion of the 2016 season, and is currently looking for a new team after recently being released by the Dallas Cowboys.

Other Saints players to wear No. 7: Toni Linhart (1972), Guy Benjamin (1980), Steve Weatherford (2006-07), Ben Graham (2008)