By Mary Foster
Associated Press
Sunday, September 12, 1999; 5:01 p.m. EDT

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Saints new offense looked a lot like its old one, especially after Ricky Williams left with another ankle injury.

Luckily for the Saints, George Seifert's new Carolina Panthers team looked nothing like his old one at San Francisco.

The Saints beat the Panthers 19-10 Sunday in a dull season opener that emphasized the problems each team still has this year. Special teams and defense were the difference as Tyrone Drakeford returned a Carolina fumble 20 yards for a New Orleans touchdown on the opening kickoff, and the Saints shut out the Panthers in the second half.

New Orleans, 28th in the league last year in total offense and last in rushing, gave up eight draft picks for Williams, counting on the Heisman Trophy winner to run the football the way he did at Texas, where he was the NCAA record-holder for yards rushing. But his NFL debut was unimpressive – 10 carries for 40 yards and another injury to the left ankle that hampered him in preseason.

Williams, who had only nine preseason rushes before spraining his left ankle, made his two best runs of the game on the final two plays of the first quarter, running for 8 and 7 yards for the Saints' initial first down. He got up limping on his left leg, however, and hopped to the sidelines.

Williams returned for two more carries in the second quarter before being taken to the locker room for X-rays. He was found to have a slight sprain in a slightly different location than the one that sidelined him since Aug. 13. He did not return to the game.

Seifert probably would have capitalized on the Saints' weak running game when he was coaching the 49ers. This year, he's trying to shape up the Panthers, however, a team that strongly resembles New Orleans in ineptness.

Carolina had only 12 first downs and converted just 17 percent of its third downs, New Orleans 13 first downs and converted 29 percent of its third downs. The Saints had 255 total yards, the Panthers 246.

Saints cornerback Fred Weary hammered Michael Bates on the opening kickoff, and Drakeford scooped up the fumble and returned it for a score, making it 7-0 12 seconds into the game.

After Doug Brien's 46-yard field goal put New Orleans up 10-0, Steve Beuerlein passed to Wesley Walls for a 5-yard touchdown, and John Kasay kicked a 52-yard field goal to tie it 10-10 in the second quarter.

Brien made a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter to put the Saints ahead to stay, and Billy Joe Hobert hit Keith Poole for a 67-yard touchdown with 4:14 left in the third quarter, giving New Orleans a 19-10 edge.

The Panthers had a 9-play, 42-yard drive in the fourth quarter, but a 53-yard field goal attempt by Kasay missed.

Beuerlein completed 16 of 32 passes for 207 yards for Carolina. He was also sacked seven times. Carolina's leading rusher was Tshimanga Biakabutuka with 45 yards on eight carries.

Hobert, playing his first complete game since Dec. 14, 1997, completed 11 of 22 passes for 132 yards. He was sacked four times.