Black and Gold On a Roll: Brees and Company Now 10-0

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The New Orleans Saints have now done what has never been done in their 40+ year history. They have started a season at 10-0 and along the way have found ways to win that the Saints of old could never have done. The credit for the offensive firepower of the Saints can be shared by many players and coaches and front office members. Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton decided that a quarterback with a serious shoulder injury might make a good free-agent acquisition. That quarterback was Drew Brees and as it turned out, that choice was fortuitous for both Brees and New Orleans. After a full year of rehab, Brees came in and showed that not only was he still a capable QB. That he could also excel at his position and take on the role of a team leader. Something that was in very short supply in New Orleans's QB corp. Now, 4 years later, the New Orleans Saints are a legitimate contender for the NFC Championship and possible Super Bowl candidate. New Orleans got here by building a solid offense and this past year they drafted and made free agent signings that bolstered the defense that has taken the pressure off Brees so that he doesn't HAVE to score 45 points a game and throw for 400 yards to win. Now the defense helps with the additions of people like Darrin Sharper, Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer to name just a few. Add to that the signing 2 years ago of Jonathan Vilma and having 2 other good LBs to work with (Shanle and Fujita) and you have a good nucleus for a solid defense. With the offense's ability to score, the defense doesn't have to win the game for you. It just has to NOT lose the game. The defensive power can be attributed to the new DefCoord Gregg Williams. He has put his people on the field and played an aggressive style of defense that hasn't been seen here since the days of the old "Dome Patrol" defense. Back when players like Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson and Pat Swilling were possibly the best 4-man corps in the NFL.

Now, at 10-0, the Saints are poised at a crossroads in the franchise's history. This is the place where legends are built and dynasties start. How the New Orleans Saints handle the rest of this season and where they end up, I couldn't say. But I do know that this season will long be remembered as when the Saints really DID come marching in. And if they should make it to the "Promised Land", then they will at last have arrived as a true NFL power.

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