New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees joined ESPN Radio on Thursday and spent a good portion of his segment talking about the alleged bounty scandal and having Sean Payton at last Sunday's game where Brees broke Johnny Unitas' 52-year-old record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass.

Much of the conversation revolved around Terry Bradshaw and his spot on WFAN in New York. Bradshaw took fault with Brees asking the NFL for permission to bring Payton to the game.

Brees, responding on Mike and Mike in the Morning, spoke about the reason why he wanted Payton there and even took a shot at Goodell and the NFL.

Is it just me, or is this bounty fiasco not going away any time soon?

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The New Orleans Saints roll into their bye week after finally finding a way to escape defeat in Week 5. At 1-4, a week off will certainly be welcome, with several key players in need of rest.

After dropping four straight games to kick off 2012, Drew Brees and the gang managed to muster up some magic with Sean Payton in the house on Monday night. There is still light at the end of the tunnel.

While the schedule doesn’t get any easier from here, the Saints have some momentum to build off of now. Let’s take a look at the state of the franchise heading into Week 6.

The Good

Drew Brees still looks like the same old Brees. His first two games of the season didn’t look great, but he’s settled down nicely in the absence of his (real) head coach.

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Both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be looking for their second win of the season on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

The Buccaneers might be better suited for that win, and it’s not just home-field advantage that could tip the scales.

The Chiefs are preparing this week in practice to start their backup quarterback, Brady Quinn, because starter Matt Cassel suffered a concussion against the Baltimore Ravens. Sunday could be Quinn’s first start since Week 15 of the 2009 season, when he was still with Cleveland.

That alone could be a scale-tipping situation. The fact that Kansas City’s only real strength—its running game—is also Tampa Bay’s biggest strength on defense also shows promise that the Buccaneers have the upper hand.

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Grand expectations have turned into the harsh reality that the Carolina Panthers might not be ready to compete at a playoff level.

A fanbase that screamed playoffs during the offseason now just screams after a 1-4 start to the season has exposed weaknesses that seem far from quick-fix projects and more like major renovations.

It’s not easy to point towards the reason why things have gone painfully awry. There are myriad points of weakness on this roster, players that are either failing to live up to expectations or just aren’t good enough to succeed.

There are also game-plan issues, battles with injuries and a brutal early stretch on the schedule that exacerbated the weaknesses on this team and kept it from gaining any momentum.

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The Atlanta Falcons are one of two teams left in the NFL that can brag about a perfect record. Atlanta has a win in each of its first five games—some wins came convincingly, a few needed late-game heroics.

The important statement, however, is that for the first time in franchise history, the Falcons are 5-0. Now, how do the Falcons stay perfect?

The answer to that one will be something the coaching staff focuses on every day moving forward. While they’re strategizing in Flowery Branch, let’s take a look at the state of the team as Atlanta prepares for Oakland this Sunday.

The Good

Atlanta’s offense hasn’t been a juggernaut in terms of total yardage—the team ranks 10th in the NFL, averaging 376.4 yards per game. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the Falcons don’t have one of the most explosive offenses in the game.

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Ever since the Carolina Panthers drafted linebacker Luke Kuechly in the first round on the 2012 NFL draft, the team has been wondering whether to play him or veteran Jon Beason at middle linebacker.

Beason's been plagued by injuries this year, but he has only missed one game. Kuechly stepped in last week to the tune of 11 tackles (the team numbers are a bit higher at 16 because teams keep their own tackling stats) and an interception at the middle linebacker position.

During the bye week, the coaching staff will "kick around" this question, according to the Charlotte Observer.

But which player should stay in the middle, and which should play on the weakside?

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reissued suspensions for the four players allegedly involved in the New Orleans Saints’ pay-for-performance bounty program from 2009 to 2011. In a league that’s defined by parity, Goodell’s ruling Tuesday shows anything but equal footing.

Just last month an appeals panel temporarily overturned Goodell’s original May decision to suspend Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita, Will Smith and Anthony Hargrove for their part in a Saints bounty program. But that injunction was short-lived, and even though Goodell altered the terms of their suspensions in some cases, his decision still remained firm and harsh.

Vilma and Smith—both still with the Saints—got little relief. Once Vilma comes off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List he’ll be suspended for the duration of the season. He will get to keep the salary that he earned while on the PUP list.

Smith’s suspension was not altered at all. He will begin a four-game suspension immediately.

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With the bye week upon them, the New Orleans Saints will have an extra week to think about their first win of the season, a 31-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers. While spirits will be high because of the win and record-breaking performance by Drew Brees, the Saints shouldn’t smile for long.

There is still work to do, a lot of work.

A recent Times-Picayune article showed that the Saints defense has allowed 2,280 yards to opponents through five games, the second-most in a five-game stretch of any team in NFL history. Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan partially blames health and a change of playing style for this alarming-poor play on defense.

While NFL offenses are getting revved up with pass-first schemes and speed that allows advantages not seen in the past, the Saints' defense is still largely deficient, and that’s why it’s struggling right now.

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