Saints continue to dominate

With a three-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints are running away with the NFC South. If the Saints can stay healthy, they have the potential to go deep in the playoffs. The Saints are one of the NFL’s two remaining undefeated teams, the other being the Indianapolis Colts who play in the AFC. A face off of two undefeated teams in the Super Bowl would be exciting, though highly unlikely.

With their victory over the Carolina Panthers, the Saints stretched their division lead to three.

The Saints’ next two games should relatively be easy. They play the St. Louis Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who have a combined record of 2-14. The biggest remaining challenge for the Saints will be a showdown with the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football Nov. 30. The Saints defense will have its hands full with the prolific passing attack of Tom Brady and Randy Moss. New Orleans has an accommodating enough schedule to go undefeated, but the NFL is unpredictable.

New Orleans has emerged as this season’s most fun team to watch. The Saints are a team largely made up of unwanted, undrafted and unknown players. Undrafted running backs Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell have rejuvenated the Saints’ running attack. The Saints offensive line features unheralded Jahri Evans of Bloomsburg University (Division II) and Jermon Bushrod of Towson University (Division I-AA). Jonathon Goodwin, Anthony Hargrove, Scott Shanle and David Thomas were all let go by other teams but start for the undefeated Saints. Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Jabari Greer — two undrafted players — also start for New Orleans.

Even the superstars were unwanted. Drew Brees was ousted from San Diego in favor of the younger Phillip Rivers. The New York Jets let defensive end Jonathon Vilma leave. Meanwhile, Darren Sharper — viewed by the Green Bay Packers as washed up — has provided New Orleans defense with much needed experience.

Most teams around the league stack their teams with big name superstars and high draft picks. Many of these teams, however, are extremely underproductive. Let’s take for example the Washington Redskins. Year after year, Dan Snyder and company sign big name free agents (Albert Haynesworth) and seem to have a successful offseason. Big offseason moves, however, don’t necessarily equate to winning football games. Putting together a cohesive unit that can play as a team does.

The Saints’ success comes from coaching. Sean Payton, with the help of defensive mastermind Gregg Williams, has turned this rag-tag bunch into the best team in the NFL. The Saints have the right approach when it comes to winning football games; they understand that this is a team sport. This attitude starts with coaching, and Payton has done a phenomenal job with the team.