We are entering a new era.

When it comes to suffering in sports, no group of people have experienced more pain and anguish then fans of the New Orleans Saints. I would say something here about the Cubs but their fan base continues to be harbingers of positivity at the beginning of every baseball season no matter what. Saints fans usually begin each season with a much larger sense of dejection and futility at the thought of another Saints’ season.

As a lifelong fan of the team I can attest to that through my own personal experiences of anger, anguish and remorse.

This year is a different story so far.

The Saints have set the NFL on fire with a league leading 427.3 yards per game and 238 total points through six, that’s right, only six games. They are averaging almost forty points a game at 39.7, and they have the most forty point games through six, four to be precise, than any other team in the history of the NFL. I do not mean since the AFL/NFL merger in the sixties, I mean through the 80 plus years of professional football.

On top of a stellar offense led by Drew Brees, this year’s defensive team only adds fuel to the much needed fire of football greatness. The Saints currently rank eleventh in the league in total defense. They sit behind such recent Super Bowl winning teams like the Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots, and the New York Giants. However, if you look closely at the numbers they are not too far off the mark behind those big time franchises in most categories.

Yesterday’s game against the Miami Dolphins solidified my belief that this year the Saints are true Super Bowl contenders. They showed a toughness and character that has been missing from the Superdome for generations.

They showed the type of swagger and mental attitude that the Steelers, the Patriots, the Colts, and the Giants have cultivated for a long time. I mean if they had a mercy rule in professional sports they would have called yesterday’s game at halftime. But the Saints did not give up. No, they came out of the locker room in the second half and beat the Dolphins back into a stray tuna net of mediocrity.

They tacked up 33 points in the second half alone. They were not one sided about it either showing no mercy and an unheard of resiliency on both offense and defense. Before this year I would have never believe they could do it had I not seen it for myself.

I know they were down 24-3 before the end of the first half but it was the way they were losing that made the comeback even more incredible. The Dolphins were literally raping their monkey asses on defense and offense. Brees looked like it was his first NFL game for most of the first half and it looked as if the defense had remained in New Orleans, or perhaps thought the NFL had scheduled a scrimmage for the week.

It was a late first half touchdown that brought the score to 24-10 and held a lot of import for the team for a variety of reasons.

The most obvious reason was that it put the Saints one touchdown closer to closing the gap but more importantly, it was significant for team morale and team confidence.

Brees went over to the sidelines after a third down attempt to push it in the end zone was stopped by the Dolphins and requested, nay demanded, that Payton allow the offense to go for it on fourth down rather than kick the field goal. After his performance up to that point in the first half I would have told him to unstrap his helmet and carry his ass to the locker room. Payton decided to remind me that I am not a NFL coach for a variety of reasons and let Brees do his thing. As in most fairy tales, everything worked out in the end except I lost a bid to become the new head coach of the Saints.

I am still putting in a request to go over to Oakland and take the reins there. I feel as if I have a much better shot there. Honestly, I think a crippled orphan monkey has a good shot of winning at least one game over there, especially if he replaces Jamarcus Russell.

(Back to the Saints…)

Confidence in your offense is a big deal at any level of the game and confidence in the decision making of you quarterback is an even bigger deal, especially in the NFL. The fact that Payton put that level of trust in his quarterback to make that decision for the team is huge.

If you look at the true contenders around the NFL, say the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and New York Giants, then you will see teams whose coaches all their quarterbacks to control the game, make the big, important decisions, and lead their teams to victory. I would say there is a trend here when you look at the statistics and the intangibles for NFL teams, like toughness, character and a general swagger that says, “Bring it!” The Saints have it this year.

I know it is still early in the NFL season but I have a good feeling this year for the Saints. I look forward to seeing even more development from them and watching as they bring much needed confidence and bravado to professional football in the State of Louisiana and, more specifically, the New Orleans area.