Jim Mora was right. The Saints are legit. It wasn't their annihilation of Mora's Falcons last week that proved it to me. It was their loss to Carolina on Sunday in a game where they had every right to suffer an emotional letdown ... and did not.

Saints can't be magic every week, though we'd like them to be.

and in his "Fine Fifteen"

New Orleans (3-1). The Saints were in the Carolina game for three hours. I think we all have to get used to what we considered impossible a month ago. The Saints are going to be in the playoff hunt all season.

Why the sudden change of heart?

Carolina 21, New Orleans 18: [Video 56K | 300K]
It turned out that the Saints didn't have all that much of a comedown after their incredibly emotional win over Atlanta. Drew Brees threw for 349 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough because the Panthers were able to shut down New Orleans' running game and also get their ground attack in high gear with DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams combining for 167 yards and a touchdown. Jake Delhomme also made enough plays, including two scoring throws, to allow the Panthers to take another step toward regaining the form that convinced so many prognosticators that they looked like a Super Bowl champion. The Saints still look as if they will be a formidable opponent and are going to continue to be in the hunt for the NFC South title.

The NFC South is for real

The Panthers were playing at home and because they were a desperate team and needed a win, I thought they would win. And they did. But New Orleans hung in there and had a chance. I was really impressed with the Saints.

For a guy who has never been a head coach before, I think Sean Payton continues to do a tremendous job. This is a new coaching staff with new coordinators and 27 new players — including a new quarterback in Drew Brees. I can't say enough about how impressed I am with the Saints. I think that with the way the Saints looked today, both of these teams will be contending at the end of the year.

This NFC South is going to be interesting. We knew that Carolina would be good. The Saints have said, "Hey, we're a factor." And you know Atlanta is 3-1 and figures to be there.

The thing about the Falcons is that if defenses play an eight-man front and Michael Vick isn't having a good day throwing the ball, they could have problems. I mean, they have rushed for almost 1,000 yards already but have thrown for fewer than 500 yards. You have to be able to throw the football. The points come from the passing game in this league. And if they don't pick up their passing game, the Falcons are going to have some problems.

This division is so very tough. It will be interesting to see how it pans out. I really hope they don't beat each other up so much that they can't make a statement in the playoffs.