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New Orleans Saints had swagger even before wins started piling up
By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune
October 06, 2009, 2:00AM
These are heady times for the New Orleans Saints.
As they sit atop the NFC South standings at 4-0, they are national media darlings, one-time fleur-de-losers suddenly unbeaten and in the midst of a potential New York hat trick.
It'll remain that way through the bye week leading up to their Oct. 18 showdown with the New York Giants.
The Saints are approaching uncharted territory. This is the third 4-0 start in the club's 43-year history, and it has come on the heels of 7-9 and 8-8 campaigns.
But though fans and pundits are scratching their heads, the only folks seemingly not surprised are the Saints themselves.
There was a tangible level of confidence in the Saints' locker room throughout the offseason. The Saints didn't just think they could be good. They expected it.
"I think there's a confidence level that they felt in the offseason and in training camp, " Saints Coach Sean Payton said Monday. "You don't know how that's going to correlate to wins and losses specifically. But I think there was a confidence level that we were going to be a better football team."
Payton credited one of the most productive offseasons in recent memory for improving the club in several facets.
The additions of safety Darren Sharper, cornerback Jabari Greer, lineman Anthony Hargrove and rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, along with the hiring of coordinator Gregg Williams and the return to health of ends Will Smith, Charles Grant and cornerback Tracy Porter, has drastically improved the defense.
An offseason emphasis on improving the running game has paid off. The Saints are ranked second in the league in rushing yards per game. That has helped them finish games in the fourth quarter.
They are deeper thanks to solid offseason acquisitions by the pro and college personnel departments. The Saints didn't hit on every move -- Rod Coleman and Dan Morgan were washouts -- but they struck gold on the important ones: Williams, Sharper, Greer, Jenkins and even rookie punter Thomas Morstead.
"It's hard to point to one thing, " Payton said. "There's a number of things that have taken place . . . that lends itself to winning football. The results have been positive."
Though the 1991 and 1993 teams got off to starts of 7-0 and 5-0, respectively, I'm not sure any Saints team has ever started a season more stylishly than this year's group.
It's not so much what the Saints have done so far but how they've done it that has grabbed everyone's attention. They've dominated. No opponent has come within two touchdowns of them in the final tally. They haven't trailed. They've outscored opponents in the fourth quarter 45-2. If not for an intentional safety at Philly, the Saints would be pitching a shutout in the final 15 minutes.
The Saints lead the NFL in total offense and are No. 10 in total defense. They are ranked second in rushing offense and No. 8 in rushing defense, both areas of disrepute in past seasons.
"I think we've gained a lot of experience from these last two years in falling short of our ultimate goal of reaching the playoffs and winning a championship, " Saints quarterback Drew Brees said during a halftime interview with Bob Costas on NBC's broadcast of the Chargers-Steelers game on Sunday night.
"Along the way I think we've assembled a great core group of guys that have great character and great leadership abilities. And we just continue to build on that. I feel like we've got all the pieces in place to make a run at it."
The "it" Brees is referring to is a Super Bowl championship, something Saints fans have dreamed about for 43 years. For the first time in a long time, the Saints appear to have the talent, depth, experience and intangibles to realistically entertain the idea of playing deep into the postseason.
There are still miles to go before getting there, but the schedule works in their favor. The Saints play only four more games against teams that currently have winning records. And three of those games are at the Superdome, where the Saints have won eight of their past 10 games.
One of those, of course, is against the Giants, who are unbeaten and one season removed from a Super Bowl title. The winner of the Saints-Giants clash will take the early lead in the race for home-field advantage in the NFC.
The Saints sound and act like a team that's eager for the challenge.
"I think there's a high expectation that this team has for itself, and yet one in which I think they realize they have to work each week to get better, " Payton said. "We've got a lot of good teams still coming. I think we'll be ready for the challenge when it comes. So far I like how we've handled the good teams that we've played.

New Orleans Saints had swagger even before wins started piling up | New Orleans Saints Central - - NOLA.com

WhoDat205

N.O. Swag!

(Anyone watch the Miami/Okla game?)