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When the 2009 NFL schedule was released in April, many people thought the New Orleans Saints would have been doing quite well to be 3-1 going into their open date in Week 5

Most figured that road matchups with the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills in the second and third games could be potential roadblocks for a team that had trouble stringing wins together in 2008. If they split those two, there was another tough foe on the schedule in Week 4 against the New York Jets.

As it turned out, the only thing that could stop the Saints in the first month was the league's schedule-makers. They put the reins on the Saints, at least temporarily, with the bye.

While some might have though the timing wasn't good, they obviously haven't been through the rigors of an NFL schedule. The 4-0 Saints, on the other hand, welcomed the five-day break coach Sean Payton rewarded them with — a nice respite to get healthy for Sunday's date with the 5-0 New York Giants in the Superdome.

After that game, the Saints play at Miami and then host the archrival Atlanta Falcons in a big "Monday Night Football" clash back in the Superdome. So remaining on a roll could be a key to their season.

"When you're playing good, you don't want to stop," center Jonathan Goodwin said before he and his teammates headed for the locker room door. "But we have a couple guys nicked up, so we have to take advantage of the bye and get those guys healthy.

"The coaches will have us prepared, and hopefully, when we come back to get ready for the Giants we'll just keep rolling."

Quarterback Drew Brees liked the momentum the Saints had built through the first four weeks, but a little rest — their first extended break since reporting to training camp in late July — was really needed, he said.

"Normally, you'd wish we'd have it at midseason because that just kind of breaks up the season and you feel like there's a first half and a second half to the season," he said. "You can kind of take a deep breath, self-scout yourself and get ready for the second half.

Saints notebook: Will the bye slow down New Orleans' momentum? | thenewsstar.com | The News Star

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