Another Saint may have sinful thoughts of retribution. Drew Brees did a splendid job as quarterback of the San Diego Chargers, yet they kicked him out the door the same way a vain male dumps a loyal wife for a new trophy bride. In this case, the nuptials involve young Philip Rivers and the Chargers.

But now Brees is the Saints’ starting quarterback. Though the Saints don’t play the Chargers this year, Brees will be competing with Rivers in the headlines. The Chargers may discover that their love for Rivers was merely an infatuation, and that their relationship with Brees was deeper and more meaningful. That’s when Brees will laugh contemptuously at their folly, lead the Saints to the playoffs and then get a face lift.

Don’t forget Steve McNair. His former team, the Tennessee Titans, not only booted him out after he had given his best years to the organization, they did so after they barred him from practicing at their facility. Even the relatively mild-mannered McNair must have been seething like Charles Bronson in “Death Wish.”

The good news for McNair is twofold: One, he’ll be quarterbacking his new team, the Baltimore Ravens, when they invade Tennessee on Nov. 12, and two, the Titans are struggling to fill McNair’s shoes with either a middling retread (Kerry Collins) or a raw rookie (Vince Young). As Michael Palin’s character Ken exclaimed maniacally in “A Fish Called Wanda” as he drove a steamroller toward his nemesis: “Revenge!”

Keyshawn Johnson is another veteran looking to get back at people, though when you consider his personality that probably could be said all the time. Currently he is a member of the Carolina Panthers, having been let go in Dallas and before that having been shunned by Tampa Bay and the New York Jets.

Among players seeking revenge, Keyshawn probably has the most formidable challenge, because his Panthers play the Bucs twice (Sept. 24 and Nov. 13) and the Cowboys once (Oct. 29). If the Jets had been on the schedule also, Keyshawn would have been attempting to settle more scores than Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill.”

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And there is also Edgerrin James, now with the Arizona Cardinals. While his parting from the Colts wasn’t as acrimonious as others because it came down to money and salary cap numbers, he’ll still want to show his old team what it’s missing. He won’t get a chance to do so in person because the Colts and Cards don’t play each other this season. But he’ll be running with a little extra oomph with his little extra cash to rub it into the Colts’ noses.

The NFL season is here, which begs the question:

Are you ready for some revenge?!

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