Don Pierson

The New Orleans Saints are alive and well. Quickly forgotten after their magical season ended in Chicago a game short of the Super Bowl, the Saints will start this year as "the other team" when they travel to Indianapolis to help the Super Bowl champion Colts kick off 2007.

The Bears remain confident they can retain their NFC title. The Seattle Seahawks are determined to reclaim it after a down season. The Philadelphia Eagles think they can rebound with Donovan McNabb. The Dallas Cowboys are excited about life after Bill Parcells. Even the lowly Detroit Lions are talking about becoming this year's Saints.

Meanwhile, the Saints chug along well beneath the radar, totally eclipsed in the preseason proceedings. That's especially so in the NFC South, where the searchlight has been focused almost exclusively on the sad saga of Michael Vick and his hapless Atlanta Falcons.

This is all right with the Saints, who could bask in the glory of their wonderful 2006 season for another decade if they chose, which they don't, of course.

Sean Payton was coach of the year for his stunning 10-6 debut. The Saints ranked No. 1 in total offense. The team rallied a city still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. If the Saints would suddenly revert to old familiar ways of losing, it would not erase the fond memories of 2006. It was not a mirage.

But the Saints are eager for an encore and quite capable of providing one. The main reason: Drew Brees, who became the best quarterback in the NFC in his first season in the conference, his first season with new teammates, his first season in Payton's system.

It was also Brees' first season testing a surgically repaired shoulder. Think how good he can be when he can concentrate solely on the playbook and not his health.

"I've been able to focus on a lot more things other than just getting the shoulder back, which was, obviously, a high priority last year," Brees said at the end of training camp. "It's been a lot better."

It was also the first season for Reggie Bush, the most electrifying rookie to enter the league in years. Payton did a good job fitting Bush into an offense that already had one of the league's top running backs in Deuce McAllister. Think how good Bush can be now that he and Payton have a better understanding of his strengths.

Payton has promised to avoid the stereotype of running Bush outside and McAllister inside, because both are capable of either.

It was also the first year for unheralded seventh-round draft choice Marques Colston, who established himself as the top rookie receiver with 70 catches for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns. Think what Colston can do with added muscle on his imposing 6-foot-4 frame, assuming he shakes a sore knee that has limited his preseason thus far.

NFL 2007 Team-by-team reports, predictions

In the division, the Saints' offense remains on top of the heap mainly because Brees is the cream of the quarterbacks. Atlanta is a disaster area. Carolina brought in David Carr to remind Jake Delhomme that more is expected. Tampa Bay hired 37-year-old Jeff Garcia to rescue Jon Gruden's failing plans.

Payton's problem, if there is one, will be on defense, where the Saints finished a surprising 11th in the league but where they are vulnerable and thin.

At defensive tackle, Brian Young is recovering from a broken foot and Hollis Thomas is too fat for comfort, leaving journeymen Kendrick Clancy and Antwan Lake as starters.

At linebacker, they added castoffs Brian Simmons and Dhani Jones to back up their overachieving trio of Scott Shanle, Scott Fujita and Mark Simoneau.

In the secondary, they signed the Colts' Jason David to replace cornerback Fred Thomas and signed the Bengals' Kevin Kaesviharn to help at safety. But they're still thin.

Special feature Our top players at each position

Defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith remain the bookend strengths of the defense and should again benefit from the team's high-scoring offense. It is always easier to rush the passer with a lead.

Can the Saints duplicate 2006? Not in terms of surprise or community impact. But anything less than 10-6 will be a disappointment, even with a difficult schedule. They will sneak up on no one.

They open at loud Indianapolis on Sept. 6 and finish in cold Chicago on Dec. 30, and in between there are few picnics. They travel to Seattle for a loud Sunday night game Oct. 14.

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Since the four-team NFC South division was established in 2002, the winners have all failed to post winning seasons the following year. The Saints expect to not only break this streak of bad luck but also contend for a Super Bowl again.

An NFC title game in the Superdome would be a nice way to remind everybody that the sensational Saints story is more than one chapter.

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