NFL Rantings: It's time to Admit that the Saints are For Real

I thought Kevin Kolb proved a whole bunch of people wrong yesterday. People who thought that he couldn't cut it in the NFL. That the Eagles reached on him with the first pick in the 2nd round in the 2007 draft. That he could never step into Donovan McNabb's shoes. I'm looking at you, Cris Carter, it's time to fess up and admit you were wrong.All these nice things to say about Kolb...in a game where his team lost by 26 points and he threw three picks? Yeah, the New Orleans Saints are pretty good.Where to start? Oh yeah, there's this player named Drew Brees. Well, he's thrown NINE touchdowns in the first two weeks of the 2009 season. Nine. Touchdowns. He's also turned the ball over five times in that span, so there's some room for improvement. Brees threw for a ho-hum 311 yards on only 34 passing attempts against what some thought was an elite NFC defense. Um, oops. The Eagles defense had no answers for Brees and tailback Mike Bell, only questions for itself after the game.Speaking of Bell, the only thing that he and Brees had in common before this year was that both players were somewhat unwanted by the teams that signed them out of college and developed them. Brees was allowed to sign in free agency prior to the 2006 season because the Chargers felt Philip Rivers was ready to take over the controls of the offense (they were correct) and also because they didn't know if Drew Brees could reach a higher level than run of the mill pro bowl performer on that 6'0" frame. Mike Bell averaged 4.3 YPC for the Broncos in 2006, but was moved to fullback in 2007 to make room for Selvin Young, and was released after the season, unwanted on waivers until New Orleans signed him. Now, here were are a year later, and the best team in the NFC is lead by two players that no one else had room on their roster for.Injury to LT Jamaal Brown forced another unheralded player into active duty, this time it was 3rd year OT from Towson Jermon Bushrod. A 4th round pick in the 2007 draft, Bushrod has protected Brees' blindside while he has thrown for nine TDs and about 700 yards, and the offense has managed to put up 40 points in consecutive games to open the season. You know who didn't do that? The 2007 New England Patriots.Yes, I'd say it's high time we admit that behind a rejuvenated defense, and an unbelievable offense, that we look at the Saints not as an also-ran with a top passing attack, but as one of the two or three favorites to win the NFC and represent them in the super bowl. There's something to be said for consistent play from September through January, but since the Saints have neither passed nor failed that test yet, I'll simply point out that the Saints look to have the best team in franchise history, and I don't know of any team that is going to stop these guys right now.