ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

We can’t call it a midseason analysis because the NFL doesn’t always schedule bye weeks to coincide with the middle of the season. But we can call this a first-quarter analysis or a bye-week assessment of the New Orleans Saints.

What’s gone right: Start with the defense because that’s been a popular topic dating back to last season. The hiring of coordinator Gregg Williams appears to be a huge success. The Saints are playing aggressive defense and that’s why they’re 4-0. Williams has this unit looking totally different than last year. Veteran safety Darren Sharper has been a huge plus and Williams is getting defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith to achieve, instead of underachieving. ... Offensively, the Saints started spectacularly. Drew Brees’ numbers have dipped recently, but you couldn’t expect the guy to play fantasy football every week. The fact that the Saints have found a running game with Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell is hugely encouraging.

What’s gone wrong: Not very much, in the grand scheme of things. The Saints have had some injuries, most notably left tackle Jammal Brown, who is out for the season. But, so far, they’ve been able to plow through the injuries and that’s a testament to the depth general manager Mickey Loomis built in the offseason. Jermon Bushrod and Zach Strief have done a decent job of filling in for Brown so far. Can they keep doing it? It’s tough to replace a Pro Bowl left tackle, but Sean Payton has his offense set up so that Brees’ blindside never is exposed for very long. ... As good as the offense has been, it still would be nice if the Saints could figure out some ways to make Reggie Bush more productive.

Realistic expectation: Just about anything is possible if this team continues playing like it has been. The Saints have taken early control of the NFC South. It might be too early to start talking about the Super Bowl. Then again, if the Saints can beat the Giants next week, they can make a claim as the NFC’s best team.