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It’s already been a busy day in the NFC South and all around the NFL and that’s probably going to continue long into the night as we wait to see if there will be a labor lockout or perhaps an extension of the deadline for negotiations.

But things just got a little busier. The New Orleans Saints just sent out an announcement that the Saints Hall of Fame selection committee has selected the franchise’s all-time team as the franchise looks ahead to its 45th season. The committee is a collection of local media members and it selects an all-time Saints team every five years.

The latest version is out and here it is. Players with asterisks after their name were unanimous selections. The years after the players’ names indicate their time with the Saints.

Offense

• Wide Receiver – Eric Martin* (1985-93)
• Wide Receiver – Joe Horn* (2000-06)
• Center – John Hill* (1975-84)
• Guard – Jim Dombrowski* (1986-96)
• Guard – Jahri Evans* (2006-present)
• Tackle – Willie Roaf* (1993-2001)
• Tackle – Stan Brock* (1980-92)
• Tight End – Hoby Brenner* (1981-93)
• Quarterback – Drew Brees* (2006-present)
• Running Back – Dalton Hilliard* (1986-93)
• Running Back – Deuce McAllister (2001-09)
• Athlete – Reggie Bush (2006-present)

DEFENSE

• Defensive Line – Wayne Martin (1989-99)
• Defensive Line – Jim Wilks (1981-93)
• Defensive Line – Joe Johnson* (1994-98, 2000-01)
• Defensive Line – Will Smith (2004-present)
• Linebacker – Sam Mills* (1986-94)
• Linebacker – Vaughan Johnson* (1986-93)
• Linebacker – Rickey Jackson* (1981-93)
• Linebacker – Pat Swilling* (1986-92)
• Cornerback – Dave Waymer* (1980-89)
• Cornerback – Mike McKenzie (2004-09)
• Safety – Tommy Myers (1972-81)
• Safety – Sammy Knight (1997-02)

SPECIALISTS

• Kicker – Morten Andersen *(1982-94)
• Punter – Tommy Barnhardt (1987, 89-94, 99)
• Special Teamer – Fred McAfee* (1991-93, 2000-06)
• Kick/Punt Returner – Michael Lewis* (2001-06)

COACH

• Sean Payton (2006-present)

Russ in Reno, Nev. writes: Pat, I don’t understand you and John Clayton's love fest with Jimmy Clausen. What's wrong with sticking with Matt Moore as QB? He is 6-2 as a starter, including 4-1 finishing the season last year. Recall, Pat, he had "W's against Saints, Giants, and Minnesota, with his only loss at New England. I'd say that was not only respectable but how many young QB's in this league could have done equal. Moore is the perfect QB for John Fox. Also, the guy was much more productive in college than Clausen in big games.

Pat Yasinskas: Russ, I can’t speak for John Clayton. But I can tell you it’s not like I’m rooting for Clausen over Moore. I’m just stating my opinions. All indications are Moore will open the season as Carolina’s starter. As long as he plays well and the Panthers are winning, he’ll stay in that role. But the Panthers didn’t draft Clausen in the second round, and repeatedly try to trade up to get him sooner, because they want him sitting on their bench. If Moore struggles, Clausen will get his shot. The Panthers wouldn't have drafted Clausen if they were as sold on Moore as you are.

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Paul in Broussard, La., writes: I am torn on the Jammal Brown deal. On one hand it seems as if the Saints gave him away for very little, but I guess it was the best offer out there. Plus, I doubt the Saints were going to re-sign him to a long-term deal so it's better to get at least something for him rather than nothing at all. This tells me that the Saints weren't sold on his health and that they feel that Charles Brown can develop faster without Jammal's presence.

Pat Yasinskas: It’s hard to question any personnel move Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton have made in the last year or two and they knew far more about the Brown situation than ever became public. They knew they weren’t going to give him a huge long-term contract and decided they’d get whatever they could for him while they still could. They drafted Charles Brown knowing Jammal Brown’s situation could end up like this and Loomis’ track record in drafting offensive linemen is pretty strong. Not sure that Charles Brown starts right away because the Saints still have Jermon Bushrod, who did a decent job at left tackle last season.

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Jason in Jacksonville, Fla., writes: I am a big fan of Thomas Davis but can't help but wonder what this 2nd ACL tear in less than a year is going to do to his chances of being resigned in Carolina. What do you think?

Pat Yasinskas: The injury came at a very bad time for Davis, who is a restricted free agent this year. He is very well liked by the Carolina coaches, front office and ownership, but the Panthers have to be realistic about a guy coming off two major knee injuries and that might drive down his price tag. But, really, the key will be what happens with the NFL’s labor situation. If a new deal gets done, Davis’ fate could be determined by how big the salary cap is. Also, other teams are going to have concerns about his injuries and may be hesitant to pay him. The Panthers know him better than any other team, so I think that adds to the possibility of him returning.

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Robert in Lexington, N.C., writes: I think it was great Deuce McAllister got a ring but one guy I was hoping would get one was Mike McKenzie. He was a very good corner for the Saints. It was a shame he got hurt. I thought he was the guy who got them going in the Pats game last year and made some very good plays while Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer were out.

Pat Yasinskas: According to Jeff Duncan, McKenzie did get a ring. For those who didn’t see it, Duncan’s got a good column on how the Saints decided who got Super Bowl rings. That process is never an exact science, but it sounds like the Saints were pretty generous in how they distributed the rings.

» NFC: Cardinals | Saints | Vikings | Cowboys » AFC: Jets | Chargers | Ravens | Colts

A look at a player who could be a difference-maker this weekend.

New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer. He could turn out to be the most important player on the field Saturday, despite having barely played in the second half of the regular season.

Greer missed seven weeks with a groin injury and returned to get a little tune-up in the regular-season finale against Carolina. But you can pretty much trace the overall decline in New Orleans’ defensive play to when Greer went down. Fellow starting cornerback Tracy Porter also was injured for much of the same time Greer was, and a secondary that was excellent for the first half of the season became very ordinary.

The Saints were forced to play rookie Malcolm Jenkins and briefly brought in veterans Mike McKenzie and Chris McAlister. That brought a change in style and attitude to the secondary. Free safety Darren Sharper, who was an interception machine early in the year, suddenly had to play more of a Cover 2 scheme to help the cornerbacks.

But Porter has been back for several weeks now, and all indications are that Greer should be at full health. That will allow Sharper to go back to being a center fielder, and that makes this defense a lot more dangerous.

Greer, a former college track champion, brings great speed, and that’s going to be necessary against an Arizona receiving corps that’s one of the best in the league. Greer may give up some size to Arizona’s top receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, but he has the speed and athleticism to at least stay close to him.

Arizona has plenty of other weapons, but having Greer back means the New Orleans secondary is suddenly much better equipped to deal with that. Jenkins or veteran Randall Gay will be on the field a lot as the nickelback. But Jenkins and Gay are more competent in that role than they were when they were being asked to be No. 1 cornerbacks.

Having Greer back might not correct every problem, but it should put this defense a lot closer to what it was early in the season.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Falling

1. Sean Payton, Saints coach: He has had a brilliant year and now is not the time to ruin it all. Payton fell into the trap he spent all of last year in on Saturday as he totally abandoned the running game against Dallas.

Yes, quarterback Drew Brees is awesome and the receivers are great. But defenses know that and devote all of their attention to them. Part of the reason the Saints won their first 13 games was because Payton had made such a strong commitment to at least have a little balance between the passing and running games. One of the reasons the Saints lost in Week 14 was because there was no running game.

2. Mike McKenzie, Saints cornerback: We have been singing the praises of the Saints all year, but after a loss, you have to point out the flaws. McKenzie had a great first game back after the Saints re-signed him.

But he has looked like what he is (a very old cornerback) since then. The Saints got Tracy Porter back on Saturday and they need Jabari Greer and Randall Gay back for the playoffs. They have a problem if they have to rely heavily on McKenzie in the playoffs.

3. Jermon Bushrod, Saints left tackle: New Orleans has done a great job of getting by without left tackle Jammal Brown -- up until Saturday night. It is a great accomplishment when you can win so many games without your left tackle and Bushrod deserves some credit for playing over his head most of the season.

But the Cowboys exposed Bushrod's deficiencies and part of the reason was that the Saints did not give him nearly as much help as he usually gets. They might want to rethink that and maybe think about playing Zach Strief at left tackle instead.

Rising

1. Brent Grimes, Falcons cornerback: All season long, Grimes has been the target of venom from fans and passes from opposing quarterbacks because he’s short (listed at 5-foot-9). But Grimes responded with two big interceptions Sunday as the Falcons got a road win against the Jets.

As unpopular as Grimes may be with some fans, there is a reason the Atlanta coaching staff has continued to turn to him this year. The coaches truly believe Grimes is the best overall athlete on the team and can overcome his height issue with his leaping ability. The belief is Grimes is just fine when the Falcons can produce a little bit of a pass rush. No coincidence here, but the Falcons were able to get consistent pressure, one of the few times all year, on Mark Sanchez.

2. Steve Smith, Panthers wide receiver: You knew the walking powder keg was on the verge of exploding all season. It finally happened Sunday night against the Vikings and defensive back Benny Sapp.

Smith tore up Sapp on the field. Then, he absolutely shredded him in a live postgame interview. Memo to the Carolina public relations staff, which usually guards Smith much tighter than any defensive back ever could: I know the decision had to be made very quickly, but you might want to think twice about letting the guy go on national television while the competitive juices still are flowing.

3. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers quarterback: The one guy who could save Raheem Morris’ job probably has. After two horrible games, Freeman played like a big-time quarterback in Seattle.

At the same time, the rest of the Bucs actually looked like a football team. This is the ray of sunshine Morris has needed so badly.

NEW ORLEANS -- Now we know for certain the New Orleans Saints are not a perfect team.

But come on, stop acting so surprised that the Dallas Cowboys came into the Superdome on Saturday night, dominated the Saints for three quarters, and were able to hold off a furious fourth-quarter rally on their way to a 24-17 victory.

This time, there was no miracle on Poydras Street, just Drew Brees getting crushed (again) and fumbling the ball -- and his shot at the MVP trophy to Peyton Manning -- as the clock ticked down. So much for 16-0.

But isn’t this kind of appropriate anyway? Reach deep down and tell the truth -- have the Saints really been anything close to a perfect team for the last month or so?

If you had visions of them going through the regular season undefeated and strolling on to win the Super Bowl (read 19-0), you were hallucinating or too caught up in the hype. Fact is, the Saints have showed their flaws every week (except for that New England game) since a Nov. 15 trip to St. Louis.

Maybe you should have seen rookies and old guys getting thrown into the secondary and getting thrown on. Maybe you shouldn’t have been nominating replacement left tackle Jermon Bushrod for the Pro Bowl and realized that, translated into Cajun, Bushrod means "smoke, mirrors and, in the end, duck."

And maybe you haven’t noticed, but no matter who’s in the secondary, this defense just isn’t all that good when defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis isn’t on the field. Oh, and there also was that myth, although it sure looked true for a long time, that the Saints could spot anybody any lead and still find a way to win it in the fourth quarter.

Soon-to-be-former Cowboys kicker Nick Folk did open the door for the miracle of all miracles when he sent a short field-goal attempt on a collision course with the upright with two minutes, 16 seconds remaining. But 2:04 later, Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Ware blew past Bushrod and decked Brees and any shot at perfection.

"All of our goals are still out there,"’ New Orleans receiver Marques Colston said.

Several other Saints uttered similar words and they are absolutely right. The Saints are 13-1, they should win their final two games against Tampa Bay at home and Carolina on the road, and they should end up with home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

And, yes, it is still entirely possible this could be a special season. A Super Bowl victory remains somewhere on the horizon.

But let’s not talk Super Bowl or even playoffs right now.

"If you’re playing a playoff game and you go out and play like that, you’re going to have the same result as tonight," New Orleans safety Darren Sharper said.

Sharper is exactly right. Picture the Saints playing the way they did against the Cowboys against … oh, let’s say Philadelphia or Arizona or Minnesota or Dallas, again, in the playoffs. It would be ugly.

But this isn’t about bashing the Saints, so let’s look on the bright side. All the attention and pressure that comes with being undefeated is now gone. And all those questions about whether the Saints should rest their starters or shoot for perfection will stop.

"There is no type of relief,’" New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. "It’s disappointing. It’s disappointing when you lose."

Disappointing, but not really all that disastrous.

The Saints are still in a spot where everyone else in the NFC would love to be sitting. And, this might be the best news of all, there’s plenty of room to make it all better.

Now, the Saints can focus entirely on fixing their problems. They got banged-up cornerback Tracy Porter and linebacker Scott Fujita back on the field against the Cowboys. The Saints are always very tight-lipped with information on injuries and Payton wasn’t providing any postgame updates on running back Reggie Bush, linebacker Jonathan Vilma, center Jonathan Goodwin or cornerback Randall Gay, each of whom had to leave the field, for at least some time, with injuries.

All indications are cornerback Jabari Greer, who has sat out the past six games with a groin injury, Ellis and tight end Jeremy Shockey, who was a bit of a surprise scratch Saturday with a turf-toe injury, will be back. Maybe before the regular season ends, and almost certainly for the playoffs.

Plug Greer and Porter back in as the starting cornerbacks and you don’t have to keep throwing rookie Malcolm Jenkins and veteran Mike McKenzie, who was on the street a month ago, out there. Plug Greer and Porter back in and Sharper no longer has to play mostly Cover 2 to bail out McKenzie and Jenkins. Sharper can roam free as he did early in the season when he was an interception machine.

Remember how good the New Orleans defense was early in the season? There’s really no reason it can’t be like that again. Get Ellis and Greer healthy and all the parts should be in place.

And get Shockey back healthy so the Saints can go with their two-tight end sets, with Shockey and David Thomas, instead of having to use only Thomas and leaving Bushrod without much help against the Dallas pass rush.

Picture all that and you still can see a bright ending for the Saints. It can’t be perfect now, but if the Saints can fix all that’s ailed them for the last month in time for the playoffs, a Super Bowl win would be better than perfect.

ATLANTA -- For all those nervous New Orleans Saints fans out there, Jonathan Vilma has a question.

“Why would you be concerned?’’ the Saints’ middle linebacker said Sunday after New Orleans defeated Atlanta 26-23.

Yes, the Saints had another one of those games where an inferior team stayed close for way too long. Just like in Washington last week, the Saints didn’t have the game won until the very end. That’s all that really matters. When it has mattered most, the Saints have always had the answers.

On Sunday, that was because Vilma had a cheat sheet. He made two of the biggest plays of the season in the final few minutes because he knew exactly what was coming.

That pass Vilma intercepted with 3:53 left in the game? The Falcons ran the play earlier and as soon as Vilma saw the formation, he knew Chris Redman would be throwing to Roddy White. When he saw Atlanta’s receivers all bunched on one side and Jason Snelling coming in motion, Vilma dropped into coverage on White.

That tackle Vilma made to end Atlanta’s last drive with 1:12 remaining? Same thing. Vilma knew exactly what play was coming. The Falcons needed two yards to get a first down and they threw a short pass to Snelling. It was the same play that went for 38 yards on the game’s opening drive. This time, Vilma made sure it went for only one yard and the game was over.

“We all knew it was coming because of the formation,’’ cornerback Randall Gay said. “Jon stepped up and made the play. If Jon’s not there, [Snelling] doesn’t go any further because I came off my man and was right there and other guys did the same thing.’’

So, seriously, why should there be concern when the Saints knew they had the game all along? Vilma answered his question with those two plays and in his postgame interview.

“We’re 13-0 and we have a first-round bye in the playoffs,’’ Vilma said.

Confidence is a great thing and it’s probably a big reason the Saints are where they are. Take another win that might have involved some luck, add it to your record and forget that there were some pretty major flaws. It’s a healthy attitude in a lot of ways and the Saints don’t need to be freaking out about a few little things.

But if they want to go 16-0 in the regular season and go on to win the Super Bowl, it might be wise to look at what has happened the past two weeks and change some things. Otherwise, one of those little things could come back to bite the Saints in a big way.

When you’re making Redman and Jason Campbell look like superstar quarterbacks in back-to-back weeks, what’s going to happen when you face, say, a Brett Favre or Kurt Warner in the playoffs? Or what’s going to happen when you’re not facing a dysfunctional Washington team or an Atlanta team that was banged up beyond belief?

Well, we’re about to find out. The Saints play host to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night and, really, that’s the only obstacle between them and 16-0 because they’ve got Tampa Bay and Carolina in the final two weeks.

The Saints have been good, but they’ve also been very lucky. Atlanta played as good a game as it possibly could have and lost. Imagine what might have happened if Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Chris Houston had played and the offensive line had been even close to healthy.

The Saints have to fix what’s wrong with their secondary and they have to do it very soon. Redman’s got no business throwing for 303 yards against any team. The Saints have been going with Gay, Malcolm Jenkins and Mike McKenzie as their top three cornerbacks the past few weeks and the defense hasn’t been nearly as good as it was earlier in the season.

That’s mostly because Jenkins is a rookie, McKenzie is old and was out of football until the Saints got desperate a few weeks ago and Gay is fine as a nickel back, but he shouldn’t be the best corner you have.

There’s a solution for this. The Saints have to get starting cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter back on the field in time for the playoffs, and it wouldn’t hurt to have linebacker Scott Fujita out there as well. The Saints have struggled defensively since those three went out.

The Saints, like a lot of teams, are guarded with information about injuries, but it’s pretty obvious they believe the injured starters can return by playoff time or they would already have put them on the injured-reserve list and finished their seasons.

Maybe all three come back and the Saints get back to playing defense as they did early in the season. But the defensive play isn’t the only thing that needs to improve before they get to the postseason.

Sean Payton’s a great offensive mind, but sometimes he thinks a little too much. That side of him surfaced when he tried a fake field goal late in the game against Atlanta and it didn’t work. Payton got a little lucky because Vilma and the defense, after struggling all day, stepped up and bailed him out.

Because the Saints won, the fake field goal is forgotten and, to a lesser degree, the Saints can shrug off the struggles of the secondary.

For now, anyway. No team can be perfect in every game. But the Saints have a perfect record. Odds are, they finish 16-0.

That’s great, but maybe all those concerned fans have a good point when they expect perfection. If you truly are going to have a perfect season, you need to be playing well in December, so you can play very well in January and February.

Maybe it’s not a bad thing that fans are picking apart the Saints right now. It would be better to recognize the areas of concern now. If not, the Saints still could go undefeated in the regular season, but get picked apart in the playoffs.

LANDOVER, Md. -- The Saints have announced a few lineup changes because of injuries.

Troy Evans will start at strongside linebacker with Scott Fujita out. Mike McKenzie will start at one cornerback spot in place of Jabari Greer. Malcolm Jenkins will start at the other corner in place of Tracy Porter.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Falling

Jake Delhomme, Panthers quarterback. It pains me to say because he’s truly one of the classiest guys in the NFL, but it’s over for Delhomme. His performance has been shaky all season and now he has a broken finger on his throwing hand. That, and the fact that Carolina’s playoff chances are virtually gone, mean it’s time to hand it off to backup Matt Moore.

I wouldn’t expect him to be the savior, but throw him out there and see if he’s got anything. That’s really the only thing that makes sense for the Panthers right now.

Jim Bates, Buccaneers former defensive coordinator. First, he was demoted from that role by head coach Raheem Morris. Then, even though the Bucs supposedly wanted Bates to remain in some sort of consulting role, he decided not to travel with the team to Atlanta. Finally, the Bucs went out and played pretty good defense for the first time all season.

Then again, keep it in perspective. The Atlanta offense was beyond banged up.

Charles Godfrey, Panthers safety. He finally returned from an injury, but he didn’t return to the starting lineup. That honor stayed with rookie Sherrod Martin, who has made Godfrey into a backup.

Rising

Mike McKenzie, Saints cornerback. This guy’s almost older than Archie Manning and he’d been out of the NFL since the Saints let him go after last season. They re-signed McKenzie last week only because they had a whole bunch of injuries at cornerback.

Then, they had another when Randall Gay went down early in the game. All McKenzie did was cover Randy Moss -- pretty much flawlessly.

Chris Redman, Falcons quarterback. He had his struggles after taking over for an injured Matt Ryan against Tampa Bay. But he rallied the Falcons to a touchdown when it mattered most.

Redman’s going to start against Philadelphia on Sunday and that’s going to be a big challenge. He’ll need teammates to step up on both sides of the ball. But Redman probably won some confidence with his teammates in the last minutes of the Tampa Bay game. By the way, I’ll give Atlanta receiver Roddy White an honorable mention here. I know it’s somewhat fashionable to say White has been inconsistent after getting a big contract in the preseason. But that game-winning catch he made against Tampa Bay was big time.

Josh Freeman, Buccaneers quarterback. Yeah, I know Tampa Bay lost to Atlanta, but it wasn’t the rookie quarterback’s fault. The kid is playing well and that’s giving a struggling franchise hope for the future.

NEW ORLEANS -- The best thing you can do when you get to a place you haven’t been before is act like you have.

That is precisely what the New Orleans Saints did Monday night.

A franchise that’s never been to a Super Bowl and a quarterback who has been accused of not winning big games went out and destroyed the closest thing we’ve seen to an NFL dynasty in recent times. The 38-17 victory over the New England Patriots brought the usual company line about it being “only one win’’ from every corner of the locker room.

Except for this:

“It only counts for one win on the stat sheet,’’ quarterback Drew Brees said immediately before veering from the teamwide game plan for the only time all night. “But, emotionally, those types of wins can mean a little bit more.’’

Ding, ding, ding. There, somebody admitted the obvious. This truly was more than a win. This was proof that the Saints are for real. This is the kind of win that builds confidence.

This was the kind of win this franchise really never has had before. Yeah, those wins against the Jets and Giants looked real nice earlier in the season. But that was before we found out the Jets and Giants weren’t all they were cracked up to be.

This … this was the New England Patriots (7-4). "Monday Night Football." Bill Belichick. The Saints aren’t supposed to win games like this and they sure aren’t supposed to totally dominate in games like this.

But they did. Get used to it because the Saints really are different.

“That’s confidence … confidence in the guys I’m throwing to and the guys up front blocking,’’ Brees said on a night in which he threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers against a head coach who just might be the greatest defensive mind ever. “I feel like that way a lot.’’

That’s the big thing -- Brees feels it and the entire team feels confident. Even the defense. Even when starting cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter weren’t able to play because of injuries and even after replacement starter Randall Gay had to leave early with a leg injury.

And even when the Saints had to turn to veteran cornerbacks Mike McKenzie and Chris McAlister, who weren’t even on the roster two weeks ago, and rookie Malcolm Jenkins to stop Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

If you didn’t know any better and just flipped on the game, you would have thought McKenzie was a Pro Bowler in his mid-20s and not a guy the Saints let go after last season because he was old and had been through a couple of major knee injuries. McKenzie was out there on special teams and he was covering Moss and intercepting a pass.

“That’s all part of being in the NFL,’’ McKenzie said.

True, but McKenzie wasn’t in the NFL until he returned to the Saints, who switched defensive coordinators and schemes since his departure. He went through precisely four days of practice.

It wasn’t just McKenzie, McAlister and Jenkins. Defensive end Will Smith had 1.5 sacks and veteran safety Darren Sharper had his eighth interception.

“We obviously didn’t play up to their level,’’ Brady said.

Think about that statement and all its implications for a second. The New England Patriots did not play up to the level of the New Orleans Saints.

Those words never had been uttered before -- at least not this decade and at least not seriously. Now, those words have been screamed by every one of the 70,000 or so fans at the Superdome, who actually appeared to force Brady into two timeouts with their noise.

And it goes even deeper than that.

Who was the real defensive genius in the Superdome? New Orleans coordinator Gregg Williams. Not Belichick.

Belichick couldn’t figure out any answers for Brees. But, then again, I don’t think anyone could. Brees was perfect -- literally. He had a 158.3 passer rating, which is technically a perfect passer rating.

After the game, a reporter started to ask Saints coach Sean Payton about what happened on one of Brees’ touchdown passes.

“Which touchdown pass?’’ Payton asked.

He appeared to be very serious. There were plenty to choose from. There was that 75-yarder to a wide-open Devery Henderson.

“I couldn’t believe I was that wide open,’’ Henderson said.

There were the scoring strikes to Robert Meachem, Marques Colston and a screen pass that running back Pierre Thomas turned into a touchdown. And, then, there was the pass to Darnell Dinkins.

Yes that Darnell Dinkins -- the third-string tight end who is on the roster just to block. The guy who had not caught a pass this season before Monday night.

“That’s what we expect,’’ said Colston, who had four catches for 121 yards. “Drew’s going to find the open man.’’

There’s more truth in that than you realize. Maybe it’s time for us all to start expecting this kind of thing from the Saints. They are 11-0 and they’re no longer a novelty.

They’re for real and they know it. Now, all of us know it.

“I don’t think about how good we’ve been,’’ Brees said. “I think about how good we can be.’’

NEW ORLEANS -- For the last hour or so, e-mails and texts have been coming in from friends, who should know better than to e-mail or text while I’m working, to ask if I saw this coming.

I’ll answer one and all now: No. Not like this. Not anything like this.

Yeah, sure, I thought the Saints were very good and had a chance to win against New England. But I thought, if they won, it would be on some dramatic last-second play.

But absolutely blowing the Patriots out? No. And if anybody told you that, they were either a delusional Saints’ fan or they were lying.

You can’t make up what happened Monday night. With rookie Malcolm Jenkins and two really old cornerbacks (Mike McKenzie and Chris McAlister), who were signed off the street in the past two weeks, having to play significant roles because of injuries, this one should have been a mismatch for Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Turned out it was a mismatch. The Saints made Brady look ordinary and I’m having a tough time recalling Moss doing anything of significance.

By the way, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a quarterback have a better game than Drew Brees. All right, that’s all I’ve got right now. I’m heading down to the locker room for post-game interviews. I’ll be back with a full column in a bit.

NEW ORLEANS – The Saints really are going to find out how much recently-signed veteran cornerbacks Mike McKenzie and Chris McAlister have left in the second half.

The team just announced that cornerback Randall Gay has a leg injury and will not return to the game. The Saints already were without injured starters Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter. Rookie Malcolm Jenkins and Gay were the primary corners in the first half with McKenzie getting a lot of work as the third corner.

Now, the Saints have moved McKenzie and McAlister each up one spot.

NEW ORLEANS – He was announced as a starter in the pregame, and cornerback Mike McKenzie, who just re-signed with the Saints last week, was in the lineup on the first defensive play.

The Saints opened with three cornerbacks (Randall Gay and Malcolm Jenkins were the other two) and I think we’re going to see lots of McKenzie tonight with Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter out with injuries.

Although McKenzie hasn’t played in coordinator Gregg Williams’ system before tonight, he was a starter for the Saints before injuries prompted the team to let him go after last season. The Saints also recently signed veteran cornerback Chris McAlister.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints just announced some lineup changes after declaring cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer and running back Reggie Bush inactive because of injuries.

Rookie Malcolm Jenkins and Randall Gay will be the starting cornerbacks. Recently-signed veterans Chris McAlister and Mike McKenzie are both active and presumably will be the top backups.

Pierre Thomas will take Bush’s place as the starting running back. The Saints have said Devery Henderson will take over Bush’s duties as the punt returner.

As we reported earlier Monday, the New Orleans Saints were closing in on a deal to bring back veteran cornerback Mike McKenzie. That’s now been finalized.

The Saints just sent out the official announcement of the deal. The Saints placed cornerback Leigh Torrence on injured reserve to make room for McKenzie.

A 10-year veteran, McKenzie was a fan favorite when he played for the Saints from 2004 through 2008. With the Saints, McKenzie started 62 of the 63 games he played in and had 12 interceptions and 225 tackles.

Her suffered major knee injuries in each of last two seasons and, at 33, it appeared his career was over. But McKenzie continued to work out on his own and when the Saints began a run of injuries at cornerback, they got back in touch with their former player. Besides Torrence, the Saints played without starters Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter on Sunday and were forced to start rookie Malcolm Jenkins and veteran Randall Gay, who had to leave the game with what he said was a hamstring injury.

The Saints also added veteran cornerback Chris McAlister last week. There is hope Greer, Porter and Gay will be able to play against New England next Monday, but coach Sean Payton said he wouldn’t have a clear picture on all the injuries until later in the week.

The Saints reportedly are close to bringing back longtime New Orleans cornerback Mike McKenzie.

The move comes as the Saints have been hit hard by injuries in the secondary in recent weeks. Starting cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter sat out Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. Randall Gay, who moved into a starting role along with rookie Malcolm Jenkins, had to leave the game with a hamstring injury.

Gay said after Sunday's win that he hopes to be able to play next Monday against New England. The Saints also are hopeful that Greer and Porter may be ready for that game, but they’re not taking any chances.

McKenzie left the team after last season and some thought his career might be over because of age and knee problems. But McKenzie has continued to work out. And although the Saints have switched defensive schemes under new coordinator Gregg Williams, McKenzie likely would be able to pick up the system quickly.

The Saints also brought in veteran cornerback Chris McAlister last week. McAlister was inactive Sunday and coach Sean Payton said the veteran still was working his way into "football shape."