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Tuesday’s news that Baltimore Ravens running back Ricky Williams is retiring comes with a bit of an NFC South angle.

Williams once was the biggest thing to ever hit the New Orleans Saints. Remember the 1999 draft, when the Saints traded away all their picks from that year, plus a couple more for the following year, for the right to draft Williams?

Yeah, it made headlines all over the place because it was one of the most daring trades ever -- we’re talking way more daring and dangerous than what the Falcons gave up to get Julio Jones or what the Saints gave up to get Mark Ingram in the 2011 draft.

It was the biggest deal coach Mike Ditka made and (along with a 3-13 record that season) it led to the end of his coaching career.

When coach Jim Haslett arrived the next season, Williams had some success. He had two 1,000-yard seasons, but there were issues. Williams was a unique personality. He didn’t interact a lot with teammates and often conducted interviews behind the shield of his helmet.

"Ricky's just a different guy," former New Orleans receiver Joe Horn once said. "People he wanted to deal with, he did. And people he wanted to have nothing to do with, he didn't. No one could understand that. I don't think guys in the locker room could grasp that he wanted to be to himself -- you know, quiet. If you didn't understand him and didn't know what he was about, it always kept people in suspense."

Haslett was in suspense or, at the very least, never quite could figure out Williams. That’s part of the reason Deuce McAllister was drafted. By the end of the 2001 season, in which Williams rushed for 1,245 yards and caught 60 passes, Haslett was pretty clear that Williams didn’t fit his long-term plans.

In the spring of 2002, the Saints traded Williams to the Miami Dolphins. They were able to get back some of what they initially gave up for Williams by getting four draft picks, including two first-round choices, in return.

Williams’ career would go on to have all sorts of twists and turns. He had success at times in Miami. He also retired from football in 2004, only to return in 2005. Williams was suspended by the NFL in 2006 and wound up playing for Toronto in the Canadian Football League.

Williams returned to the Dolphins in 2007. He finished his career with Baltimore and ended up with 10,009 rushing yards and 74 total touchdowns (66 of them on the ground).

Not a bad career, especially when you consider all the interruptions.

Would it have somehow worked out better if things had been handled differently and Williams spent his entire career in New Orleans? It’s impossible to say for sure.

Williams’ track record suggests he might have encountered some of the same, or different, problems if he had been with the Saints the entire time. Things worked out all right for him. They also worked out for the Saints, aside from the initial price tag to get Williams. McAllister ended up having a very nice career.

Reggie Bush came in and did some nice things at certain times. Along the way, the Saints also added Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles, who have done some pretty nice things at running back.

Here’s what I think is a fascinating Insider post by Mel Kiper. He revisits the 2006 NFL draft and does it over again from scratch.

Obviously, Kiper’s got the benefit of hindsight. But it’s kind of fun to look back now and see how things could have been different for the NFC South teams.

Remember, the Saints had the No. 2 overall pick that year and the Houston Texans had the No. 1 choice. There was a lot of debate on if the Texans would take Mario Williams or Reggie Bush.

In the end, Houston went with Williams and the Saints took Bush. Williams and Bush each had their moments, but neither has quite lived up to his draft status. Bush was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2011.

As Kiper does the 2006 draft all over, he no longer has the Saints drafting Bush. He has them taking center Nick Mangold. Imagine that? Mangold is widely considered the best center in the league. The Saints could have the best center in the league surrounded by Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, who are considered the best guards in the league.

But it wouldn’t have worked out that way in Kiper’s scenario. Remember, the Saints had one of the all-time great drafts in 2006. They added Evans, receiver Marques Colston and safety Roman Harper in later rounds.

In Kiper’s new draft, Evans, Colston and Harper don’t make it out of the first round and they land with other teams.

The Carolina Panthers had the No. 27 pick that year and they used it on running back DeAngelo Williams. In Kiper’s new draft, Williams would have been off the board long before Carolina drafted. Instead, Kiper has the Panthers selecting Antoine Bethea, who has turned into a very solid cornerback.

In 2006, the Buccaneers drafted guard Davin Joseph at No. 23. He’s turned out to be a solid player and is at the Pro Bowl right now. But, in Kiper’s new draft, Joseph is scooped up several spots before the Bucs can take him. Instead, Kiper gives Tampa Bay Kamerion Wimbley. Hey, at least with Wimbley, the Bucs would have had a pass rush in recent years.

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t have a first-round pick in 2006. They traded it to the New York Jets for defensive end John Abraham, who has had a very productive run in Atlanta. But the Jets turned that pick into tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Had the Falcons landed Ferguson in 2006, they never would have drafted Sam Baker in 2008.

For months, Saints fans have been asking for full details on last summer’s trade of Reggie Bush to the Miami Dolphins.

For the longest time, those details seemed to be one of the league’s best secrets. We knew the Dolphins got Bush and the Saints got safety Jonathan Amaya, but that’s all we knew for sure.

But it looks like we finally have an answer. The Saints still haven’t said anything official. But Miami general manager Jeff Ireland finally filled in the blanks on the draft-pick compensation part of the deal Monday during a break in Senior Bowl practices.

Brace yourself, New Orleans fans. You’re not going to be jumping up and down about this one because your team is not gaining much. The Saints will move up either 18 or 19 picks in the sixth round of the draft.

Ireland confirmed that in addition to the trade of Bush for Amaya, the only other item in the deal is that the two teams swapped sixth-round picks.

The Dolphins will holed either the eighth or ninth pick in each round. The exact spot will be determined by a coin flip with the Carolina Panthers at the scouting combine in February.

So the Saints will receive either the eighth or ninth pick of the sixth round. But the Saints also have to send their own sixth-round pick to Miami. That’s the 27^th pick of the sixth round.

» NFC Wrap-ups: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Arrow indicates direction team is trending.

Final Power Ranking: 2
Preseason Power Ranking: 5

Biggest surprise: The Saints knew it was significant when they signed Darren Sproles soon after the lockout ended. They had traded Reggie Bush and were looking for someone to replace him. But I don’t think even the Saints realized how much of an upgrade Sproles would be over Bush. Sproles turned out to be the best free-agent signing in the entire NFL and was a big reason the Saints went 13-3 and set all sorts of offensive records. Sproles had been a very nice player in San Diego, where he played the role of speed back, receiver and return man. Sproles took on all those roles in New Orleans. But he was used quite a bit more as a runner than he ever had been by the Chargers. Sproles averaged 6.9 yards per carry and also caught 86 passes for 710 yards and seven touchdowns -- all career highs.

Biggest disappointment: Despite having big-time talent in free safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback Jabari Greer and two other good cornerbacks in Tracy Porter and Patrick Robinson, the Saints managed only nine interceptions, which tied them for No. 28 in the NFL. That’s disappointing because the core philosophy of coordinator Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme is to come up with turnovers. That was a key when the Saints won the Super Bowl in the 2009 season. They’ll need to start coming up with some turnovers if they plan on going far this postseason. It would help if the Saints could force some mistakes with a pass rush that was mediocre during the regular season.

Biggest need: More athleticism at linebacker. The Saints got by with their current cast of linebackers this season, but there weren’t any real standouts. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma and outside linebacker Scott Shanle are getting older. Jonathan Casillas showed some potential when healthy and rookie Martez Wilson came on a little bit at the end of the regular season. This isn’t a glaring weakness. But the Saints could make their entire defense better if they added a playmaker or two at linebacker.

Team MVP: This is the easiest call ever. Quarterback Drew Brees is the MVP for the Saints. Heck, you can make a very strong case he’s the MVP of the NFL. In fact, I’ll go ahead and make that case right now. Yeah, I know Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers will probably win the league-wide MVP award, largely because his team went 15-1 and the Packers have such a huge national following. But Brees’ numbers were better in many areas. Quite simply, Brees had one of the best years ever by a quarterback. His 5,476 passing yards set a league record. He also threw a career-high 46 touchdown passes and completed a career-best 71.3 percent of his passes. With his contract expiring the minute the Saints are done playing in the postseason, Brees has made his case to become the highest-paid player in NFL history.

On the road to greatness: The Saints obviously liked what they saw out of rookie tight end Jimmy Graham last season. His debut was so promising that the Saints felt comfortable in releasing veteran tight end Jeremy Shockey. But you have to wonder if this was a little like Sproles, where the Saints got even more than they thought they were getting. Graham, who played only one year of college football after playing basketball at the University of Miami, turned in one of the most prolific seasons ever by a tight end. Graham had 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. His athleticism caused all sorts of matchup problems for opposing defenses and this guy hasn’t even hit his full potential yet.

NEW ORLEANS -- Thoughts on the New Orleans Saints’ 45-16 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

What it means: The Saints (12-3) clinched the NFC South, which means they’ll be one of the top four seeds in the playoffs. They still have a shot at going as high as the No. 2 seed, but they’ll need to win their finale and hope San Francisco loses. The Falcons (9-6) already are in the playoffs, but now they can’t do any better than the No. 5 seed. Also, New Orleans’ victory means that, once again, no team has won the NFC South in consecutive years since the division came into existence in 2002.

Record time: With two minutes and 51 seconds left in the game, Drew Brees made history. With a touchdown pass to Darren Sproles, Brees broke Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a season. Marino had 5,084 yards in 1984. Brees came into the game needing 305 yards to break the record. He finished with 307 yards. Brees also threw four touchdown passes.

The Sproles factor: I might be overlooking someone, but I don’t think I’m too far off in saying Sproles was the best free-agent signing in the NFL this year. Sproles has made huge contributions as a runner, receiver and a return man. Early this season, I still saw some fans wearing Reggie Bush jerseys. I don’t think I’ve seen one in a couple of months.

The great debate: After watching the Saints absolutely dominate what had been a good Atlanta team for the past month or so, I think it’s fair to start talking about how the Saints match up with the Green Bay Packers. Remember, the Saints took the Packers down to the wire in the season opener at Lambeau Field. I know for certain the Saints are a better team now than they were in September. Yeah, you can bring San Francisco into the argument too, but that kind of waters things down. The Saints and Packers play great offense and a postseason game between them would be as exciting a game as you could ask for.

What I didn't like: From an Atlanta perspective, the way the Falcons lost this game had to be demoralizing. The Falcons had seemed to be on a roll in recent weeks. They’re already in the playoffs and they should have an easy finale. But the momentum Atlanta had built over the past month or so has been shattered. If they somehow end up facing the Saints again in the playoffs, that’s not a good psychological matchup. The Saints have defeated the Falcons twice already and that’s got to be in the heads of the Atlanta players.

What's next: The Saints host the Carolina Panthers in the regular-season finale on Sunday. The Falcons host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Time for a look at the Friday morning headlines around the NFC South.

When the Falcons and Saints play Monday night, the two shortest players in the NFL will be on the field. Atlanta running back Jacquizz Rodgers and New Orleans running back Darren Sproles are 5-foot-6. The Falcons gradually have been creating a bigger role for Rodgers. They might be wise to take notes on how the Saints use Sproles.

They’ll be holding a reunion for University of Miami tight ends at Bank of America Stadium when the Panthers host the Bucs on Saturday. Carolina’s Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey and Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow all played at Miami. Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski was the Miami tight ends coach. In related news, Winslow said he believes Chudzinski will make a great head coach. Chudzinski’s name has popped up as a coordinator on the rise and he could be interviewed for some top jobs after the season.

Although specific details of the draft-pick compensation the Saints will receive for trading Reggie Bush to Miami in the summer are not known, Mike Triplett reports what New Orleans gets is not tied to Bush’s on-field performance.

Tampa Bay linebacker Geno Hayes, who can become a free agent after the season, said there have been no talks about a contract extension. But Hayes said he would like to remain with the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay cornerback Myron Lewis, a third-round pick last season, hasn’t received a lot of playing time. But, with Aqib Talib lost for the season, Lewis should at least be active Saturday at Carolina, and he might get a chance to validate his draft position.

NEW ORLEANS -- As we get ready for Monday night’s game between the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, it’s time for a few programming notes.

First off, check out our Monday Night HQ page. Lots of good stuff on there, including an Insider item by Football Outsiders’ Danny Tuccitto, in which he compares Darren Sproles and Reggie Bush. As you might expect, Tuccitto writes that Sproles has been an upgrade over Bush.

Also, we’ll be doing a Countdown Live chat throughout the game. I’ll be joined on the chat by NFC East colleague Dan Graziano, Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson and Football Scientist KC Joyner.

NEW ORLEANS – After getting pushed around by St. Louis in Week 8, the New Orleans Saints did the only logical thing. They brought out the bats.

Yeah, the baseball bats.

For those who haven’t followed the Saints in recent years, the bats are significant. For those who have, you know the bats mean the Saints are swinging for something besides the fences.

“The whole philosophy behind a bat game is it’s going to be a physical, physical game,’’ New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said. “You’re not going to look at the scoreboard. All you’re going to do is think about winning the physical battle, and if you can outhit the opponent, you win the game. We save these for special occasions. Typically, we don’t do it for a division opponent. You can say they’re all physical and important and all those things. But, maybe in light of where we are in the season and what happened a few weeks ago at their place, (coach Sean Payton) felt like it was appropriate.’’

One of Payton’s favorite motivational tricks was perfectly timed Sunday as the Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-16 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

A week after an embarrassing loss to the previously-winless Rams and about a month after losing to the Buccaneers in Tampa, the Saints (6-3) turned to the heavy lumber to hold onto sole possession of first place in the NFC South. In a tradition that’s best remembered from when Reggie Bush ran onto the field carrying a bat before a playoff victory against Arizona in the 2009 Super Bowl championship season, Payton had red bats with Tampa Bay’s nickname distributed to all his players before the game.

The implication is simple.

“Be physical, bring the wood and hit somebody,’’ said Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who started at middle linebacker in place of the injured Jonathan Vilma.

To those who like to call the Saints a “finesse team,’’ they were far from it against the Buccaneers. After allowing Brees to get sacked six times and hit another nine times against the Rams, the Saints protected their quarterback perfectly. Brees wasn’t sacked -- and barely was touched -- and it wasn’t simply because the Saints gave tackles Jermon Bushrod and Zach Strief extra blocking help.

The bats were swinging from every direction on offense.

“I thought we found a great balance,’’ Brees said.

Against St. Louis, there was no balance. There was no running game and that allowed the Rams to focus on Brees. Against the Buccaneers (4-4), the balance was pretty close to perfect. Brees completed 27 of 36 passes for 258 yards with two touchdowns.

But he had tremendous help from the ground game. The Saints finished with 195 yards, including a rare 20-yard scamper by Brees. But the rest of it came from the combination of Chris Ivory, Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas.

Sproles, who is the offense’s jack-of-all-trades, finished with 42 yards on four carries and also caught five passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He also had a touchdown run near the end of the game that was called back by a penalty. Thomas rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Ivory, who returned last week after sitting out the early portion of the season with an injury, led the Saints with 67 yards on 15 carries. The Saints didn’t even seem to miss injured rookie running back Mark Ingram.

That bat rack seemed more than full as Brees completed passes to eight different receivers, including six for 78 yards to tight end Jimmy Graham.

“When you look at our productivity when we’re running well, it’s through the roof,’’ Brees said.

The Saints looked a whole lot different than they did against the Rams.

“Last week, that’s not the team we are,’’ Brees said.

“We’re past that,’’ Payton said. “We’re not scratching any heads.’’

That’s partly because the Saints also came out swinging on defense. They held the Buccaneers to 84 rushing yards on 20 carries. Tampa Bay’s LeGarrette Blount got off to a hot start, but he seemed to cool off after the Saints stopped him on a fourth-and-one at the New Orleans 29-yard line with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter.

The defense also held Tampa Bay to just three field goals until Josh Freeman and Kellen Winslow connected on a touchdown pass with 5:33 left.

Payton made it a point to say this was the first time the Saints ever have had a “bat game’’ against a division opponent. That might have helped reverse last week’s mess and put the Saints on a good path as they head to Atlanta for next Sunday’s game against the 5-3 Falcons.

So why don’t the Saints just bring out the bats for every game?

“I don’t think there’s enough room for all those bats,’’ wide receiver Lance Moore said.

Moore was speaking in the literal sense about space in the locker room. But it’s fair to suggest he might also have a point in the figurative sense. Maybe the Saints don’t need to physically hand out 53 baseball bats every week. That would make Payton’s point about playing physically get old in a hurry.

Instead, just take some of the lessons learned between the embarrassment at St. Louis and the joyful victory against Tampa Bay and carry them all the time. The Saints aren’t the type of team that must be dramatically more physical than their opponent every week. They just need to be physical enough in their running game and with their defense to prevent everything from falling on Brees’ shoulders.

“It makes things so much easier when you have a balanced attack,’’ Moore said.

When the Saints have that balance, they can make any game look like batting practice.

We’re not even officially at midseason yet, but there’s one race we can go ahead and call.

In the category of “Best NFC South free-agent signing," we have a winner. It’s New Orleans’ Darren Sproles.

Yeah, Ray Edwards is fitting in pretty well with Atlanta, Michael Koenen’s doing a nice job in Tampa Bay and Ron Edwards would have been a really nice pickup for Carolina if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. If we’re going to include a Carolina player in the honorable-mention slot on this one, let’s bend the rules a bit and go with tight end Greg Olsen, who wasn’t a free agent, but came in a trade with Chicago.

But none of those guys has come close to doing what Sproles has for the Saints. They’re all pretty much doing what they did in their other stops.

Sproles is doing more than he ever did in six productive seasons in San Diego. Through seven games, Sproles leads the NFL with 1,115 all-purpose yards and he’s getting more opportunities to run the ball and catch passes than ever before. He already has made New Orleans fans forget Reggie Bush, the last guy who was supposed to be a running back, receiver and return man.

The Saints have been very careful not to publicly declare Sproles an upgrade over Bush, but it’s become very clear that’s exactly what they got.

This didn’t happen entirely by accident.

It happened, in large part because quarterback/King of New Orleans Drew Brees wanted it to happen. It happened because Brees worked hard to recruit Sproles.

“Darn right I did,’’ Brees said.

There’s history with Brees and Sproles. Brees’ last season in San Diego (2005) was Sproles’ rookie year. The two have worked out together in California (where Brees keeps a home) in offseasons through the years, and that happened even more this offseason due to the NFL lockout.

As negotiators worked on a labor deal, Bush’s future in New Orleans was very much up in the air. He was scheduled to count $16 million against the salary cap and the Saints wanted to knock that number down. Bush wasn’t willing to do that and he wound up being traded to the Miami Dolphins.

Sproles was sitting out there as a free agent. Brees didn’t view Sproles as the next-best thing to Bush. He imagined the possibilities and saw something that could be far better.

"I was like, 'Oh man, we’ve got to get this guy. He’s too special a player.'" Brees said.

It wasn’t a hard sell with the coaching staff or the front office. The Saints knew they needed someone to take over Bush’s many roles.

“Our feeling at that time was that a lot of the things we liked to do with Reggie, we thought we would feel very comfortable doing with Darren,’’ New Orleans coach Sean Payton said.

The Saints went out and offered Sproles a four-year contract that averages $3.5 million per season (and a much friendlier cap number than Bush’s). There were other teams interested, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who, at the very least, made some overtures toward Sproles, plus the Chargers wanted to keep him. But there was one big reason why Sproles was ticketed for no place other than New Orleans.

“I think his relationship with Drew Brees had a lot to do with us getting him here,’’ Payton said.

Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis are known for being excellent talent evaluators and projecting how players will fit into their system. But Payton admitted he underestimated what he was getting in Sproles.

“After having him here, we’ve seen he’s maybe even a better runner than we anticipated, just from the backfield without even all the screens and passes,’’ Payton said. “He’s versatile. He handles space real well. He’s quick. He’s a great teammate. He’s very smart. He’s just one of those dedicated players that football is very important to. He loves playing.’’

In New Orleans, Sproles is getting plenty of chances to play. It’s gone beyond the role of change-of-pace back and return man that Sproles had in San Diego. Sproles has been used in a three-man backfield rotation with rookie Mark Ingram and veteran Pierre Thomas.

The Saints are starting to use Sproles more as a pure runner out of the backfield. He got a season-high 12 carries in Sunday night’s victory against Indianapolis and he responded with a season-high 88 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

Sproles is averaging a career-high 7.3 yards per carry and the Saints may have used some very simple logic in deciding to give him more carries -- if he’s gaining 7.3 yards a carry, he can put up a lot more yards if he’s getting the ball more.

If the Saints keep feeding the ball to Sproles and he stays anywhere near his current pace, he could easily double his previous high for rushing yards in a season (343) in 2009. And it’s not like the increased running duties are diminishing Sproles’ value as a receiver or a return man.

Sproles is tied with teammate Jimmy Graham for second in the NFL with 45 receptions. He leads all running backs in catches and is on pace to shatter his previous-best season total of 59 catches from last season. In fact, at his current pace, Sproles would finish the season with 103 receptions. The NFL record for receptions by a running back is 101, set by Larry Centers in 1995.

The chemistry between Brees and Sproles has been particularly apparent on third downs. Sproles has a league-high 15 receptions for 139 yards.

“Sprolesy has been awesome,’’ Brees said. “He’s just so dynamic. There are so many different things he can do. He can run the ball inside the tackles and he can run the ball outside, obviously. We can split him out and run routes with him and throw screens to him. He’s obviously a big part of our special teams in the return game. He’s just so versatile. He’s great in pass protection. He’s just a really prideful guy who works extremely hard. He’s smart, he’s tough and I know what to expect out of him. Every play, I know exactly what I’m going to get from him.’’

Brees knew all along what he’d get from Sproles. The Saints and the rest of the NFL are just starting to realize that Sproles can do more than anyone else ever imagined.

On a conference call with the Tampa Bay media last week, New Orleans coach Sean Payton was singing the praises of Darren Sproles, the best free-agent pickup in the NFC South this year.

Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and the New Orleans scouting staff are famous for doing exhaustive homework when bringing in players. But Payton admitted there’s one thing that’s surprised him about Sproles.

“After having him here, we’ve seen he’s maybe even a better runner than we anticipated, just from the backfield without even talking about all the screens and passes.’’

When Sproles was in San Diego, it was pretty well known he could do some damage on the outside. But, in New Orleans, Sproles has shown signs he can run between the tackles, something he rarely had the chance to do in San Diego.

Sproles has been part of a backfield rotation with rookie Mark Ingram and veteran Pierre Thomas and that’s worked nicely for much of the season.

But some strange things happened in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. In a game in which Payton had his leg broken and spent the second half in the locker room, Sproles had only one carry for 16 yards.

Was it because Payton wasn’t calling plays in the second half? Probably not. It had more to do with the fact the Saints were trailing and going heavily with the passing game. The running game as a whole wasn’t working. Thomas carried seven times for 11 yards and Ingram gained 22 yards on nine carries.

Sproles did catch eight passes for 46 yards, but shouldn’t he have gotten the ball at least a few more times on handoffs?

I think so. Through the first five games, Sproles was averaging a little better than five carries a game. The Saints brought in Sproles to take on the role formerly held by Reggie Bush and there was always concern about overusing Bush.

Although Sproles is undersized (5-foot-6 and 190 pounds), he’s different than Bush in one key way. Bush was injury prone. Sproles hasn’t missed a game since 2007.

I’m not saying the Saints should suddenly start giving Sproles 20 carries a game because he’s got plenty of other duties as a receiver and return man. But I think they could hand him the ball a little more often in that tandem with Ingram and Thomas.

Sproles is averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Ingram, who has handled most of the short-yardage carries, is averaging 3.4 yards and Thomas is averaging 4.0.

You run the risk of diminishing returns if you run Sproles too much. But I think five to seven carries a game from Sproles could make the Saints’ running game more of a threat.

Thoughts on New Orleans’ 23-10 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars:

What it means: The bottom line is the Saints are 3-1 and in first place in the NFC South. They could have sole possession of first place if Tampa Bay loses Monday night. That’s all you really can ask for in the first quarter of the season. This wasn’t a particularly impressive or dominating performance by the Saints. The Jaguars, who are by no means a good team and were starting rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, were very much in the game in the first half. But the Saints did what they had to do and got a road win as they began a stretch of three straight games on the road.

What I liked: The running game. On a day when Drew Brees wasn’t putting up huge numbers, the Saints ran the ball very well. The three-headed backfield of Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas was effective. All three runners made plays at different times.

The Sproles factor: Four games into the season, I think we can officially say Sproles is a huge upgrade over Reggie Bush. The guy makes plays every game. Bush only made them here and there and often was injured.

What I didn’t like: The Saints, who usually have no problem lighting up the scoreboard, weren’t able to punch the ball into the end zone as much as they should have. They had to settle for field goals too often. You can do that against the Jaguars. But there could be problems if that happens against a good team.

Rising stars: The draft class of 2010 really is starting to show through. Tight end Jimmy Graham had another big game. How long until he’s in a Pro Bowl? My guess is February. Cornerback Patrick Robinson had a nice interception. Tracy Porter has been out with an injury and may not have a starting job when he comes back.

What’s next: The Saints travel to Carolina next Sunday to play the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

As usual, we covered all sorts of ground in Friday’s NFC South chat. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

Eric (Raleigh, N.C.): Pat, Any chance the Panthers' running game gets going anytime soon? I am loving the Cam Newton show but I don't think we are going to win many games without some balance on offense.

Pat Yasinskas: I suspect you'll see more of it very soon. Panthers realize they need more balance in their offense. Plus, with the linebacker situation, they need to be able to sustain some drives and keep the defense off the field. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are too good not to get some carries.

Jason (Land O Lakes): Any news on Tanard Jackson?

Pat Yasinskas: Nothing yet. Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't have to act right away and we don't know if Jackson met all the conditions of the things he was supposed to do (and not do) during the suspension. Stay tuned.

KMan94 (Atlanta): How much should Atlanta be concerned about Matt Ryan's knee?

Pat Yasinskas: I believe it's minor. He's practiced on a limited basis the last two days. I don't think it's an issue.

Nick (Melbourne, Fla.): Any reason you can think of that the Bucs did not pursue Darren Sproles? Their 3rd down back situation has 200 year old Earnest Graham there with Kregg Lumpkin a relative no name and surely the Bucs could have outbid the Saints. Please don't talk about their youth movement. Us fans are sick of the Glazers penny pinching ways.

Pat Yasinskas: From what I know, the Bucs at least did pursue Sproles (and Reggie Bush) a little bit. But they didn't like the price tag on either.

Adam (Raleigh, N.C.): You're building a team for the long term and have your choice of the four South QBs who do you take?

Pat Yasinskas: Personally, I'd take Freeman if I could pair him with Atlanta's skill-position players.

Joel (NC): Pat, I agree with you taking Freeman as the long term guy right now, but if Newton continues as he has, it may be up for debate next year don't you think?

Pat Yasinskas: Yeah, but it's only two games for Newton. Two excellent games, but only two.

Tim (Alexandria): Have you heard anything about Jonathan Vilma's availabilty this Sunday?

Pat Yasinskas: Should have a better idea when the injury report comes out later this afternoon. But he's sat out the last two days, which isn't a great sign. But Vilma's one of those guys that doesn't have to practice. If he wakes up Sunday and feels OK, they'll throw him out there.

Matt Riddle (Atlanta, Ga.): Falcons should of never let go of Koenen, even if it meant more money. We were willing to trade up for Julio and pay big for Edwards. Now our season could be jeopardized because of a rookie and a division rival acquired Koenen!

Pat Yasinskas: True, but it was a conscious decision by Dimitroff, who doesn't believe in paying big money to specialists. If you re-signed Koenen, you might not have gotten Edwards. It was a calculated gamble and it's not looking good so far. But Falcons did their homework on Bosher and haven't given up on him yet, so they must have some hope that things can straighten out quickly.

Noah (Wimberly): What are your thoughts on the Saints Linebackers corp? Seems like Gregg Williams is having fun mixing up formations with those guys.

Pat Yasinskas: Think it's better than it’s been in recent years. Really like the way they're mixing guys in and they've got more speed at LB than they've had in past.

Here’s the complete transcript of Friday’s NFC South chat.

A lot of people just assumed Darren Sproles would be used only as a third-down back in New Orleans’ offense. The thinking was that Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas would get more playing time.

So far, that hasn’t been the case. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Sproles has been on the field for 60 snaps. Thomas has been out there for 53 and Ingram for 41. The snap counts include plays that were negated by penalties.

It also was a common assumption that Sproles would fill Reggie Bush’s role as a receiver out of the backfield. That part is coming true. Sproles has 15 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in the first two games of the season. Bush twice had at least 15 catches and 115 yards in the first two games of a season (2006 and ’08).

But part of the reason Bush never fully prospered with the Saints was an inability to stay healthy. Sproles hasn't missed a game since 2007.

Thoughts on the New Orleans Saints’ victory against the Chicago Bears at the Superdome.

What it means: The Saints are 1-1 after facing two NFC North powerhouses. That’s not a bad spot to be in, because the schedule appears to get easier going forward. No matter what happens with Atlanta’s game Sunday night, the Saints will at least be tied for first place in the division.

What I liked: Drew Brees and Sean Payton usually do a nice job of spreading the ball around among their receivers, tight ends and running backs. With No. 1 receiver Marques Colston out with an injury, that didn’t change anything. The Saints simply got guys like tight end Jimmy Graham and Adrian Arrington more involved and the offense didn’t miss a beat.

What else I liked: The defense got some redemption after a horrible performance in the opener against Green Bay. The Saints were very aggressive against the Bears. They didn’t completely shut them down, but they stopped some drives by a good offense. That’s all you have to do when you have Brees and the New Orleans offense.

Unsung hero: Defensive end Turk McBride might have made the play of the game when he had a sack and forced fumble midway through the third quarter. At that point, the Saints had a 16-13 lead, but Jonathan Vilma recovered the fumble and Brees and the offense quickly punched the ball in for a touchdown and took control of the game.

Upgrade of the year: Running back Darren Sproles is what Reggie Bush always was supposed to be. Sproles can do a little bit of everything and he does it all very well.

Good news on the horizon: Defensive end Will Smith was suspended for the first two games. He’s eligible to return in Week 3.

What’s next: The Saints host the Houston Texans next Sunday.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A few thoughts on the New Orleans Saints' season-opening 42-34 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

What it means: It’s only one game, but this one was particularly painful for the Saints and could have implications that linger through the season. The defense was nothing short of horrible most of the night, and that’s a huge cause for concern. Yes, the Saints were playing the defending Super Bowl champions on the road, but they have to be better than this on defense if they hope to be more than an average team.

Missing Will Smith: With the defensive end suspended for the first two games of the season, the Saints generated virtually no pass rush. Rookie Cameron Jordan, Jeff Charleston, Junior Galette and Turk McBride weren’t expected to do it on their own. The Saints did try plenty of blitzes but didn’t have a lot of luck. Don't give the Saints too much sympathy on this one. They knew for months there was the chance Smith would serve a suspension but didn't do much to counter that.

Secondary issues: Second-year pro Patrick Robinson had a tough game as he took over the nickelback role. Strong safety Roman Harper had a rough night, and cornerback Tracy Porter didn’t tackle well. If you’re not getting any pressure and your secondary is struggling, you’ve got problems.

The bright spot: Running back/return man Darren Sproles was explosive as he made his New Orleans debut. He returned a punt for a touchdown, and looked good on kickoff returns and as a receiver out of the backfield. Sproles looks like an upgrade from Reggie Bush.

Whatever happened to Jimmy Graham? The second-year tight end was expected to be a focal point of the offense. He was barely a factor. But give Green Bay’s defense much of the credit for that. The Saints seemed like they were looking for Graham, but he rarely was open, except for a fourth-quarter touchdown that came too late.

What’s next: The Saints get another strong NFC North opponent Sept. 18. They’ll play the Chicago Bears, but that game will be in the Superdome.