They didn't just do it with Drew Brees passing the ball wherever he wished (although he did do that) and they didn't just get some lucky bounces on defense (although they did get those) and they didn't do it because Bill Belichick secretly murdered his kickers. (Although he's still not afraid to go for it on 4th down.) The Saints sliced the Patriots up on offense and shut them down on defense. A couple of times they even made Tom Brady look like Drew Henson. This team is officially THE REAL DEAL.

In fact, looking at their schedule, I don't see where their first loss comes from. Does anyone other than Dallas even put up a fight? And do you have any doubt that Brees that can't pick that defense apart?

Best of all, any TV producers compiling file footage for their "How the Saints saved New Orleans" packages to be shown this January will not have done so in vain. Remember how awesome it was when people had to live in the Superdome for a week! Let's relieve that moment over and over and over again.

Dome housing a winner again [The Boston Globe]
Brees a godsend for Saints [San Diego Union-Tribune]
New Orleans Saints prove they are for real [NOLA.com]
Earlier: Saints Rebuild New Orleans For Fourth Consecutive Year

Honorable mention: Hackers who are exploiting your lust for all things Tiger Woods to install malware on your computers. Remember, kids—never visit any website that isn't Deadspin.com! (Seriously, don't do it. It's a scary world out there.) [Sophos]

Remember back in April when A-Rod's entire career was in danger of becoming the punch line to a terrible joke about steroids? People were wondering if any of his 500+ home runs could be considered legitimate. Now he's the new Mr. October. Seriously, everyone is saying it now. Every. One.

In five playoff games, he has 3 game-tying home runs in the 7th inning or later. He leads his team in hits, batting average, home runs, RBI and smiles. He might be more fertile than ever. Even a New York tabloid is forced to admit that Alex is the man this year. He's a dream teammate. Mr. Clutch. Dare I say it ... a true Yankee?

As usual, winning cures everything. Even bacne. (Oh, good. The bad jokes are still available.)

Alex Rodriguez is the main reason why New York Yankees are up 2-0 in ALCS [New York Daily News]
A-Rod morphing into new Mr. October? [Yahoo! Sports]
A-Rod has become 'Mr. October' [AP]
[Photo: AP]

* * * * *

Here are some other big winners, who did not win quite as big:

The New Orleans Saints: Seven touchdowns to seven different players against a "real" defense, should pretty much make them the team to beat (for now.) Plus, Drew Brees has enough grit to fix a dozen levees. [USA Today]

Tom Brady: Six touchdowns. That's a lot, right? [Boston Herald]

Cliff Lee: Good thing for Philly that the Roy Halladay trade never worked out. [Philly Daily News]

Alabama Football: Not that it matters until they face each other, but Florida's pathetic showing against Arkansas means the Tide are now ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. (Gators are still No. 1 in the BCS, however.) You know, if all you watched were Alabama games the SEC wouldn't look so tough. [Crimson White]

Brett Favre: I know. I know.... [Baltimore Sun]

And new this week ... the Weekend Loser: A lot of good candidates, but I'm going to say the Tennessee Titans, for their pillow-soft effort against New England. I know it was snowy and all, but at least pretend like you give a shit. Maybe those Houston Oiler throwbacks are just making them feel guilty?

Column: This is the worst Titans team ever [The Tennessean]

* * * * *

October 24, 2008: "The Saviours of New Orleans" by Martin Fletcher, Times of London

With their padded shoulders and grill-fronted helmets, they will look just like any other football team, but appearances deceive. The Saints have worked a minor miracle. They have contributed as much to the recovery of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as any political leader, government agency or corporate entity. The way they came marching home 13 months after Katrina wreaked such destruction brought hope and inspiration where there was only misery and despair.

"They saved the city, big time," says Humble Levar, 31, a limousine driver. Keith Joiner, 46, a paramedic, agrees: "That's what brought the city back to life, the Saints coming home. They gave everyone hope." Mary Beth Romig, of the New Orleans convention and visitors bureau, says: "The Saints saved the city - emotionally, spiritually and, to an extent, economically."

October 22, 2008: "Saint Drew can walk on water" by Andrew Elliott, The Express, UK

Back in 2005, Brees was looking for a new team after being released, coincidentally, by the Chargers, because of a shoulder injury so bad that one specialist told him his odds of a successful comeback were 500-1.

After a tour of the ruined districts in New Orleans, Brees knew he had found his spiritual home.

He signed a six-year contract with an organisation who, at the time, were homeless, with their Superdome stadium in a state of disrepair, and had a team of perennial underachievers.

But his subsequent miraculous recovery at the Saints has mirrored that of the city, the team and the Superdome, which has been gutted and refurbished to the tune of GBP 100million.

October 7: 2007: "Rebirth, and Then Relapse: Saints and Their City Are on Tenuous Footing" by Jere Longman, New York Times

A year ago, the Saints started 3-0 in what became an inspiring season that ended one game short of the Super Bowl. It provided a symbol of renewal in this damaged city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

''They did more for the city last year than any team has done for any city ever,'' Peter Richiutti, the assistant dean of the business school at Tulane University, said of the Saints. ....

The season hangs limply, lifelessly, like discarded Mardi Gras beads in the oak canopy along St. Charles Avenue

September 26, 2007: "Let Down Again in New Orleans" by Michael Wilbon, Washington Post

I waited what I thought was an appropriate amount of time to call my friend Susan Saulny, a New Orleans native and reporter for the New York Times who lives in Chicago, to find out if she was okay the day after the loss. She wasn't.

"The emotional toll goes far beyond losing the game," she said. "There's that feeling that we're losing the hope in something that was a great distraction from the awfulness that is still reality down there."

After the Titans took an interception back for a touchdown to seal the game, "I turned it off," Saulny said. "My heart sank. I couldn't watch anymore. There's not a lot to be excited about when you're living in a trailer."

January 19, 2007: "Crescent Roll: Saints have city & residents feeling Super" by Ohm Youngmisuk, New York Daily News

Nearly 17 months after Hurricane Katrina tore apart this city and the Gulf region, New Orleans is still in recovery mode. However, the Saints' march to within one win of their first Super Bowl has helped give the area an emotional boost.

"The New Orleans Saints have not erased our problems, but they have lifted our spirits," said Father William Maestri, superintendent of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. "We should not minimize that. We have a different tone and a different step and a different attitude because of the New Orleans Saints."

While hundreds of thousands of lives were fractured by Katrina, with so many people having to relocate to places such as Houston and Mississippi, the Saints have given many hope - if not a much-needed distraction from the daily grind of rebuilding their lives.

January 14, 2007: "With City Watching, the Saints Carry On" by Jere Longman, New York Times

Running back Deuce McAllister seemed to carry the hopes for all of New Orleans on his shoulders as he bulled into the end zone on a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, pile-driving into the end zone on second and third effort, losing his helmet, but not his determination.

For residents who have returned here after Hurricane Katrina, the Saints have come to symbolize the resolve of a city still half empty but determined to rebuild after suffering a staggering blow. For those still scattered from Houston to Atlanta, the Saints provide a familiar link to what once was, and may become again, home, as well as a reminder of the good times that were had following a mostly bad team.

January 13, 2007: "New Orleans: Team's unlikely rise coincides with city's recovery" by Armando Salguero, Miami Herald

The Saints are perhaps the most compelling story in the NFL this year. This franchise was teetering a year ago with a 3-13 record, no home stadium and rumors of a pending sale or a move out of town. All that atop the problems caused by Katrina.

But this season, the Saints are proving that nature's devastation can be erased by a touch from heaven.

January 13, 2007: "The Great Escape" by Rob Longley, The Toronto Sun

It may be difficult for some to fathom how a football team can be seen as a symbol of hope for this once great American city. Difficult until Dugas graciously offers the details of his tiny, temporary (he hopes) abode and tries to lend some perspective to the passion.

"People like me come out of their FEMA trailers on game day," Dugas said. "We leave our trailers to forget for three and a half hours. That's how much this team means.

"It's all I think about every week, something good. I lost everything in my home. Everything I own. I deserve something to feel good about."

December 10, 2006: "For a city, a Saint: Even Parcells couldn't prepare Payton for this" by Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News

The Saints' sudden, startling success under Payton is a balm for a city reminded daily of Katrina's devastation and the long road to recovery.

They hear Katrina on talk shows, read it in headlines, see its effects on the streets where they live.

But the football team is winning. Parcells didn't prepare Payton for what it could mean. Nothing could.

How are you supposed to respond when a guy walks up at a concert and says he's been relocated and is out of a job and he still bought six season tickets?

You could question the guy's priorities. Football tickets? Concerts?

But give him this: The man believed.

September 2, 2005: "Football temporary diversion," by Tom Knott, Washington Times

For now, the Saints are a nomadic symbol of a city that once was. They, too, are without a home and up against an uncertain future.

They carry the prospect of a sunny day again.

That prospect may look distant, considering the grim and desperate images being beamed out of Party Town, USA.

But one day, a city and football team will be whole again.

[Results via Lexis/Nexis]

Yup. That's a classic Bills throwback spied in Albany, N.Y. You know. They never did find the "real killers." So keep your eyes open. [Via Three Idiots on Sports]

All eyez were on this man in Cleveland on Sunday. Loves his Browns, loves his Tupac. [Thanks, Brett!]

The extra S is for Spelling, which Drew Brees does Exsellently [Thanks, AppleOwner!]
Something tells me these two Georgia State Police troopers aren't going to be taking a bullet for Steve Spurrier. [Via Twitpic]

Speaking of alternate spellings, the crazy "tea bag" protesters who think Obama wants mandatory, government-funded grandmother abortions have found their savior. As long as they don't have to write his name in on the ballot. [Photo via NineTwelvePhotos on Flickr]

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your U.S. Open finals opponent. [Thanks, Robert!]

I hope Nike didn't spend too much on the "Unleash Urlacher" campaign. A small fortune, you say? Gee, that's a shame. [ESPN homepage, Thanks, EVERYBODY!]

Mina Brees was apparently visiting her son Reid, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Other than that, details are scarce.

Marty Akins, Brees' brother who is also a lawyer and former University of Texas quarterback, said he was told Friday morning that Brees died in Colorado, where she was visiting her son Reid. Akins said he did not know the cause of her death.

"It's my understanding that she was at her girlfriend's house," Akins said. "That's all I know. I just know that she passed away, and I loved her very much."

Brees, whose relationship with son Drew was famously strained, was an Austin attorney and a former president of the Austin Bar Association, which gave her an award in 2005 for legal ethics and professionalism. She was being investigated by the Texas attorney general for allegedly trying to dupe several area restaurants into paying her for the rights to their own names. Her business records were subpoenaed Tuesday.

Mina Brees, prominent Austin attorney, dies in Colorado [Austin American-Statesman]

That's what he said in a July 10 radio interview after visiting the detention facility in Cuba on a U.S.O. tour. Those comments gained traction yesterday, when Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune highlighted them in a blog post.

Let's go to the Brees tape:

I can say this after that experience — the worst thing we can do is shut that baby down, for a lot of reasons. But I think there's a big misconception as to how we are treating those prisoners — those detainees over there. They are being treated probably ten times better than any prisoner in a U.S. prison. They're on a 6,500 calorie-a-day diet whereas a normal U.S. prisoner is on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet.... I think the international media — there's just been so much scrutiny over the way that we're treating these guys, it's almost like we're going overboard to treat them so well.

I mean, they're allowed to call and write letters home, and receive letters and calls. They get five opportunities a day to pray, and they have arrows in the prison pointing towards where Mecca is. And the prison goes dead silent so these guys can have their religious time. They have rooms where they can watch movies and play Nintendo Wii. So I think that just goes ahead and says it right there.

And you just talk to all the guards that are Army and Navy personnel, they'll tell you stories about how these prisoners, they'll be walking the cell blocks as they're keeping an eye on these guys and they'll be throwing their feces and urine in the faces of the guards as they walk by, and the guards are not allowed to do anything. They're not allowed to physically retaliate or do anything hardly to try to restrain these guys at all. These guys get away with whatever they want.

And it was interesting because at one point, we were walking from one detention center to another and some of the prisoners saw us. And they started yelling, 'Torture! Torture!' We teach them English, by the way. But they assume since we're in civilian clothes that we were members of the media so they started yelling, 'Torture! Torture!' So you know, anything that they can do to show a poor light on the U.S. military, they're going to do it. Because it seems like they're being treated very, very well over there.

Well then! Prison sounds awesome.

Brees raises eyebrows with comments about Guantanamo Bay [Times-Picayune]
Drew Brees talks about recent trip to Guantanamo [Sports Radio Interviews]
Drew Brees touts defensive improvements [Times-Picayune]

The situation is a little confusing, but apparently Mina Brees, who is a lawyer in Austin, sent of a series of letters to Houston restaurant owners informing them that she had purchased their "assumed business names" from the county clerk. Her company, Chicksports Inc. (seriously?), was gracious enough to offer the names back to them for the low, low price of $20,000. This is basically like cybersquatting on a domain name, only without the fun of the internet.

Of course, things work differently in the real world. Technically, the business names do expire, but if you've already been doing business under that name then no one can make you change it. A lawyer for the restaurant owners' association said the whole thing is bunk and added, "I'm a member of the bar, and it's embarrassing for someone in our profession to do something like that." In other words, "Nice try, nut job."

Ms. Brees plan for financial glory has worked almost as well as her campaign strategy of improperly using her estranged son's face to try and get elected to the Texas Court of Appeals. It's true the rural Texan voters love anything associated with quarterbacks from New Orleans, but perhaps she should give her schemes a little more thought.

NFL QB's mom demands money from Houston restaurants [Houston Chronicle]

Over two dozen people with ties to the New Orleans Saints invested in a company called Louisiana Film Studios. A film studio in Louisiana sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but it is actually a common and popular tax dodge thanks to generous credits given by the state to anyone who thinks it's a good idea to film a movie in a swamp. (Studios are allowed to sell the tax credits to wealthy individuals who then write the credit off on their taxes. The money turns into Heaven's Prisoners.)

It's a perfectly legitimate financial maneuver—provided the studio has actually been granted the credits by the state, which Louisiana Film Studios had not. The investors (including coach Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and Archie Manning) say they were duped and could lose all their money. Defensive end Charles Grant risked the most at $425,000.

So what does that have to do with Houser? In addition to being the longest-serving current member of the Saints, it seems he was the go-to financial expert on the team—he's a registered broker—and the only one who actually had direct contact with the studio. So because his teammates were stupid enough to write checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars based on the advice of a long snapper, Houser is out of job. (His profile page has already been scrubbed from the Saints website.) And possibly $125,000 of his own money that he, least of all, can afford to lose.

(Oh, and he runs a charity for sick kids. It just gets worse and worse.)

The head of the studio says it's all a big misunderstanding—the FBI never seems to understand—and the players will get their money back as soon as he finds new investors. (This is what's known as a pyramid scheme.) As for Houser ... I have this great script about a backup center who solves crimes with the help of a talking dog. It's gold.

More than two dozen with ties to the New Orleans Saints invested in movie studio deal [New Orleans Times-Picayune]
Former Saint Houser searching for answers [WWL TV]
Related: Saints Nation: Could Kevin Houser's Job be in Jeopardy? [Saint's Nation]

If you could assemble a superstar, Frankenstein-style, from Andrews's patients, it would have repaired knees from quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb; a hip from dual-sports sensation Bo Jackson; shoulders from Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley; and elbows from the New York Yankees' Andy Pettitte and the Chicago Cubs' Kerry Wood. "I've always liked fixing people," Andrews says. "I want to get these athletes back to doing what they did before."

Andrews is 66, owns a private jet and his own minor league baseball team, brings in $60 million in revenue every year, was once an SEC champion pole-vaulter at LSU, and greets every athlete, no matter how famous or talented, by saying, "Hey, big man." Some great paragraphs from an article you absolutely have to read.

Because Andrews treats players on nearly every team and in nearly every sport, his reach is greater than that of any athlete, coach, or even commissioner. The totality of his work — redirecting careers, changing the fortunes of teams, even cities — makes a compelling case that he's one of the most influential figures in all of sports.

How much money has Andrews made for players by extending their careers?

Only a fraction of his patients have been identified in published reports. In an analysis of 40 baseball players who are known patients and whose salaries could be obtained, Andrews's career-extending work has led them to garner almost $1.3 billion in guaranteed money. Ten NFL quarterbacks whom Andrews treated went on to secure more than $333 million in contracts.

"Doc saved my career," says Brees, one of those QBs. "What he was able to do with my shoulder was truly amazing."

Read the article. Even though it's long and Fast Company has broken it up into 9 pages without a view all pages tab. Bill the time to "legal research regarding advanced procedures." Thank me later.

The most valuable player in sports: James Andrews [Fast Company]
Meet James Andrews [My Hogtown]

Brees, who played baseball in high school in Austin, Texas, did pretty well at the plate; hitting one ball into the pool beyond the right field fence at Zephyr Field, which is next door to the Saints' indoor practice facility. But then, Oberkfell was a third baseman in the majors, not a pitcher.

All this is probably not what I would suggest for a quarterback who has a history of rotator cuff and elbow injuries, but what do I know?

New Orleans Zephyrs

Anyway, to risk continuing to be Insensitive Bastards by actually discussing Ron Mexico's impact in football terms, but Lion In Oil brings up a great point: It turns out that the Chargers' trade of Vick's draft slot might have been one of the NFL's great trades.

[The late John] Butler, who built the Buffalo Bills teams of the early 1990s and went onto San Diego before dying of cancer in 2003, however, was weary of signing a top pick with top pick money at quarterback right after the disastrous pick of Ryan Leaf by the Chargers in 1998. So Butler, after being unable to come to terms with Vick before the end of the draft, made the shocking move of trading an instant superstar and got a player he was very high on, Tomlinson along with a third-rounder that year, a second-rounder the following year, and Tim Dwight.

Remember, too, that the Chargers picked Drew Brees in the second round that year, who turn out pretty great himself, albeit not for the Chargers. Wherever you are, Mr. Butler, we salute you. We hope you have some pit bulls as pets up there.

A Look Back At One Of The Great Trades Of All Time [Lion In Oil]

You, of course, have your eccentrics, your occasional crack addict, your "I Saved My Mom From Killing Herself" story and, in a touching tale, your "Stop Using Me In Your Campaign Literature!" bouquet.

But for our money, nothing can ever beat LeBron James' mom. Let's take a moment and remember the highlights of her drunk driving arrest last year.

• She was "driving in an erratic manner, weaving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed."
• When they first tried to put handcuffs on her, she wrang herself free before she was sedated again.
• Once in the car, she kicked out the side window of the backseat.
• The police, exhausted with dealing with her, eventually sprayed her with mace.

So, Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Hopefully your mom will find a way to avoid the mace.

With all the drunk quarterback pictures floating around these days, of Rex Grossman and Ben Roethlisberger and Kyle Orton, we thought it wasn't quite fair that Drew Brees remained so free and beloved by everyone other than his mother.

So, here's a modest New Years picture of Brees. It's not the best one, but everyone else has already posted the Eli Manning karaoke pictures, and we felt like we needed to somehow respond, however lamely.

Eli Manning: Karaoke Star In A Football Player's Body [SlamOnline]

News And Notes From Week 14 In The NFL ...

• When Bill Simmons mentioned in his column this week that he considered Drew Brees a better choice for SI's Sportsman of the Year than Dwyane Wade, we thought he was bonkers; perhaps too much VH-1? Even if Brees has had a great year and contributed to the general sense of rebirth at the Superdome — well, for the white fans with tickets and, you know, homes anyway — we had a difficult time imagining him worthy of the award for three good months with not even a guaranteed playoff spot. (If he had broken his leg the week after the magazine came out, no one would remember why he had ever been chosen; that's our point.) Anyway, after last night's ridiculousness in Dallas, we aren't quite sure what to make of anything anymore. The Saints curb-stomped the Cowboys last night, 42-17, and frankly they could have scored 60, had they wanted to. The Cowboys had been the hottest team in football, and the Saints ... jeez, the Saints, man, wow. Sean Payton, your presumed coach of the year (and former replacement player, lest we forget), looked like a guy who had coached the Cowboys the last couple of years, and the Cowboys had an overwhelmed, Zook-ian vibe to them. We're not ready to say the Saints are the likely NFC Super Bowl candidate, but they play like they did last night, they'll beat anybody.

• If this were baseball, you could hold out hope that the Colts were the NFL's Cardinals, a team that will limp into the playoffs with one of its worst rosters and catch fire at the right time. But say what you will about Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan, but at least those guys could at least trip a guy to stop him from running. The Colts look like they're toast, folks.

• Not that the Patriots are gorgeous right now either; Tom Brady threw for 78 yards yesterday and the Pats were shutout. These teams are unlikely to even make it far enough to have another playoff faceoff.

• We think it's rather awesome that Shawne Merriman, after missing four games because of steroids, is still the favorite for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The NFL, it's the best.

• Every time we watch Vince Young do something amazing again, we feel pretty stupid about ever getting so worked up about Ron Mexico.

• Edgerrin James has rushed for 100-plus yards two straight games now, enough to make him forget his a Buzzsaw. The Seahawks, by the way, yipes; they're just like the Colts and Pats, playoff relics likely to slip in but not likely to last long.

• From The Mighty MJD Smorgasbord: "Michael Strahan is in a new Subway commercial with Jared, one that ends with them sharing a hearty belly laugh, and I'd like to tell you something about the forced chemistry between the two, and about how it's a weird, uncomfortable, commercial... but I can't. I completely buy that Strahan and Jared are pals. Nothing in the world makes more sense to me."

The NFL quarterback and Westlake High School graduate has told Mina Brees, an Austin attorney, to stop using his picture in TV commercials as she runs for a spot on Texas' 3rd Court of Appeals, saying their relationship is now "nonexistent" after souring six years ago.

"I think the major point here is that my mother is using me in a campaign, and I've made it known many times I don't want to be involved," he said Monday. The New Orleans Saints player said he is speaking out now because she did not acknowledge previous requests to keep him out of the campaign.

Mina is a Democrat and announced, after Brees' public demand, she was taking her son's image out of her ads. As for the rift between her and her son, she says, "Sometimes when people are following a career path, they change." This probably rules out Campbell's Soup commercials.

Brees Vs. Brees [Austin American Statesman]

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has asked his mother to stop using his picture in TV commercials touting her candidacy for a Texas appeals court. In commercials running on Austin stations, Mina Brees had been using a picture of her son in the uniform of his former team, the San Diego Chargers, to emphasize her ties to football.

Ms. Brees has agreed to pull the ads, saying she'd "rather air commercials that use Philip Rivers anyway."

Brees wants no part of mom's campaign in Texas [AP]

NFL free agency is officially underway today, and Drew Brees is just one of many people about to change teams. Of course, I believe he's the only 27-year-old Pro Bowler who is loved and adored by all of his teammates and coaches and is being brazenly cast aside just as the team appears primed to make a run at a Super Bowl. And I agree him when he says here (and I'm paraphrasing), "If you let me go, Chargers, you are big dummies." The Saints appear to be his likely destination.

If your team is urinating on your corn flakes, as the Chargers are doing to mine, feel free to vent here with me.

Brees believes Chargers making a mistake [NFL.com]
Team-by-team needs during free agency [Fox Sports]