Don't sleep on Saints in Super Bowl talk

Five years ago, the New Orleans Saints were looking for stability as a franchise and a team on the field. Five years later, it's clear they found it.

Half of the equation was signing one of the game's elite quarterbacks, Drew Brees. The other half was choosing right again by hiring Sean Payton as their head coach.

That winning combination was first seen when the Saints went from 3-13 in 2005 to 10-6 in '06, and doing their small part in helping the community around New Orleans heal from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. There was promise of accomplishing greater things in the near future, which came to fruition with their victory in Super Bowl XLIV.

After following up that last season with an 11-5 wild-card berth and making a shockingly quick playoff exit at Seattle, it would be easy to think they've taken a step back out of vying for another NFC championship. That would be a big mistake.

Appropriately, Payton was rewarded for his great body of work on Labor Day with a contract extension through '15. The Saints' familiarity with him on the sidelines and Brees under center is the biggest reason they're consistent contenders. Even with considerable roster shakeups since '06, neither competitor has lost his edge in pushing the Saints every year.

"You don’t ever really arrive, you’re just constantly ongoing, developing players, and with the way our league is now, there’s always that turnover in five to six years," Payton said Monday. "The offseason has become important (and) certainly the continuity with the coaching staff is important."

The Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers — against whom the Saints open the regular season on Thursday night — have all seen a brighter spotlight cast on them this offseason. But the Saints have done some quiet reloading of their own to keep with the NFC's other offensive powerhouses.

The marquee pickup was their rookie first-round draft pick, running back Mark Ingram, the '09 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion from Alabama. Even though the Saints have a deep running game, Ingram can provide them with a necessary hammer to help Brees finish drives in the red zone.

Ingram is expected to have an immediate impact, starting with what's likely to be a high-scoring affair at Lambeau Field.

“I think he’s more than ready" Payton said. "He’s anxious. Here’s why: He’s been very consistent during training camp."

Ingram is just one of three intriguing new weapons for Payton's offense. In free-agent addition Darren Sproles, the Saints get a slightly older but arguably quicker version of Reggie Bush to assist them as a third-down runner and receiver. Second-year tight Jimmy Graham, now a starter, is primed for a breakout season.

They'll need all of those players to contribute — and good production from their aggressive defense — to beat Green Bay. Although the Week 1 matchup of the past two Super Bowl champions is huge way to kickoff for the Saints, they're careful not to put everything into it as a way to put behind last season's playoff disappointment.

"You don't want to make it bigger than it is, because at the end of the day you still have 15 games after that," linebacker Jonathan Vilma said about his team's preparation for the Packers. "We would love to get a quality win on the road against a NFC opponent.”

Considering the Saints face stiff competition in their own division, both from reigning NFC South champion Atlanta and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a surprise 10-6 team last season — every conference win is vital. The opener is a chance for the Saints to get a potential leg up on the Falcons and Bucs, who also open with tough NFC North opponents in Chicago and Detroit, respectively.

Former Cowboys and Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson, a studio analyst for FOX NFL Sunday, sees the Saints and Falcons once again being in a tight battle for postseason position.

"If you look at the entire league, what we’re going to find out in the early part of the season is that because we didn’t have offseason programs and minicamps, the veteran teams and the teams that retained their coaches will be much stronger than some of the other teams early in the season," Johnson said in a conference call.

"Veteran teams, especially the Saints and the Falcons will be much better. It’s a two-team race in the NFC South as far as I’m concerned."

Wherever you look, the Falcons, Eagles and Packers have dominated as the preseason picks to make Super Bowl XLVI. The Saints, however, are well equipped to make it a great four-team race to take the NFC.