(Soul Of The Saints hopes you and yours had a Happy Thanksgiving, only regretting no paragraphs.)

An appeal of sport is often that the backdrop and irony behind the contests can be as interesting as the games themselves.

Midway through the 2007 season, the New England Patriots were steaming along, undefeated, and had already been crowned as Super Bowl Champions by a drooling media. They could do no wrong with the integration of troubled but talented receiver Randy Moss into their no nonsense atmosphere, a sterling defense, and the “genius” of head coach Bill Belichick. Three Star General Tom Brady had this missile on cruise control. New England was the latest Model Organization, a title tossed around too redundantly for recent Super Bowl winners. If the Cardinals just hit a Hail Mary in the waning moments against the Steelers last February, they’d have been touted as Turnaround Specialists, worthy of enlistment by the Obama Administration to fix the automobile industry. The drama wasn’t that the Patriots would add a fourth ring to their treasury early in this millennium, but if they would be the first team to remain unbeaten throughout the campaign, as the Miami Dolphins last did, in a two game shorter regular season in the early 1970’s. The pursuit of Greatest Ever had the viewing public obsessed, to the extent that it was exhausting, and more importantly – a burden to their players (football is not a game optimally played self consciously). By the time the playoffs began, few noticed, or cared, that their form had peaked in mid-season, and that opponents were figuring out how to hang with the Patriots. In the end, though abetted by a few freak plays, the New York Giants were able to slay the weary dragon.

Lo and behold, a short two seasons later, and the Saints, of all people, hold that slim possibility in their hands. The Colts are also unbeaten, but even if they were not, no-loss fever has not overly swept the city. This is in large part because excellence and the New Orleans Saints have not been used in tandem, and that ’07 reminded everyone that the real prize is awarded in early February. Ironically, low expectations increase the Saints’ remote chances of running the tables.

In terms of past achievement, this is a no contest on Monday night. Patriot Reign is still the leading tag for this decade of the NFL. New England has won more playoff games in one season than the Saints have in their forty-something year history. The Saints have a veteran team, but in numerous, big time, prime time games, the Pats have been there and done that. The anticipation in New Orleans is akin to Sarah Palin’s first debate against Joe Biden. To the pro football world, the Saints are about to host a coming out party.

The Saints and Patriots have a sparse playing history, but one that bodes just fine with New England. In 2001, a young Tom Brady made his official first career start against Jim Haslett’s shaky Saints, and it was basically over by halftime. Here in the Superdome a few months later, Brady led the Pats to an epic upset of the Rams in SB XXXVI, closing the curtains on Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show On Turf. Post Katrina, New England toyed with the punch drunk Saints by 24-17, a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score.

On the field, where things actually get decided, the news gets a little better for the home team. With warriors like Bruschi, Seymour, Samuel, Harrison, and Vrabel no longer on their defensive depth chart, the Patriots have gone with youth and speed over guile on that side of the ball, which can be an intangible difference in these types of games. These Saints have appeared to disinherit the lie down, stink it up, and roll over skeletons that have historically been in their closet when it counts, as was the case in their last big test like this, the ’07 season opener, when Peyton Manning and the defending champion Colts had the scoreboard blinking faster than it could operate as soon as the refs blew the opening whistle. The ’09 Saints talked about finishing in the hot air of this pre-season, but have surprisingly been walking the walk with it, for the most part.

Drew Brees is every bit the equal of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but lacks their box office appeal only in not having yet won a championship. In a league designed and marketed for the proliferation of the quarterback, there are several of them higher paid than Brady – one is sitting on the bench out in Oakland – though none have accumulated his jewelry. This is with his consent, so the club can spread the wealth around enough for the Patriots to be a complete team. His initials should be changed to TW, for nobody understands team and winning better than the head of The Brady Bunch. His humility is every bit as much of his fabric as his considerable talent, and is the secret to his game. When the Patriots plucked him out of the cellar in the sixth round of the player draft nine years ago, New England hit the lotto. It’s no coincidence his team got off to a slow start this season, while he shook off rust after tearing up his knee and missing last year. Like movie star Jack Nicholson in The Shining, he’s baaack.

Soul Of The Saints expects Brady to go deep early and often Monday night, to try and get some legs up on the Saints, tame the home crowd, and open things up underneath for effectively weaving targets Wes Welker and TE Ben Watson (it’s something of a mystery here why the Saints did not aggressively pursue Welker in free agency in ’07, he being one of the most effective receivers in the league). The key for the injury depleted Saints defensive backfield will be in not how many big gains they surrender, but in how they react to them. CB Jabari Greer would be a huge plus if he is back mostly in form, and rookie CB Malcolm Jenkins had a nice little first start last week against the Bucs. Pat RB Laurence Maroney is an eager beaver, and can snap, crackle and pop through the hole, causing heads on defense to swivel. In the second half, somebody on the Saints defense better pay plenty of attention to veteran Kevin Faulk from LSU, whom Brady loves to call on in moving the chains.

Drew Brees will take whatever the Patriot defense gives him, take some too, and he is astute in figuring that out as the game goes on. His offense has a cell phone interface of playmakers in the air and on the ground, so it isn’t primary who answers the calls, just that they get answered. There will be little time or room for text messaging or dull dial tones by this cast of characters. The Stones Of The Saints offensive line knows how to protect the passer and wear opponents down with efficiency, much like New England’s, so hurries and sacks could be the most telling of the statistics the next day. If the game is close in the fourth quarter, field goal K John Carney’s accuracy could be critical, but cannot be relied on beyond 40 yards.

Monday is taking on the air of a holiday in New Orleans, and the feel of a playoff game too. In this corner, a win or loss is by the Saints is not as tantamount as the nature of their showing. While in the national spotlight, Who ‘Dat Nation stands to enroll some new citizens. It’s doubtful it will lose any. Over the years, fans of the team and city have endured much worse than 10-1. Perhaps All Saints Day will arrive about a month late this year, on the last day of November rather than the first.