We should be more impressed with a 34-3 win. Then again dismantling the Raiders is like stealing candy from a baby, even if the baby is Al Davis’ supposedly still-alive body.

The New Orleans Saints dragged the Silver and Black from goal line to goal line with such ease it might be time to announce the NFL has contracted to 31 teams.

WWLTV

Though it was fun watching Drew Brees continue his assault on Dan Marino’s single-season passing yards record.

Brees is just being rude now, beating the defenseless Raiders by completing 16 passes in a row while hitting 26 of 30 attempts for 320 yards.

As a Saints fan, watching elite quarterbacking is surreal. It’s like suddenly getting one of those things the super rich have, and before you experienced it you hadn’t realized how awesome it is.

When I was living in Orange County I went to an Angel’s baseball game in their Diamond Club suites.

Before I actually got to see a game in one of these ‘super luxury boxes,’ I was like, “Those things aren’t that good. Us real fans sit in the stands. I’ve been in the boxes at the Dome. They aren’t that great.”

Then I was watching baseball eating, like, four kinds of gourmet food, drinking micro-brewed beer and watching five other games on a huge TV. Oh, and getting a back rub.

It was a level of fantastic you really don’t understand until you experience it.

Drew Brees is like that.

The NFL is a league of haves and have-nots. Either you have an elite quarterback and can win the Super Bowl, or you don’t and you won’t.

The Saints do, and getting to watch Brees every Sunday makes watching the Saints the most fun as it’s ever been.

Now that the Saints have disposed of the Raiders, it’s time for real football.

Next Sunday in Carolina we’ll get a lot of answers.

The Saints run defense has become strength the last month but they haven’t faced a team with a quality quarterback, so they could load up against the run.

Jake Delhomme and the Panthers can throw the football and the Saints won’t be able to play eight in the box.

As for the Saints kicking game, all I ask of the fans who want to scream, “I told you Taylor Mehlhaff is better than Gramatica!”

If Mehlhaff is lining up for a game winner next week are you willing to bet a week’s pay he will make the kick?

Didn’t think so.
Saints field goals are officially cardiac-arrest moments right now.

Gramatica had to go but I’m not sure Mehlhaff is the solution; his rebound from the miss early was encouraging though.
The good news for the Saints is Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston will be back and the offense should get better.

This offense better is a scary thought.

WWLTV

Anyone who reads this column regularly knows my favorite part of football season is the big game.

The build up all week, the over analyzing and the nail biting craziness of watching it is what makes football the best sport.
It’s October, the weather is changing, and we now have our first huge Saints game of 2008.

Yesterday things broke the Saints way with Tampa beating Carolina, and suddenly despite injuries and sloppy play the Saints might be in first place on their plane flight to London next Sunday night.

Ralph Malbrough is a Saints fan living in Houston. He can be reached at ralphmalbrough@hotmail.com. He also hosts an internet radio show this at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/forecastradio You can listen live or download archived editions at itunes.