Will Smith News

The time between when Sunday's game was completed and the opening of the Saints locker room was all the time players were going to get this time.

So much for the playoff drought. The Santa Ynez High varsity football ran roughshod over host Santa Maria last Friday, 42-0, propelling the Pirates to their first playoff berth in nearly a decade.

It's no secret that the Saints 9-0 record is due largely in part to the defense's ability to wreak havoc on the opposition.

For the first eight games, the New Orleans Saints ' defense has played like a den of thieves, amassing an NFL-high 24 takeaways and scoring seven touchdowns on five interceptions and two fumble returns.

Some members of the New Orleans Saints claim they don't remember what the St. Louis Rams did to them the last time they met on Nov.

METAIRIE, La. Three weeks ago in Miami, the Saints were down 24-3 early. New Orleans came back and won by 12.

But they've never seen this: 8-0. The Saints marched into unprecedented territory Sunday with their 30-20 victory against the Carolina Panthers at the Superdome.

Finally, it's Friday. While a lot of our attention has been on the Hornets and the past 24 wild hours, there was still focus on the Saints.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith pressured Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan as he has opposing quarterbacks all season long.

The New Orleans Saints , the Carolina Panthers and pretty much everyone in the Superdome knew Sunday that the only way Carolina could upset undefeated New Orleans would be for its running game to dominate.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove and Buccaneers kick returner Clifton Smith have been named the NFC's top players for Week 9 of the NFL season.

Tom Benson sat in the Sazerac Bar of the Roosevelt Hotel on Thursday night and shared a glass of wine with his wife, Gayle.

Total offense: No. 1 Rushing offense: No. 5 Passing offense: No. 4 Scoring offense: No.

In their first six games this season, the New Orleans Saints did a solid job in giving up just 92.3 rushing yards a game while not allowing any individual to run for 100 yards.

The Saints worked out veteran defensive linemen Paul Spicer and Rodrique Wright this week, General Manager Mickey Loomis confirmed.

CAROLINA AT NEW ORLEANS OPENING LINE -- Saints by 14 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Carolina 2-5; New Orleans 6-1 SERIES RECORD -- Panthers lead 16-12 LAST MEETING -- Panthers beat Saints 33-31, Dec.

Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner gashed the New Orleans Saints defense for 151 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown Monday night.

This has been a rough year for Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme . David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme has never lost a game at the Superdome.

This is not the goal post that Jason Elam missed twice. That one was at the other end of the Superdome.

Drew Brees passed for 240 yards and a touchdown, helping the Saints to a 28-21 lead over the Atlanta Falcons through three quarters on Monday night.