Coach Sean Payton is a believer in young quarterback Chase Daniel. (Getty Images)

A few weeks ago, this scenario was discussed (including on this very site), but seemed unlikely.  But, as I said in that previous writing, Sean Payton is not one who is known for doing things by the book.  Just because Patrick Ramsey had starting experience in the NFL did not mean he was automatically going to be the primary backup for Drew Brees.

Ramsey wasn’t terrible at all.  But, Daniel’s athleticism and knowledge of the offense just makes him a much better fit for the Saints.  Should the unthinkable happen and Brees misses time due to an injury, the style of offense shouldn’t have to change quite as much with Daniel at the helm.

Patrick Ramsey has a big arm, but was more or less a statue in the pocket during his days in Washington.  To me, that would seem to indicate that the entire Saints offense may be thrown off by a quarterback who: a) doesn’t get rid of the ball quickly, and b) isn’t able to elude the pass rush.

That said, I’m certainly not ready to crown Daniel as the second coming of Drew Brees.  But he looks like a legitimate NFL quarterback and his preseason play proved him to be a fit for this offense.

Predicted order of finish:

1. New York Jets – I’m probably crazy, but that defense (even without Revis) is still pretty darn good.  And Mark Sanchez will improve.  My biggest concern is how much LaDanian Tomlinson has left in the tank.  They are certainly reminiscent of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, and that’s probably just how coach Rex Ryan likes it.
2010 Record: 11-5

2. New England Patriots - Very tempting to take Miami in this spot.  But the Pats have been good for so long that I feel compelled to give them the benefit of the doubt.  They seem to get by without much of a running game and it looks like it’ll be that way again this year.  The key for this team will be whether or not that suddenly-younger defense is able to run coach Bill Belichick’s scheme effectively.
2010 Record: 10-6

3. Miami Dolphins – The big question mark will be whether or not Chad Henne takes a big step forward this year.  There were definitely times where he looked like a legitimate starting quarterback.  He certainly has some help with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown running the ball.  But Henne needs more consistency if the Dolphins are to become regular contenders.  They acquired the very talented (yet troubled) Brandon Marshall to lead their receiving corps.  If he keeps his head on straight, that will be a huge boost for Henne.
2010 Record: 9-7

4. Buffalo Bills - Well, what can you say?  T.O. is gone, not like he made much of an impact last season.  The Bills need a legitimate quarterback to go with their already solid running game.  I don’t see that in Trent Edwards.  The shame of it is, they do have some pieces of the puzzle.  But it seems like since Drew Bledsoe left, they haven’t even had a sniff of a legitimate presence at QB.
2010 Record: 4-12

They could have drafted this guy…

Matt Leinart's time in Arizona may be coming to an end.

Leinart is apparently on the trading block after losing the chance to start for the Cardinals to Derek Anderson.  He was supposed to be the Cards’ quarterback of the future, but clearly things have not worked out.  He’s been given repeated opportunities to compete for a starting spot, but hasn’t done much to impress coach Ken Whisenhunt.

If you recall the draft speculation back in ’06, a lot of folks were predicting Leinart would go to the Saints in that fateful first round.  Thankfully, the team signed Drew Brees as a free agent and didn’t have to worry about drafting a quarterback.

And, whatever you think of Bush’s numbers, he’s really been a perfect fit for Sean Payton’s style of offense.  That’s a whole lot more than the Cardinals can say for Matt Leinart.

Linebacker Troy Evans will forever be linked with the Saints' Super Bowl team. He was cut by the team on 8/25/10.

While he did get some playing time at outside linebacker, Evans was primarily a special teams star.  But, the Saints have been struggling quite a bit with special teams coverage so far this preseason.  Perhaps cutting Evans was more a matter of the team having a number of younger, faster players to take his place than it was an indictment of his play.

Either way, that unit has a lot of work to do before opening night against the Minnesota Vikings.

As for Evans, he’s the type of quality veteran player who shouldn’t be out of a job for too long.  And, if the Saints continue to struggle with coverages, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him back in the Black & Gold sometime down the road.

Sorry, but Haynesworth and his $100 million dollar contract can go anywhere other than New Orleans.  The real question is: Who wants this guy?

His behavior throughout the offseason and training camp has been borderline ridiculous.  Instead of attempting to start off on the right foot with new Redskins coach Mike Shannahan, he’s done just about everything a man can do to alienate himself from his team.  The complaints, poor offseason conditioning, and yes even more complaints.

Watching his little sob story (see below) after the Redskins’ preseason loss to the Ravens the other night was pretty much on par with T.O. doing sit-ups in his yard a few years back:

Sounds like a guy Al Davis may want to sign up.  Too bad JaMarcus Russell is gone, they could have made a great tandem.

Obviously, preseason is just that – an exhibition.  But Daniel’s confidence and ability to throw the deep ball were on display Saturday night in the Superdome.  The Saints brought in veteran Patrick Ramsey to be the primary backup to Brees, but if Daniel can continue to play at this level the team might have to make a difficult decision.

Daniel seems to possess a lot of qualities fit in with the Saints’ offensive philosophy.  He is able to make decisions quickly and has shown some mobility as well.  That alone should put him ahead of Ramsey, who was not known to possess either of those traits during his time as a start in Washington.

Still, it would seem to go against conventional wisdom to go with the young guy over a veteran with starting experience in the NFL.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned about coach Sean Payton over the years, it’s that he doesn’t often do what’s conventional.  If Chase Daniel continues to shine, his days as a #2 quarterback could come much more quickly than anyone anticipated.

Brad Childress is still fuming from the beating his quarterback took in the NFC Championship Game.

With the season opener against Minnesota just mere weeks away, Vikings coach Brad Childress threw a big ole iron in the fire with his assertion that the Saints are a dirty team.  Probably more like putting out a fire with a big jug of kerosene.

Now that quarterback/hero Brett Favre has shaken off another supposed retirement and has returned to the Vikings, Childress wants to start crying foul over a game that happened several months ago.

Yes, Brad, I realize that your team was the one people were predicting to go to the Super Bowl.  And perhaps if your team didn’t fumble and stumble so many times in that NFC Championship Game, you could have had your shot at Peyton Manning.

It’s true that the Saints were obviously going after Favre a lot in that game, just as they did against Kurt Warner the week before.  But, what, was Vikings star Jared Allen out there to play touch football?  Childress may not realize this, but when you’re playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl, your team had better come out ready to physically dominate.

Childress is a fool if he thinks for one moment that anyone believes that his defense wouldn’t have taken similar shots at Drew Brees if given the opportunity.  Trouble is, Brees gets rid of the ball quickly, while Favre is known to scramble and can hold on to the ball for too long.

While I already thought that Childress was an arrogant sort, much like our old friend Mike Martz, this may put his ranking in that category even higher than the former Rams coach.

Get over it, Brad.  Your team is the one who fumbled away chance after chance in that game.  Your aged quarterback was the one who threw an interception at the worst possible moment.

If you want revenge, then bring your fundamentals to the Superdome on September 9.

Betts is a proven player and had some very solid contributions to the Washington Redskins over the years.  He even had a 1,000 season back in 2006.  But, he’s also coming off reconstructive knee surgery.  He tore both is ACL and MCL last season and is looking to bounce back.

The injury doesn’t sound all that different than the one former Saint Deuce McAllister faced during the 2005 season.  He came back strong the next season.  Hopefully, that bit of history bodes well for Betts.

Betts is not known as a speed back, but as more of a power runner.  So perhaps we don’t need to worry about him having lost a step.

His role with the team also figures to be much lighter than McAllister’s back in 2006.  Deuce, of course, carried the load for the Saints.  Betts will really be counted upon to come in for some short yardage situations and to give Pierre Thomas an occasional breather.

Here’s hoping that Ladell Betts is healthy and able to contribute something positive to the 2010 Saints.

The challenge for the NFC South and the rest of the Saints’ 2010 opponents will start with slowing down the best offense in football.  The trouble is, it’s hard to key on just one weapon.  The Saints are known for spreading the ball around to multiple play-makers.  And, in 2009, the Saints added a whole new dimension to their attack by running the ball more consistently than they ever had before under coach Sean Payton.

Since Payton took over in 2006, it seems the only team that can severely hurt the Saints offense is the Saints themselves.  Penalties, turnovers and dropped balls seemed to plague the team in the non-playoff years of 2007 and 2008.  It was something that the team did a fantastic job of correcting last season, and you saw the result.

To me, that’s the biggest challenge the 2010 edition of the Saints will face.  Maintaining a balanced attack and mental focus will be a huge factor in determining just how far this team will go.  Because, let’s face it, as long as Drew Brees is healthy most teams will have an awful lot of trouble keeping the Saints off of the scoreboard.

But the 2009 Saints weren’t just a one-dimensional team.  Their defense was also instrumental in bringing a championship to New Orleans.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams turned a previously dormant group into a pack of wild dogs who attacked relentlessly.  The result was a unit that pressured the quarterback and caused a slew of key turnovers.  It’s no stretch to say that this team wouldn’t have won either the NFC Championship Game against Minnesota or the Super Bowl against Indianapolis without big plays from the defense.

Williams seems to thrive on making his unit unpredictable.  Exotic blitzes and coverages that wreak havoc on an opposing quarterback’s thought process.

I think that unpredictability will be a major factor in 2010.  As any gambler will tell you – you win some and you lose some.  Teams will be more prepared for what this defense will throw at them this season.  So it’s up to Williams to continue to change things up just enough to throw opponents off.

A large part of continuing to win after you’ve had success in the NFL is about making adjustments.  We know teams will adjust to what the Saints did in 2009.  Sean Payton and company will have to deftly counter with their own set of adjustments.  If they do, another victory parade in the French Quarter may become a reality.

And, not to be overlooked, Times-Picayune columnist Peter Finney will receive the Dick McCann Memorial Award from the Pro Football Writers of America.  Jeff Duncan has written a really nice story on his colleague that is worth reading.

As for Jackson, there are just so many amazing memories of his time with the Saints.  He, along with the rest of the vaunted “Dome Patrol”, helped bring a legitimate contender to New Orleans (and a lot of pain to opposing quarterbacks).

Funny thing was, if you weren’t a Saints fan or a fan of one of their old NFC West rivals in San Francisco, Atlanta or Los Angeles, you might not have known just how dominant #57 was.  Rickey played in a time before the internet and the NFL Network, so he never got the publicity of his more famous counterpart in New York (Lawrence Taylor).

To see Rickey Jackson and Peter Finney receive such prestigious honors is a thrill.  Put that on top of the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, and all of the sudden we are seeing this franchise go from sad-sack to one having a great tradition.

Congratulations, Rickey and Peter!