All season long people have made excuses for the Saints as to why they are not a serious contender for the Super Bowl.

The victory over the Falcons when the Superdome was re-opened was credited to the emotion surrounding the event. The early success was the result of an easy schedule, even after an impressive victory over the Eagles. Then, when they fell into a slump and lost three of four, most people thought there's the Saints we remember. But these are not the same Saints we remember. This is a team that has responded with three straight victories.

The latest came against the new darling of the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys. Sean Payton called a flawless game plan and the Saints rolled over the Cowboys on national TV. His knowledge of the Dallas schemes and tendencies gave him an advantage that he exploited the entire game.

Coach Payton has developed an offense that allows all the skill players to make plays. We all know about Deuce McAllister, Joe Horn and Reggie Bush but everybody on the offense has a chance to be a part of this offense. Marques Colston has burst on the scene but how many coaches would have trusted a 7th round rookie early in the season to play the role that Marques has played? Terrance Copper has been a great addition along with Devery Henderson and now Jamal Jones.

Every player is a viable option on every play. Just ask Mike Karney who put up three TDs on the Cowboys after not scoring a TD his three previous seasons in the league. When a team has multiple threats to defend, it puts a tremendous strain on the defense. The Saints have the deepest set of skill players in the league.

Put that together with Drew Brees, a QB that has a chip on his shoulder, and you have a recipe for success. The Saints have rallied around the difficult experience of last season and no longer appear to a team of destiny, they are just a good football team. The NFC South has placed a team in the conference championship game every year since the realignment.

The Saints, obviously, are the only team not to represent their division. If they fill that role this season it won't have anything to with destiny, it will be because they earned the right.