Saints are one of the watered-down NFL’s good teams

He said it Tuesday at the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club, and he may be right.

“The Saints are going to the Super Bowl,” said Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson, who noted that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints and Rams met again in this year’s post season.

That would be a great matchup which would provide something that the NFL certainly lacks these days. That is, good football.

Quarterback injuries have certainly contributed to bad play in some cases but a rash of penalty flags tossed by the zebras is even more of an issue.

Yet there’s a bigger reason why quality play is so lacking. The NFL simply has a lot of bad teams.

This Sunday before the Cowboys-Saints game at the Superdome, I may just get in my car and go for a ride. Usually my wife knows not to speak to me after church and before 6 p.m. on a football Sunday.

But not this week.

Of the Sunday games, the most compelling might be New England at Buffalo. That’s right, Patriots vs. Bills. No offense to unbeaten Buffalo but I’ll pass.

Last Thursday evening as I was working at the office, I didn’t bother to turn on the Tennessee at Jacksonville game. I just couldn’t.

The Dallas-New Orleans primetime matchup figures to be compelling football though. The Cowboys are 3-0, albeit with wins against a trio of lightweights – the Giants, Redskins, and Dolphins. In nine tries, those teams have combined for one win.

On the flip side, the Saints’ three opponents so far have seven victories and just two defeats with no losses to any team not named New Orleans

Compared to the rest of the NFL, the Saints have run some sort of early season gauntlet.

For years, the NFL mantra has been on any given Sunday, meaning that anyone can win on an NFL Sunday.

Guess again. There are a slew of teams who struggle to be respectable.

So, even if the Saints don’t win Sunday night, they would still in great shape at 2-1. Over their last 12 games, the Saints are slated to face just two teams with winning records. Although decent, those two future opponents – Indianapolis and San Francisco – don’t scare anybody.

What’s amazing is how bad rosters are in the NFL. Assembled by scouts, coaches, and general managers who meticulously evaluate players and make very good money doing so, many teams just fail to impress.

In April, the New York Giants were vilified for allegedly reaching for Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth pick in the first round. Yet there was Jones this past Sunday, throwing for two scores and rushing for two more in a comeback win over Tampa Bay to cap his first pro start.

It was actually a compelling game in the NFL. My guess is there will be few of those this season.

I can’t wait for January.

Let’s see Saints against the Rams for the NFC Championship again. In the AFC, a Chiefs vs. Patriots title game rematch is just fine, too.

Until then, unless you are in a TV market with one of the few good NFL teams, viewing may be challenging.