Heath Evans has been placed on injured reserve and replaced on the Saints' 53-man roster by former New England Patriots fullback Kyle Eckel, Coach Sean Payton said Thursday. Evans suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be lost for the season. Dr. James Andrews performed surgery Thursday on Evans. "We're losing a starter who has really played well these first six games,'' Payton said.

Reggie Bush believes that the Saints have a chance to go undefeated during the regular season. On Sporting News Radio's The Monty Show, Bush was asked if he felt as though New Orleans could remain perfect. "Can we go undefeated?" Bush said. "Yes. I do think we have the players, the chemistry, we have the heart and dedication, the coaching staff, we have the players." Bush, who has been criticized for not making more of an impact on the field, also predicted that he'll win an MVP one day. "Once I do win an NFL MVP, once we do win a Super Bowl, once I am in the Pro Bowl, it's going to be that much more special because of all the criticism that I had to come through and because of the work I've put into it, it'll mean that much more to me and I'll appreciate it more," Bush added.

The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, I created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2009 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New Orleans Saints: 16.0 The Saints are one win away from matching their best start in franchise history in 1991 when they opened 7-0. The '91 season was the middle season of Jim Mora's three-year playoff run, which was predicated on a defense ranked first in fewest points allowed more than the arm of Bobby Hebert. 2. Indianapolis Colts: 12.6 The Colts defense has not given up a touchdown in eight quarters and hasn't allowed one in the first half during the past four games. 3. Denver Broncos: 11.0 The Broncos come out of their bye week forced to travel to Baltimore to play a hungry Ravens team that also just had their bye. 4. Green Bay Packers: 10.6 The Packers will host Brett Favre this Sunday and unlike their Monday night game a few weeks ago, Dom Capers features a much-improved defense that has gone from 18th to 3rd. The offensive line also kept Aaron Rodgers from getting sacked in Sunday's 31-3 win over Cleveland. 5. New England Patriots: 10.6 Since losing to Josh McDaniels and the Broncos in overtime, the Patriots have outscored opponents by a margin of 94-7. 6. New York Giants: 7.8 Fans of the Giants and Yankees will be able to take in a doubleheader against the Eagles and Phillies in the city of cheesesteaks. After beginning the season 5-0, the Giants have lost two consecutive games and don't get a legitimate break in their schedule (other than the Week 10 bye) until they travel to Washington four days before Christmas. 7. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6.5 The LaMarr Woodley 77-yard fumble return and Keyaron Fox 82-yard pick-six showed the familiar face of Steelers' football as much as the 5.3 yards per rush average, which was +1.4 in comparison to Minnesota's 3.9. 8. Philadelphia Eagles: 5.8 Will Witherspoon ingratiated himself with Andy Reid and company by returning an interception for a touchdown while logging eight tackles, one sack and even a forced fumble. 9. Minnesota Vikings: 5.5 Winning games, especially on the road against the defending champs, is always difficult when turnovers happen while in red zone opportunities. 10. Dallas Cowboys: 3.8 Since Miles Austin barely averaged 20 yards per game over the first four weeks, we'll need one or two more big games to see if these 250 and 171 yard weeks will be a legitimate indicator of future success. 11. New York Jets: 3.5 One week after throwing 45 interceptions, Mark Sanchez gave the Jets a 9-for-15, zero INT afternoon in Oakland, staying out of the way of a running game that rushed 54 times for 316 yards. 12. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.4 The Bengals had been winning games with average outings from Carson Palmer, but he threw for five touchdowns and had a passer rating of 146.7 in their 45-10 win over Chicago, which could make them truly dangerous. 13. Houston Texans: 3.1 The Texans were unimpressive in the second half, sitting on a 21-0 lead over the 49ers that they nearly wasted. 14. Baltimore Ravens: 2.9 Coming out of the bye, Baltimore must do a better job defending the pass, beginning with shutting down Kyle Orton and the Broncos. 15. San Francisco 49ers: 0.9 I don't think we can routinely expect 118.6 passer rating games from Alex Smith, but since August it has been clear that he has significant more upside than Shaun Hill. The San Francisco defense isn't nearly good enough to offset a 'manage the game' quarterback. 16. San Diego Chargers: 0.8 After destroying the Chiefs on the road 37-7, San Diego will have another 'let's fatten up' game at home against Oakland. 17. Seattle Seahawks: 0.6 The Seahawks will have a difficult time making the playoffs if they can't get Walter Jones and Sean Locklear back onto the field. 18. Arizona Cardinals: 0.4 The Cardinals' 24-17 win in New York against the Giants was easily their most impressive road performance in any regular season game over the past two seasons. I think the Cardinals easily have the best shot in the NFC West. 19. Jacksonville Jaguars: -0.1 Maurice Jones-Drew averages 4.3 yards per carry regardless of win or loss, but he averages 8.3 yards per reception when the Jaguars win compared to 4.7 in losses. 20. Buffalo Bills: -0.6 Ryan Fitzpatrick's 82.2 rating on the road in Carolina was enough for the Bills to stick with him against Houston. How frequently does a team have quarterbacks out of Harvard and Stanford? 21. Atlanta Falcons: -1.3 By a very wide margin, the Falcons are the best team ranked in the 20s and are all but certain to finish the season in the top half of the Trench Counter. 22. Washington Redskins: -2.0 The sputtering Washington offense will have even more problems now that Chris Cooley is out for the season. 23. Miami Dolphins: -3.9 The Dolphins keep going to Ted Ginn, but his production has been consistently disappointing. 24. Chicago Bears: -4.5 The Bears have traditionally forced a lot of turnovers while taking good care of the ball offensively, but are -5 for the season, which ranks them 13th in the NFC. 25. Carolina Panthers: -5.7 Steve Smith rebounded with a 99 yard outing, but the end result was still a 20-9 loss to a mediocre Bills team. 26. Kansas City Chiefs: -7.7 The bye week couldn't happen at a better time for the Chiefs, where either Todd Haley or Larry Johnson, probably/hopefully both won't be back next season. 27. Detroit Lions: -8.7 A headline I'm not sure I would live long enough to see, 'Lions don't want to overlook Rams.' That gem was from the Detroit Free-Press and though no 1-5 team can pencil in any 'W', I do like their chances against St. Louis. 28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -9.0 I haven't looked this up to officially verify it, but Josh Freeman is the first quarterback to make his NFL debut on foreign land. He completed two of his four passes for 16 yards while being sacked twice in mop-up duty against the Patriots in London. 29. Tennessee Titans: -11.5 Bud Adams is pushing hard for Jeff Fisher to start Vince Young and it is impossible to argue against it given the hole Tennessee is presently in. 30. St. Louis Rams: -14.5 The Rams will get linebacker David Vobora back this week after being suspended for a substance abuse violation. 31. Cleveland Browns: -15.7 Given the mystery of why Eric Mangini would stubbornly stick with Derek Anderson, some have speculated that he doesn't want Brady Quinn to take 70% of the snaps, which would force Cleveland to pay $10.9 million in contract escalators. 32. Oakland Raiders: -16.4 Only 39,543 fans attended Sunday's game in Oakland against the Jets, which was the lowest number for the Raiders since 1968.

The Saints are on pace to score 635 points this season, which would set a new NFL scoring record. New Orleans has scored 45 or more points in a game four times this season. New England scored 589 points during their historic 16-0 season in 2007.

The Steelers handed the Vikings their first loss of the season on Sunday, but the Saints remained unbeaten with a tough win over the Dolphins to highlight Week 7?s NFL action. We will calculate each team?s Trench Counter*. New England 35, Tampa Bay 7 Team Trench Counter: Patriots +15.4, Buccaneers -15.4 The New England Patriots (5-2) remained red hot with an emphatic win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7) at Wembley Stadium in London. Tom Brady threw for 308 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions during the league?s annual game overseas. Laurence Maroney rushed for 43 yards and added a touchdown in the victory. Wes Welker led the Patriots in receiving with ten receptions for 107 yards and a score. Safety Brandon Meriweather added to the tally, returning an interception 39 yards in the first quarter. The Buccaneers continued to struggle offensively. Josh Johnson had just 156 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris inserted rookie Josh Freeman in at quarterback late in the loss. Antonio Bryant was the only member of the team to find the end zone. He caught a 33-yard pass from Johnson in the third quarter. Indianapolis 42, St. Louis 6 Team Trench Counter: Colts +18.6, Rams -18.6 The Indianapolis Colts (6-0) and St. Louis Rams (0-7) faced off on Sunday in a game featuring teams on opposite ends of the spectrum. Peyton Manning went 23-for-34 with 235 yards and three touchdowns, while Joseph Addai and rookie Donald Brown controlled the game on the ground. Addai had 64 yards and one touchdown and Brown added 58 yards on just two carries at Edward Jones Stadium. Reggie Wayne (83 yards), Dallas Clark (44 yards) and Austin Collie (36 yards) were on the receiving end of Manning?s touchdown passes. Marc Bulger struggled against the improving defense of the Colts. He posted just 140 yards and tossed two interceptions in the defeat. Steven Jackson was the lone offensive star for St. Louis, rushing for 134 yards on 23 carries. Josh Brown was responsible for all of the team?s scoring; he connected on both field goals he attempted. Pittsburgh 27, Minnesota 17 Team Trench Counter: Steelers +8.3, Vikings -8.3 The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) handed the Minnesota Vikings (6-1) their first loss of the season at Heinz Field on Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger had 175 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers relied on both their defense and running game. Rashard Mendenhall carried the ball ten times for 69 yards as the club rushed for more than 100 yards overall. Mike Wallace led the defending-champions in receiving with three catches for 72 yards and a score. Brett Favre looked mortal for the first time in purple, throwing for 334 yards and an interception. Adrian Peterson wasn?t his usual explosive self against the Steelers? tough defense. He had 69 yards and a score, but didn?t break a run longer than 19 yards on the road. Sidney Rice had good chemistry with Favre, catching 11 passes for 136 yards, but Minnesota scored just one offensive touchdown. In the fourth quarter, rookie receiver Percy Harvin returned a kick 88 yards for a score that momentarily brought the Vikings to within three points of the Steelers San Diego 37, Kansas City 7 Team Trench Counter: Chargers +20.4, Chiefs -20.4 Philip Rivers excelled through the air early and often, tossing three touchdowns on 18-for-30 passing for 268 yards. The San Diego Chargers (3-3) led 20-0 at halftime and the Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) never threatened. LaDainian Tomlinson couldn?t find the end zone, but did rush for 71 yards on 23 carries. Darren Sproles was far more efficient, tallying 41 yards on five carries. Vincent Jackson exploded in the win, grabbing five catches for 142 yards and a score. Matt Cassel was pestered by San Diego?s defense all afternoon. He was sacked four times, threw three interceptions and managed just 97 yards and a touchdown. Larry Johnson was ineffective as well, contributing 49 yards at Arrowhead Stadium. Bobby Wade was Kansas City?s leading receiver; he caught four passes from Cassel for 66 yards in the loss. Houston 24, San Francisco 21 Team Trench Counter: Texans +4.2, 49ers -4.2 After making a change at quarterback, the San Francisco 49ers (3-3) nearly completed a huge comeback against the Houston Texans (4-3). After Shaun Hill struggled to move the ball in the first half, coach Mike Singletary put former first overall pick Alex Smith in to begin the third quarter. Smith finished the game with 206 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in just one half of work. Tight end Vernon Davis caught all three of Smith?s touchdown strikes, while Frank Gore managed 32 yards on 13 carries in the loss. Matt Schaub had 264 yards and two touchdowns, but the Texans lost receiver Andre Johnson to a chest injury in the fourth quarter. Steve Slaton and Owen Daniels were Houston?s offensive stars. Slaton rushed for 67 yards and a score, while also catching four passes for 22 yards and another touchdown. Daniels, who is emerging as one of the NFL?s best pass-catching tight ends, had seven receptions for 123 yards and a second-quarter touchdown. Green Bay 31, Cleveland 3 Team Trench Counter: Packers +30.5, Browns -30.5 After the flu ravaged the Cleveland Browns (1-6) during the week, the Green Bay Packers (4-2) stomped all over them in Ohio. Aaron Rodgers sliced Cleveland?s secondary, going 15-for-20 with 246 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan Grant, whose name was mentioned in trade rumors last week, broke out as well. He rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, separating himself from the rest of Green Bay?s running rotation. Derek Anderson looked pretty bad once again. He went 12-for-29 with 99 yards and an interception against the Packers. Cleveland managed just 139 total yards, as Jamal Lewis led the club in rushing with 47 yards on 15 attempts. The Browns held a 3-0 lead at the 14:58 mark of the second quarter, but the Packers went on to score 31 straight points. N.Y. Jets 31, Oakland 0 Team Trench Counter: Jets +25.1, Raiders -25.1 The New York Jets (4-3) shut out the Oakland Raiders (2-5) as coach Tom Cable finally pulled the plug on JaMarcus Russell in the second quarter. After a five-interception affair last week, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was steady for the Jets. He went 9-for-15 with 143 yards and a touchdown, while Shone Greene and Thomas Jones absolutely dominated Oakland on the ground. Greene, New York?s rookie running back, tallied 144 yards and two scores and Jones added 121 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. The Raiders went to Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback in the second quarter after Russell tossed two early interceptions. Oakland still failed to score after the change, but Gradkowski did take better care of the football (both Russell and Gradkowski lost one fumble). Justin Fargas and Michael Bush each carried the ball eight times, with Fargas (67 yards) outproducing Bush (25 yards). Buffalo 20, Carolina 9 Team Trench Counter: Bills -0.2, Panthers +0.2 Ryan Fitzpatrick said prior to the game that he felt as though he could be a starting quarterback in the NFL and he backed up that claim on Sunday. The Buffalo Bulls (3-4) outlasted the Carolina Panthers (2-4) in a game that featured 20 points in the final quarter. Fitzpatrick had 123 yards and a touchdown on 11-for-22 passing, while Marshawn Lynch (40 yards and a touchdown) helped Buffalo control a game that was dominated by defense for more than 45 minutes. Jake Delhomme struggled once again, going 27-for-44 with 325 yards and three interceptions. DeAngelo Williams, who had 89 yards on 16 carries, scored Carolina?s only touchdown on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Panthers? first two points came on a safety in the second quarter. Delhomme, who has never thrown more than 16 interceptions in a season, is on pace to throw more than 30 in 2009. New Orleans 46, Miami 34 Team Trench Counter: Saints +8, Dolphins -8 The New Orleans Saints (6-0) remained perfect with a very close win over the Miami Dolphins (2-4) on Sunday afternoon. The Saints outscored the Dolphins 22-0 in the fourth quarter, making them the third team to remain undefeated through the season?s first seven weeks. Drew Brees struggled, going 22-for-38 with 298 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Mike Bell (80 yards on 12 carries), Pierre Thomas (30 yards on 8 touches) and Reggie Bush (10 yards and a touchdown) led New Orleans on the ground. Jeremy Shockey continued his strong season, catching four passes for 105 yards in the win. Miami jumped out to an early lead thanks to a career day from Ricky Williams. He rushed nine times for 80 yards and three touchdowns at Land Shark Stadium, while Ronnie Brown added 48 yards and a score in the loss. If Chad Henne had played better, he went 18-for-36 with 211 yards and two interceptions, the Dolphins might have had a chance to hold off the Saints in the final 15 minutes. Dallas 37, Atlanta 21 Team Trench Counter: Cowboys +10.7, Falcons -10.7 The Dallas Cowboys (4-2) inserted Miles Austin into the starting lineup and proceeded to easily handle the Atlanta Falcons (4-2). Tony Romo went 21-for-29 with 311 yards and three touchdowns, with Austin posting six catches for 171 yards and two scores. As great as their aerial attack was, the Cowboys got good production from Marion Barber (47 yards), Felix Jones (37 yards) and Romo (31 yards) on the ground. The Dallas defense came to play as well. They sacked Matt Ryan four times, forced four fumbles and grabbed a pair of interceptions. Ryan struggled, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns to go along with the aforementioned miscues. Michael Turner was slowed once again, tallying 50 yards and a score on 18 attempts. Jason Snelling led Atlanta in rushing with seven runs for 68 yards at Cowboys Stadium. Roddy White, who had 210 yards and two touchdowns last week against San Francisco, continued his hot streak with six catches for 50 yards and a score. Cincinnati 45, Chicago 10 Team Trench Counter: Bengals +30.5, Bears -30.5 The Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) are imploring people to take them seriously after a drubbing of the Chicago Bears (3-3) at Paul Brown Stadium. Carson Palmer lit up the scoreboard with 233 yards and five touchdowns on 20-for-24 passing, while former Bears running back Cedric Benson gained 189 yards and a score on the ground in the victory. Chad Ochocinco (118 yards), Laveranues Coles (37 yards), Chris Henry (26 yards) and J.P. Foschi (3 yards) were all on the receiving end of Palmer?s scoring strikes. Jay Cutler struggled against Cincinnati?s swarming defense, going 26-for-37 with 251 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. His only touchdown came on a connection with receiver Devin Hester in the fourth quarter when the game had long been decided. The Bengals limited Matt Forte as well, holding him to 24 yards on six carries. Chicago was forced to throw the ball often as Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead. *Explaining The Trench Counter

The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, I created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2009 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New Orleans Saints: 17.6 The Saints are +9 in the takeaway/giveaway category this season, which is a testament to their improved defense. Darren Sharper alone has five interceptions, two of which became TDs and 275 in interception return yards. 2. Indianapolis Colts: 11.4 The Colts again are excellent against the pass, giving up just 4.6 yards per attempt and have improved to the middle of the back against the run with a 4.1 net average. 3. Denver Broncos: 11.0 Correll Buckhalter is still leading the NFL in yards per carry with a mark of 6.7, which is a full two yards better than his career average. 4. New England Patriots: 9.8 The Patriots have only allowed one touchdown to be scored against them on the ground. 5. New York Giants: 9.2 Opposing teams have only attempted three field goals giants the Giants. 6. Minnesota Vikings: 7.8 While Percy Harvin gets a ton of deserved press for his abilities on kickoff returns, Darius Reynaud is averaging 17.3 yards per return. 7. Green Bay Packers: 6.7 The Packers have been very effective defending the pass, allowing a passer rating of 70.1. 8. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6.3 Ben Roethlisberger threw for 417 yards on Sunday, as the Steelers become almost unrecognizable from their traditional offensive selves. 9. Philadelphia Eagles: 5.7 Penalties have hurt the Eagles' defense, as they have allowed 11 to 1st downs to come via the penalty. 10. Baltimore Ravens: 2.9 Ray Rice leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 766, over 200 more than fellow second-year man Steve Slaton. 11. Houston Texans: 2.9 The Texans have struggled mightily to sack opposing quarterbacks, with only seven of them occurring through their first six games. 12. Dallas Cowboys: 2.4 If only they could all stay healthy.. Dallas running backs Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Jones each have yards per carry averages over 5.0, while the latter is at 10.1 in his 21 attempts. 13. San Francisco 49ers: 1.9 The 49ers intend to use Michael Crabtree on the field at the same time as Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan during Sunday's game at Houston. 14. Chicago Bears: 0.7 Injuries to the Chicago defense continue to pile, with Pisa Tinoisamoa now down for the season. 15. Atlanta Falcons: 0.6 The Atlanta defense has come along this season and impressively denied the Bears from scoring during three of their four red zone opportunities. 16. Seattle Seahawks: 0.6 Seattle trails the 3-2 49ers and Cardinals in the NFC West, but their +9 season point differential is only five and 11 points behind those two teams respectively. 17. Arizona Cardinals: 0.3 Larry Fitzgerald leads the NFL in receiving touchdowns with five, but is a co-leader due to the presence of Minnesota's Visanthe Shiancoe. 18. New York Jets: -0.1 The rise and fall of Mark Sanchez was swift; he now has a 56.7 passer rating, which puts him only above JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson. Rex Ryan will need to have a short hook with Sanchez if his play continues to be costing his team as it did against Buffalo. Kellen Clemens is one of the NFL's better backup QBs. 19. Jacksonville Jaguars: -0.1 Mike Sims-Walker is second in receiving yards per game with an average of 99.5. 20. Buffalo Bills: -0.7 The concussion to Trent Edwards creates even further uncertainty in an uncertain situation for Dick Jauron. 21. Cincinnati Bengals: -1.1 The Bengals have had very little success in getting to the quarterback if it hasn't been Antwan Odom, who is now out for the remainder of the 2009 season. Jonathan Fanene will be expected to be more successful, but they will need to get creative with their linebackers. 22. Washington Redskins: -1.3 Sherman Lewis' system isn't too complicated and I wouldn't be floored if they somehow got it together well enough to knock off an Eagles' team that just loss to the Raiders. 23. San Diego Chargers: -3.1 Once a great strength of the Chargers, the team is averaging just 2.9 yards per rush and 57.6 yards per game, both of which are last in the NFL. 24. Miami Dolphins: -3.1 Given the Saints propensity to score in bunches, the Dolphins will likely have to abandon their bone-crushing running game and give Chad Henne's arm another big test. 25. Kansas City Chiefs: -5.6 Dwayne Bowe has gotten back into shape and the tough love from the new regime seemed to pay off in Washington when he had his first 100-yard game of the season. 26. Carolina Panthers: -6.8 The Panthers have an unmanageable interception perception of 7.3%. 27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -7.9 Josh Johnson will make his fourth NFL start on Sunday and gets to do so at Wembley Stadium against a New England team that just destroyed the Titans. 28. Detroit Lions: -8.7 In terms of net yards allowed per defensive play, Detroit is last with an average of 6.2. 29. Tennessee Titans: -11.5 The Vince Young calls will continue for as long the Titans remain inept and winless. It really wouldn't hurt at this point and it will make their offseason decision on him far less complicated. 30. Cleveland Browns: -13.3 The Browns draw the Packers this Sunday, which may trigger their floundering pass rush. 31. St. Louis Rams: -13.8 Steve Spagnuolo had to answer questions about his time management this week, which is a good problem to have when you're winless. 32. Oakland Raiders: -15.0 JaMarcus Russell was an efficient 17-for-28 for 224 yards, despite the two interceptions in Oakland's 13-9 win over the Eagles. They were 4-for-14 on 3rd down compared to Philadelphia's 2-for-16.

During Monday's interview session, Drew Brees was asked whether this week's game has any special significance since he had to choose between the Dolphins and Saints when he was a free agent. "No, because nothing could have worked out better than it has here," said Brees. "This is where I belong and I felt like this was a calling. This is where I belong. I don?t think about it at all."

$.01 -- Any argument as to the best team in the league was resoundingly answered by the New Orleans Saints in their frolic over the New York Giants. Everyone is going to see Drew Brees' gaudy passing numbers and give all the credit (or blame, if you're a Giants fan) to the Saints offense. And while they were pretty darn awesome, once again it was the New Orleans defense that impressed me even more than the offense. The Giants offense didn't abandon the run even when behind 14-0 very early, a marked departure from what most teams do when scrambling from a large early lead. But the Saints D held tough, consistently nailing Brandon Jacobs before he could get going downhill and reliably generating pressure on Eli Manning from various places on nearly every attempt. Most impressive is the play of the secondary in coverage. Long a major weak spot, the Saints have arguably one of the three best pass coverage secondaries in the league. Other than a blow assignment on the long Hakeem Nicks touchdown play, Eli often had very poor options as he surveyed the field. I'd be remiss if I didn't give a mention to the Saints offensive line, which once again dominated the line of scrimmage, this time against the defense widely regarded as the best front seven in the league. That they're not skipping a beat without their best player, left tackle Jammal Brown, is a testament to the work of line coach Aaron Kromer and the leadership of Brees, who treats every lineman like an All-Pro all the time. Who dat? $.02 -- The trade deadline is Tuesday, and this is one season where it might actually mean something. What makes this year so unusual? The upcoming labor agreement fight is sure to include some sort of rookie salary constraints, which means that the agents have an easy sell to convince any underclassman that might get drafted to declare early, to get in while the getting is still good. To that end, I've received emails from parents of some collegians in that situation demanding to know why I didn't include their sons in my initial first round mock draft when an agent (or an intermediary from an agent) has already assured them of first round status. What does that have to do with the normally dormant trade season in the NFL? That glut of young talent makes this a potentially very deep draft, and acquiring more second through fifth round picks is likely to pay more dividends than in other years. With the non-contending teams so bloody awful this year, there is even more powerful incentive for them to act like the MLB bottom feeders and dump veterans that don't fit into the long-term rebuild, stockpiling more valuable draft picks in return. In prior years, teams were willing to keep those players in order to try and salvage an extra win or two, and the contending teams didn't like the concept of "renting" a player and then eating the rest of his contract with all the negative salary cap ramifications. Those worries are mollified this season with the impending uncapped year. That makes players like Leonard Little, Josh Cribbs, Randy McMichael, Terrell Owens, Larry Johnson and Ronde Barber much more likely to change locales than in seasons past. $.03 -- One such trade already consummated on Friday, with the woebegone Buccaneers shipping disappointing defensive end Gaines Adams to the Bears for a second round pick. Adams was the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft, but has not played anywhere close to that potential and is visibly getting less effective instead of improving. The new regime in Tampa had seen enough to know that Adams was not part of the future, and sent him packing for one of those delectable draft picks. Chicago's point of view is the intriguing part of this deal. The Bears already have a very effective defensive end rotation with Alex Brown, Wali Ogunleye, and Mark Anderson; it's inarguably the strength of their defense. They already dealt away their first rounder next year as part of the Jay Cutler trade, and now they have to sit out the second round too. Had they spent that pick to address a more pressing need (say, defensive tackle or safety or #2 running back or backup quarterback or veteran mentor wide receiver or linebacker), parting with the pick absolutely makes sense. But adding a fourth defensive end -- and a badly underachieving one at that -- is a superfluous move with little immediate reward at a potential high cost. I understand their thinking that their coaching staff can be the ones to get Adams to blossom, but that leads to another point. The delusional organizational mantra that their coaches or culture can turn around the fortunes of heretofore busts never ceases to amaze me. There's a very sound reason why a team desperate for young impact talent like Tampa Bay gives up such a potential player so quickly -- they have seen him practice, they see him in meetings and they don't see any hope of turning him around. This is not to single out the Bears, because many teams fall victim to this arrogance that they will be the great redeemers. That's why guys like Mike Williams (the fat tackle, not the fat wideout), Jerry Porter, and Byron Leftwich keep getting so many opportunities to keep failing. The cold hard truth is that teams are almost never wrong when they give up on the Gaines Adams's of the NFL world, and the new team tends to figure that out even quicker than the last. Bears fans might like this deal now, but when Adams nets 1.5 sacks and 17 tackles for the rest of his Bears career, and the pick they sacrificed to get him develops into an above-average starting right tackle in Tampa... $.04 -- One of the great taboos in the NFL is pulling the starting quarterback, no matter how awful the performance. Coaches almost never yank the starter, even when it's abundantly clear to even the neophyte fan that the quarterback is having a terrible day. A classic example cost the New York Jets a game, and perhaps a playoff shot, on Sunday. Rookie Mark Sanchez was flat-out terrible, and he'll be the first to acknowledge that he stunk up the joint. Yet rookie coach Rex Ryan stubbornly stuck to his greenhorn, who has never played in cold weather or high winds before. Sanchez was way over his head, and his body language and sideline demeanor reinforced that all those interceptions and bad decisions were not going to stop. It was clear that Sanchez was the reason the Jets offense wasn't working, so why not sit him down and let Kellen Clemens take a chance to salvage a victory? The old "it will shatter his confidence" mantra is a coaches cop-out, an old-school Coelacanth that places the quarterback over the team. Plus it's inherently wrong; if the backup comes in and stinks too, the starter can take confidence from the fact that maybe the defense was playing well and it wasn't entirely his fault. If the backup comes in and rallies for the victory, the youngster can watch and learn how it's done and grow from the experience. Leaving him out there to keep the death spiral continuing makes no sense at all, and I wish coaches would wake up and realize that. Of course Jim Zorn took my advice in Washington and the veteran backup took a horrible safety that cost the Redskins the game, so what do I know? $.05 -- The next time you are convinced that a game is a lead-pipe cinch and are about to lay down your next mortgage payment in support of that opinion, think back to the Raiders/Eagles game on Sunday. Philadelphia closed as a 14.5 point favorite at most books, and based on the way the Raiders had played the past few weeks that seemed about half as many as Oakland would need to cover. But a funny thing happened on the way to the ticket window: Oakland came out and whipped the Eagles with a new attacking defensive scheme that forced Donovan McNabb into looking like JaMarcus Russell, completing less than half his passes and often forcing balls into coverage or missing wildly off target. It's "Any Given Sunday" games like this one that keep me from being a professional gambler, because I can't imagine relying so much on such a thin margin between the good and the bad teams -- even in this season where that gulf is wider than ever before. Quick take on the Eagles: those offensive line problems that the Raiders exploited aren't going away anytime soon, certainly not with Jason Peters appearing to be out for at least a couple of weeks. Bettor beware! $.06 -- Highlight of the week also goes to the Raiders. Rookie wideout Louis Murphy threw two critical blocks about 40 yards apart on Zach Miller's plodding 95-yard touchdown reception, a play where Miller ran 75 or so yards after the catch in about three minutes (okay, it actually took just 16 seconds). Anytime you see a long run after the catch, there's inevitably a good block downfield by a wideout. But Murphy's relentless hustle and superior conditioning were the difference between Miller getting tackled at the 50, and again at the 10, and scoring what proved to be the only touchdown of the game. The former Gator has quietly played quite well for the Raiders, even though he has little statistically to show for it. At least now he has the unending respect of his teammates for helping snatch a shocking win. $.07 -- Five random quickies: 1. Coaches have rookie learning curves too, and it is becoming more apparent by the week that Rex Ryan's is pretty darn corkscrewed. Getting outcoached by Dick Jauron eliminates all grace period with New York fans. 2. My editor can back me up on this: When I sent in my picks column last week, I included in the email's subject line, "I'm feeling the Texans to beat the Bengals more all the time." Can I get a half-win for that? [Editor's note: I can vouch for that] 3. Cynics point out that the Vikings have two very lucky wins, but I would counter that having great luck is very much a team skill that persists over the course of a season. It happens even more in baseball, but it applies to football too. 4. Real bummer to see Antwan Odom go down with a torn Achilles. The Bengals defensive end was having an MVP-caliber season, including a blocked field goal on the drive before the injury. He's a genuinely good guy who has worked very hard, and here's hoping for a full recovery. 5. Has any player ever regressed as badly as Titans safety Michael Griffin has from one season to the next? I understand he had little help from his overmatched corners (Ryan Mouton had the mother of all bad days), but a huge part of playing safety is making quick reads and reacting to them. Griffin got caught standing and staring several times by Tom Brady, and that wasn't the first time this year. Not even the 21st time this year...and this guy was in the Pro Bowl last year. $.08 -- Non-football thought of the week: My four-year old son is progressing into the next level of television shows -- moving up from the Dora's and Sesame Streets of the world. In my inherent (futile?) desire to shelter him from violence and themes that I deem too mature, I directed him to Boomerang, the channel featuring cartoons of my youth. But guess what -- those shows were incredibly violent, cruel, and carried underlying themes that make me cringe. From the sexual tension on The Flintstones to the thinly-veiled drug culture of Scooby Doo to the improbably graphic violence on Wacky Races to the gangster scam lifestyle of Top Cat, it's amazing I'm not a wife-beating drug addict with Mommy issues and a gambling problem. Then again, maybe as parents we don't give our kids enough credit. I came out okay, as did most of my friends of youth. Kids have an inherent ability to separate cartoon violence from reality, and my Layne has no clue about the themes over his head. The kids will be alright. $.09 -- College quick hits: 1. Jim Tressel needs to seriously consider benching Terrelle Pryor at quarterback, because the young Buckeye clearly isn't mentally capable of executing his offense on a consistent basis. Pryor has not progressed one bit as a quarterback, and it often appears as if he's at least one step behind all his teammates in terms of figuring out what to do. 2. Get off Charlie Weis' back already. The overall talent level at Notre Dame from when he took over to where it is now is 200% improved, and the players are improving from the coaching. That just might be the last nice thing I ever say about Notre Dame! 3. Anyone else think this is the weakest college football season in recent years? Not even the top teams are as good as most years, there are significantly fewer of them, and the difference between third and eighth place in almost every conference is negligible. Put a tourney at the end of the year and there's some excitement, but who really wants a bowl between the fifth place Big Ten team (say, Michigan) and the sixth place SEC team (say, Auburn)? 4. My early Heisman ballot, and no I am not a voter despite what you read on certain other websites: 1. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama 2. Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati 3. Jacory Harris, QB, Miami FL 4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida 5. Colt McCoy, Texas, who would have been my leader before the Oklahoma game $.10: Scouting Report -- Charles Brown, T, USC. 6'6", 293, 5.10 40. Positives: Converted tight end that has not lost much agility or quickness in his feet while tacking on the extra bulk. Very naturally athletic, keeps his balance and moves with great fluidity. Has greatly improved his leverage and pad level during his senior season, his second year as a starter. Gets a decent initial punch and follows it up with strong hands and good technique. Gets downfield and locates/engages targets in space very well. Excellent knee bend and stays over his feet well, not a leaner at all. Good arm extension. Decent kick out and slide on pass protect. Understands the game and football geometry well. Good motor and effort. Coaches praise his practice habits and drive to improve. Negatives: Still learning the finer points and intricacies of playing tackle. Lacks base strength; needs to improve his lower body strength beyond what most other guys (Joe Staley, Selvish Capers) who have made the move from tight end to tackle had to do. Doesn't block down well but has shown some improvement (see from Ohio State to Notre Dame games). Will never be a road grater or mauler, not in his nature and his frame just won't hold the beef. Needs to continue to improve his ability to hold his arm extension. Can be too passive when engaging outside blitzers, like he's thinking too much about the inside assignment -- a sign of inexperience that can be coached. NFL Forecast: His stock is steadily rising as his play continues to improve, but Brown is still regarded as more of a project than the top tier of tackles. Plays with a similar style to 2007 1st rounder Duane Brown, but lacks Brown's base strength and experience. The post-season workouts will be critical for Brown, as he must show he can sufficiently add strength and weight without losing his fantastic agility and athleticism. Could sneak into the bottom of the 1st but most likely projects (at this point, mid-Oct.) in the 40-60 overall range. --Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com Catch me every Monday at 5:05 ET, 2:05 PT with Papa Joe Chevalier at papajoetalk.com.

The Saints thumped the Giants in Week 6's marquee showdown, while the Chiefs earned their first win and the Patriots embarrassed the Titans. We will calculate each team's Trench Counter*. Kansas City 14, Washington 6 Team Trench Counter: Chiefs +7.2, Redskins -7.2 The Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) notched their first win of the season against the Washington Redskins (2-4) at FedEx Field. Matt Cassel went 17-for-32 with 186 yards and Larry Johnson had 83 rushing yards on 23 attempts, but all the Chiefs needed were four field goals and a safety to win. Dwayne Bowe had six receptions for 109 yards in the win, rookie coach Todd Haley's first in the NFL. The Redskins pulled Jason Campbell at halftime, replacing him with veteran Todd Collins. Campbell was 9-for-16 with 89 yards and an interception in the game. Collins helped Washington move the ball better, but the team's offense managed just two field goals in their sixth straight game against a previously winless franchise. Carolina 28, Tampa Bay 21 Team Trench Counter: Buccaneers +3.1, Panthers -3.1 DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart paced the Carolina Panthers (2-3) on the ground as they kept the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6) winless through the season's first six weeks. Williams had 30 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns, while Stewart notched 110 yards and a score on 17 rushing attempts. Jake Delhomme, who has struggled for a majority of the season, finished the afternoon with 65 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Only one of Tampa Bay's three touchdowns came on offense, with Cadillac Williams rushing for a 20-yard score in the first quarter. Sammie Stroughter returned a kickoff 97 yards in the third, while Tanard Jackson scored on a 26-yard interception return in the fourth. Quarterback Josh Johnson fumbled five times, losing one, as he tallied 147 yards and an interception in the loss. Pittsburgh 27, Cleveland 14 Team Trench Counter: Steelers +24.1, Browns -24.1 The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) defeated the Cleveland Browns (1-5) for the twelfth straight time on Sunday afternoon. Ben Roethlisberger went 23-for-35 with 417 yards, two touchdowns and an interception at Heinz Field. Rashard Mendenhall ran for 62 yards and a score in the win, while Hines Ward (159 yards and a touchdown) and Santonio Holmes (five catches for 104 yards) led the team in receiving. Derek Anderson went 9-for-22 with 122 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the loss. Josh Cribbs, who is still looking for either a trade or a new contract, threw two incomplete passes while rushing six times for 45 yards. Anderson lost a pair of fumbles in the loss, while Jamal Lewis and James Harrison combined for just 47 yards on 16 carries. New Orleans 48, N.Y. Giants 27 Team Trench Counter: Saints +24.6, Giants -24.6 Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints (5-0) past the New York Giants (5-1) at the Louisiana Superdome in a battle of the NFC?s unbeatens. Brees went 23-for-30 with 369 yards and four touchdowns against what was the NFL?s leading defense. Pierre Thomas (72 yards), Mike Bell (34 yards and a touchdown) and Reggie Bush (six carries for 17 yards and a score) paced New Orleans on the ground. Eli Manning struggled in his return home to Louisiana, going 14-for-31 with 178 yards, one touchdown and an interception. David Carr, who came on his relief late in the blowout, had 72 yards and a score on 4-for-5 passing. Ahmad Bradshaw led New York in rushing with 48 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. In addition to Manning?s interception, he lost a fumble against the Saints improving defense. Minnesota 33, Baltimore 31 Team Trench Counter: Vikings +8, Ravens -8 Ryan Longwell hit a 31-yard field goal with less than two minutes left in regulation to give the Minnesota Vikings (6-0) a dramatic win over the Baltimore Ravens (3-3). Brett Favre had 278 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, while Adrian Peterson rushed for 143 yards on 22 carries. Sidney Rice led Minnesota in receiving with six receptions for 176 yards, including a 63-yard connection with Favre. Joe Flacco played very well, but his defense didn?t hold up their end of the bargain. He went 28-for-43 with 385 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Ray Rice nearly kept pace with Peterson, tallying 77 yards and two scores on just ten carries. Rice added 117 receiving yards on ten receptions, while Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton were on the receiving end of Flacco?s touchdown strikes. Jacksonville 23, St. Louis 20 (OT) Team Trench Counter: Jaguars +14.3, Rams -14.3 The Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) used a strong rally to keep the St. Louis Rams (0-6) from the win column on Sunday. David Garrard went 30-for-43 with 335 yards and two interceptions, but Maurice Jones-Drew saved the day. He rushed for 133 yards and three scores on 33 carries, including a pair of fourth quarter scores. Mike Sims-Walker led the team in receiving with nine catches for 120 yards. Marc Bulger had 213 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the loss. Steven Jackson had just 50 yards on 16 carries, while defensive end Leonard Little added to the offense with a 36-yard touchdown return in the fourth period. The 20 points is the most the Rams have scored all season. Green Bay 26, Detroit 0 Team Trench Counter: Packers +10.8, Lions -10.8 The Green Bay Packers (3-2) scored early and never looked back against the Detroit Lions (1-5) at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers went 29-for-37 with 358 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the victory. Donald Driver, who is now Green Bay?s all-time leading receiver, had seven catches for 107 yards. Ryan Grant, with the game in hand early on, had 90 yards on 24 rushing attempts. Daunte Culpepper had 48 yards and an interception before leaving with a hamstring injury, leaving the Lions with Drew Stanton at quarterback. Stanton finished with 57 yards and two interceptions, with the injured Matt Stafford looking on. Kevin Smith managed 61 rushing yards, while Dennis Northcutt led Detroit in receiving with five catches for 40 yards. Houston 28, Cincinnati 17 Team Trench Counter: Texans +12.2, Bengals -12.2 The Houston Texans (3-3) cooled off the hot Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) with an impressive win at Paul Brown Stadium. Matt Schaub had 392 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, while Steve Slaton had 145 total yards and a score. Andre Johnson led Houston in receiving with eight catches for 135 yards, while tight end Owen Daniels starred with seven receptions for 78 yards and two trips to the end zone. Carson Palmer looked averaged against the Texans, tallying 259 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Cedric Benson had 44 yards and a score, but the Bengals were held scoreless in the second half. Chad Ochocinco had five catches for 103 yards, while Laveranues Coles had his first touchdown in Cincinnati. Arizona 27, Seattle 3 Team Trench Counter: Cardinals +12.8, Seahawks -12.8 The Arizona Cardinals (3-2) moved into a tie with the 49ers for first place in the NFC West with an impressive win over the Seattle Seahawks (2-4). Kurt Warner had 276 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, connecting with Larry Fitzgerald 13 times for 100 yards and a score. After taking an early lead, Arizona ran the ball 26 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. Matt Hasselbeck struggled, going 10-for-29 while throwing for 129 yards and an interception. Seattle had just 14 yards on 11 attempts during an abysmal offensive afternoon. Arizona sacked Hasselbeck five times and held Seattle?s offense to a mere 128 total yards at Qwest Field. Oakland 13, Philadelphia 9 Team Trench Counter: Raiders +1.1, Eagles -1.1 In the surprise of the week, the Oakland Raiders (2-4) toppled the heavily-favored Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) in Oakland. JaMarcus Russell went 17-for-28 with 224 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Russell hooked up with tight end Zach Miller for an 86-yard touchdown in the first quarter and Oakland never trailed. Justin Fargas led the Raiders with 87 rushing yards, while Miller finished the game with six catches for 139 yards. Donovan McNabb and the Eagles took care of the ball, but he finished with 269 yards on just 22-for-46 passing as the team failed to reach the end zone. Brian Westbrook had 50 yards on just six carries, while also catching nine passes for 91 yards in the loss. David Akers, who accounted for all of Philadelphia?s points, missed a pair of field goals in the first half. Buffalo 16, N.Y. Jets 13 (OT) Team Trench Counter: Bills +10.3, Jets -10.3 The Buffalo Bills (2-4) defeated the New York Jets (3-3) on a Rian Lindell field goal with 2:44 left in overtime. Ryan Fitzpatrick had 116 yards, one touchdown and an interception after replacing Trent Edwards, who left with an injury in the first half. Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson combined for 113 yards on 34 carries in the victory, while Lee Evans had four catches for 68 yards and a score. Terrell Owens had three catches for just 13 yards. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez had the worst game of his young career on Sunday, going 10-for-29 with 119 yards and five interceptions. Thomas Jones was easily the offensive star of the game, running the ball 22 times for 210 yards and a touchdown. In addition, Leon Washington tallied 99 yards on 15 carries. On 4th-and-13 from Buffalo?s 32-yard line, Sanchez threw an interception, one of two he tossed in overtime. New England 59, Tennessee 0 Team Trench Counter: Patriots +47.5, Titans -47.5 The Tennessee Titans (0-6) continued their steep decline with an absolute beat down at the hands of the New England Patriots (4-2). Tom Brady tossed an NFL record five touchdowns in the second quarter, finishing with 380 yards and six scores in the blowout. Rookie quarterback Brad Hoyer came on in the second half, going 9-for-11 with 52 yards. Lawrence Maroney had 123 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while BenJarvis Green-Ellis added 67 yards on seven carries. Wes Welker (ten catches for 150 yards and two scores) and Randy Moss (eight catches for 129 yards and three scores) had their best games of the young season. Kerry Collins went 2-for-12 with a total of -7 yards passing and an interception, while Vince Young threw an interception on two passing attempts. Chris Johnson was the only offensive star for Tennessee as he ran for 128 yards on 17 rushing attempts. Through the first six weeks of the season, the Titans have already doubled their loss total from 2008. *Explaining The Trench Counter

Drew Brees threw his 100th touchdown pass for the Saints in Sunday's victory over the Giants. Brees, who achieved the mark in the first half, did it in just 53 games with New Orleans after beginning his career with San Diego. He finished the game with 101 scoring strikes in his Saints' career. Only Aaron Brooks (120) and Archie Manning (115) have more touchdown passes as Saints.