Today, our NFL preview spotlight shines upon the New Orleans Saints, a squad which has adroitly retooled itself to be in legitimate Super Bowl championship conversation.

For starters, until someone else proves it to me, Sean Payton is the best head coach in the business.

He is a mastermind at creating gameplans and he has the fortuitous fortune of having Drew Brees to execute them.

After being left for dead several years ago in San Diego, Brees has tossed for no less than 4,388 yards in any given season for the Saints while throwing 129 touchdown passes against 79 interceptions.

I am currently engrossed in Drew Brees' autobiography and he is a template for overcoming adversity. For the record, I have forgiven him for his role in the labor strife which decimated our offseason because he just goes about his business like a professional.

Plus, I can look him in the eye, so that's positive!

Anyway, as a Broncos fan, I also commend the Saints and general manager Mickey Loomis for robbing the Chargers blind once again by stealing Darren Sproles from under their noses.

Saints fans will love Sproles, as he does things better than ousted Reggie Bush ever did and will prove to be a horrendous mismatch for any Saints opponents this season.

Of course, the acquisition of former Heisman winner Mark Ingram in last April's collegiate draft gives the Saints a legitimate backfield threat, something Bush never was, and incumbent Pierre Thomas should serve as a solid secondary option.

With a stable of fleet-footed wideouts returning, such as Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson and Lance Moore, I feel sincere empathy for defenses opposing the Saints this season.

If any defensive coordinator can expose a flaw, that man instantaneously becomes the coach of the year.

Defensively, the Saints have bulked up as well, as massive defensive tackles Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin now rock the fleur-de-lis, making New Orleans even stronger.

Of course, there are many powerful teams in the NFC, so it will be fun to see the Saints duke it out with their NFC South rivals, the Falcons, as well as the Eagles in the playoffs, if it should come to that.

In short, New Orleans should win 10 or 11 games and perhaps as many as 13 or 14 if they can get past Atlanta in divisional play.

In closing, the Saints have the most attractive owner in the NFL because everyone knows Rita Benson runs the franchise, rather than senile Tom Benson.

Thanks for reading!