Any time you meet a payment (Reggie… worth every penny)
Any time you need a friend (Brees: "Aw come on coach, gimme a smile!" )
Any time you’re out from under (4-4 bitches!)

Temporary layoffs (Nice catch Devery, now have a seat.)
Easy credit ripoffs (In case you forgot, Mare cost a 6th round pick.)
Scratchin’ and survivin’ (Half-game out of the division lead!)
Hangin’ in and jivin’* (Way to bust a move in the end zone, Lance Moore.)

Hot damn, the Saints are officially BACK baby! And ain’t we lucky we got ‘em? I swear, if I didn’t currently have a live dove in my pants, I’d jump up on this table and… well, that’s not important right now.

For the first time this year, this one doesn’t need to be taken with a grain of salt. This wasn’t a closer-than-the-score-would-indicate win over a decent team, aided by a blocked punt for a TD and a blocked FG, like Seattle. This wasn’t a squeaker over an also-ran like Atlanta. This wasn’t even a dominating win over an also-ran like San Francisco. This was complete domination of a 5-2 team. One with an imposing defense and one of the best rushing attacks in the league.

I don’t care that they had Quinn Gray at QB. Hell, he threw for 354 yards, so it’s not like Jacksonville was sunk by poor QB play. And it’s hard to imagine David Garrard having done any better than Gray did. Nope, the Saints won this game by imposing their will against Jacksonville’s strengths.

Drew Brees shredded their defense, and the Saints’ defense held Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to 88 yards rushing, which is about 50 yards less than their average for the season. The Saints stood toe to toe, strength to strength with a 5-2 team and straight up smoked their asses.

Drew Brees shits gold. I mean, are there enough superlatives for this guy? Don’t look now, but the Saints have climbed back to 4th in the league in passing yards, 6th in the league in total offense (by this time next week, they’ll be up to 4th) and are scoring over 20 points per game again.

The Wall of Voodoo offensive line is back. Lately, Drew could do his taxes in the pocket on most downs. Not that he needs it. The quick drop, quick release passing attack is back. Guys are getting open, and they’re catching the ball.

Meanwhile, as hard as it might be for us Saints fans, at some point we are going to have to come to grips with the mindboggling concept that our run defense might actually be legit, and not just some beautiful illusion.

Since the bye week, the Saints have gone against DeShaun Foster & DeAngelo Williams, Shaun Alexander, Warrick Dunn & Jerious Norwood, Frank Gore, and Fred Taylor & Maurice Jones-Drew. Not exactly a list of chumps there. Know who has been the leading rusher in each of those five games? Reggie Motherfuckin’ Bush, baby.

In fact, Drew Brees has passed for more yards than the opposing QB in 4 of the Saints’ last 5 games, and a Saint has been the leading receiver in 3 of the last 5 games (Jack Hunt, David Patten and Marques Colston.)

Which isn’t to say that the Saints’ pass defense is anything to write home about, still, but if I could put aside my fear that my head would explode long enough to actually believe that this could possibly be true, I’d swear I saw three Saints corners intercept passes Sunday.

Reggie Bush is "on pace" for 1422 total yards (ignoring special teams) to last year’s 1307, and you’ve gotta figure that the pace is due to pick up from where it is now, as it is for just about every offensive stat, now that the offense seems to be back in its zone. Don’t look now, but Colston (Kid Dynomite!) is right back on pace to match last year, and his pace is probably going to pick up as well. Patten is on pace to exceed Devery’s production from last year, and Lance Moore (the Militant Midget) is on pace to exceed Copper’s 2006 contribution.

Funny how over time stuff like this becomes so statistically obvious: The one difference at this point between this year and last year offensively? We don’t have anybody to pick up the slack from the loss of Dulymus.

As for Olindo Mare, three words: Ono enawa shuyu.

Which, of course, is Korean for "This guy… this is not my kind of guy."

Yet here we are, 4-4 and a mere half-game behind Tampa for the division lead. I’ve been beating this drum for the last few weeks, but I’ll say it again: Tampa is a fraud. They suck. Fabulous Jeff is on borrowed time. I mean, seriously, the fuckin’ Cardinals come into your house, Kurt Warner goes 10 for 30, Edgerrin James runs for 15 yards, Earnest Graham runs for about 100 yards over his career high, and you still need a blatantly blown call that couldn’t be challenged to avoid what surely was going to be overtime? Please. Get that weak shit out of here.

Oh, we got this. The Real™ Saints are back, bitches! You can tell by the brown spots on Jon Gruden’s and John Fox’s pants.

*Dave Chappelle was wrong. It’s not "hangin’ in a chow line."
The song’s writers have confirmed that the line, as originally
written and performed, is in fact "hangin’ in and jivin’"