It’s official.  The 2010 Saints are nothing like last year’s version.

The defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints dominated the visiting Cleveland Browns today’s in the Louisiana Superdome.  The Saints netted 394 yards while the Browns only netted 210.  New Orleans totaled 25 first downs to just 12 for Cleveland.  Accordingly, the Saints controlled the ball, as they had possession of the football for over 35 minutes.

But their offensive domination proved to be futile.  N.O. quarterback Drew Brees threw 4 interceptions – two of which were returned for touchdowns by Browns linebacker David Bowens - almost giving the visitors as many points (14) as the home team would manage to score in a 30-17 triumph by Cleveland.

So far in 2010, Drew Brees has thrown 10 interceptions - after tossing a total of 11 in last season's Super Bowl campaign.

The Saints have looked like a shell of the team that rolled to a 13-3 mark and set an offensive standard in the process.  Although they came into today’s game with a 4-2 record this season, New Orleans has played with fire.  Their first three wins – versus Minnesota, at San Francisco and versus Carolina – were by 5 points, 3 points and 2 points, respectively.  The defending champs have successfully skated on thin ice, and it finally cracked against Cleveland.

There’s no doubt that the four turnovers allowed the Browns to take a game that it didn’t expect to be competitive in.  Prior to today, Cleveland’s offense ranked 31st in the NFL, with the Browns averaging 310 yards and 14.7 points per game.  With their meager offensive production in today’s contest, which included a 9-16, 74-yard performance by rookie Colt McCoy and a 16 carry-69-yard tally by Peyton Hillis, their ranking won’t likely improve.  

With three losses, all is not lost for the Saints.  They still remain in the thick of the hunt for the NFC South division, but they must make a complete turnaround if they want to be relevant this season.

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