Haslett lauds his grinding Saints

NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans coach Jim Haslett likes to describe the Saints as hardworking brawlers, a blue-collar bunch that makes up in toughness what it lacks in style.

"We're a great football team, give us credit," was how quarterback Aaron Brooks put it. "We're down and dirty. We grind it out. No style points coming from here."

Playing the St. Louis Rams, a team Haslett calls maybe the NFL's best, New Orleans trailed 18 points but rallied for a 34-31 victory Sunday. The Saints did it with a 25-0 scoring streak in the third quarter and the kind of gritty defense Haslett loves.

"We played Saints football in the third quarter," said safety Sammy Knight, who had two interceptions.

Although the Saints (4-2) are the defending NFC West champs and beat St. Louis two out of three games last year, including the wildcard match, they were heavy underdogs going into Sunday's game.

St. Louis (6-1), with a dazzling offense they bill as the "Greatest Show on Earth," was expected to protect its unbeaten status handily against New Orleans, which was coming off a 20-13 loss to Atlanta.

"Everyone thought it was going to be a blowout," Saints defensive lineman Norman Hand said. "My wife didn't even give us a chance to win this football game."

The odds didn't surprise Haslett, who acknowledges a big talent difference between the Saints and the Rams. Haslett said he pointed it out to an assistant coach in the fourth quarter Sunday when the Saints defense was on the field.

"I said, look at that package, we've got two second-round picks, a sixth-round pick and eight free agents out there," Haslett said. "But you know what, they were playing their butts off."

The Rams, who turned the ball over eight times, did not allow a point in the third quarter in their first six games. But half of their turnovers came in that quarter against the Saints, and New Orleans converted five of the turnovers into 15 points.

"The Rams are a fine football team," said Saints receiver Joe Horn, who had two touchdown catches. "They just happened to run into a team that didn't quit and won't ever quit."

New Orleans now stands a game back in the loss column to St. Louis, which it will play again Dec. 17 on Monday Night Football.