Singular focus

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 2, 2009

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

Upon returning home last Sunday night after an exhilarating 46-34 victory against the Miami Dolphins, it took members of the New Orleans Saints up to 90 minutes to get out onto the highway after their chartered flight landed.

It seems that after making their way past six opponents with very little difficulty — winning every game by a double-digit margin — the Saints couldn’t get through thousands of partying fans.

Thanks to the NFL schedule-maker, there’s no chance of that happening tonight — at least at the airport.

“Maybe we’ll have a party in the Superdome,” Saints running back Pierre Thomas said with a smile.

Of course, that’s exactly what about 70,000 fans will be expecting when the Saints (6-0) open NFC South play against the Atlanta Falcons (4-2) at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

While the Saints will be going after only the second 7-0 start in franchise history, which would match the 1991 team, a win would put even more distance between themselves and the other teams in the NFC South.

Already leading the division by two full games, a victory would give the Saints a three-game cushion and put additional pressure on the Falcons.

But the division standings won’t be on the Saints’ minds tonight.

“We just think about winning … that’s all we’re thinking about,” said Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey. “Obviously, we know what our record is but all we’re thinking about is winning against the Atlanta Falcons.

“At the end of the day, let’s count the chips up and cash out and get out of the casino,” he added. “We’re not thinking, ‘If we win this game, we’re up this much,’ or, ‘If we lose, it’s this much.’ That’s not the mentality.”

On Thursday, Saints cornerback Randall Gay said he could prove that they were only thinking about the Falcons.

“I just asked somebody who we play (after the Falcons), and he said he didn’t know — just like I didn’t know,” Gay said. “That’s a good thing. We focus on who we have this week. Atlanta gives us enough to think about to not worry about who we’re playing next week.”

It’s easy to see why they feel that way.