NFL (part 2): Saints and winners

Turning our attention to the NFC and New Orleans Saints look the best bet out of a pretty mediocre bunch of franchises to excel. This may seem a little odd considering the Saints, have never won back-to-back division titles in their 40-year history, let alone play in or win a Super Bowl. The Saints though have a terrific team coming back in 2007, one that is better on paper than the unit that shocked the world by winning seven more games with rookie head coach Payton than it had the year before, and reached the NFC Championship for the first time ever. All the doom and gloom about the Saints reverting to their traditional losing form is difficult to reconcile with the rising stock of a club that has more stars - Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Marques Colston primary among them. With a year under their collective belt in Payton's offense, look for Brees, Bush, and Colston to shine even brighter than they did in 2006. The key to the club's fortunes once the playoffs begin will be the defense, which is improved but still not top-tier. If New Orleans overachieves in that area when it counts, you can call the Saints a dark horse to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLII, so take the 20/1 on offer. Finally, San Francisco could surprise everyone and go really deep into the post-season. Entering only his third year as a head coach, Mike Nolan appears to be putting together a quality team and coaching staff that may lead the franchise to its first playoff berth in five seasons. The 49ers ranked 29th in the NFL in passing offense last season after finishing 32nd in the league - dead last - the season before. While breaking in a young quarterback with a revolving set of receivers, the team struggled to maintain any kind of legitimate threat through the air.QB Alex Smith is now entering his pivotal third season, and never before has the landscape in front of him looked so good. The 49ers have overhauled and upgraded their receiver corps for the second consecutive season, and Smith also has talented second-year tight end Vernon Davis emerging as a potential top target. The 49ers also added veteran free agent Ashley Lelie and third-round draft pick Jason Hill to the mix at receiver to go along with holdover starter Arnaz Battle. Lelie led the NFL in average yards per catch with 20.1 in 2004 and 18.3 in 2005. Battle led all San Francisco wideouts with a career-high 59 catches last year. The rushing attack doesn't look too shabby either with Frank Gore at the helm. Gore led the NFC with a franchise-record 1,695 yards on the ground last season as the 49ers ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing offense. On the other side of the ball, fans need to hope the defense can work out its kinks. The unit gave up almost 27 points per game on average last season, surrendering at least 30 in three contests and over 40 in four others. Coach Mike Nolan overhauled the San Francisco 49ers' defense in the off-season, tweaking the team scheme and adding a wealth of new talent. Plenty has to go right for the 49ers, not least keeping Gore and Jackson healthy, while the defense has simply got to improve dramatically. These aren't impossible hopes so the 50/1 on offer does hold some decent value.