Greeson: Saints still seem good, but 0-2 is 0-2

photo New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is sacked by Cleveland Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby (56) in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014, in Cleveland.

We believe the New Orleans Saints are among the cream of the NFL crop. That said, the cream could be a flop.

The Saints are 0-2 with two road losses by a total of five points, and they are clearly not one of the league's dregs. Still as Bill Parcells famously told us, "You are what your record says you are." That's even more important when you consider that less than 15 percent of all the teams to make the playoffs in the last decade started that season 0-2.

Meanwhile, since we can't have an NFL discussion without some sort of off-the-field subject matter, it's quite interesting that the Minnesota Vikings are waiting "due process" in the Adrian Peterson child abuse case. We can see that, and if that's your policy, so be it. But in recent years, according to various media reports, the Vikings have cut or suspended players almost immediately after they were arrested for domestic violence or assault charges. Late last year, the Vikings cut cornerback A.J. Jefferson hours after he was arrested on domestic assault. Chris Cook was inactive for 10 games in 2011 while facing domestic assault charges and was reinstated when he was acquitted by a jury. Caleb King was released in May 2012 a few days after he was arrested for assault. Appears the Vikings' view of due process varies. And this is not just the Vikings.

To the power poll:

1. Denver (2-0): If Peyton Manning is the Godfather of quarterbacks, he looked more Sonny than Michael when he chewed out tight end Julius Thomas for running the wrong route. Still, we'll take whichever Peyton Corleone shows up.

2. Seattle (1-1): The Seahawks were stunned by the Chargers on Sunday, and not surprisingly cornerback Richard Sherman had something to say. Seattle will get a chance to reclaim the top spot when they face Denver this week. Good times.

3. Philadelphia (2-0): The Eagles have more weapons than NATO. And we mentioned the Saints' struggles. Well, did you notice that Darren Sproles, the spark plug game-changer New Orleans decided not to play, had 11 offensive touches for 178 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' rallying 30-27 win over Indy on "Monday Night Football."

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4. Cincinnati (2-0): We were not sold on Andy Dalton being a franchise quarterback and were puzzled when the Bengals gave him franchise-QB dollars. Well, Dalton looked every bit the part in the Bengals' destruction of the Falcons on Sunday. Did you know the Bengals have been in the playoffs three straight seasons? Crazy, huh?

5. Carolina (2-0): While dealing with the Greg Hardy domestic-violence situation has dominated the Panthers' headlines this week, they have pieced together a pretty solid foundation. Defensively they are salty and maybe the best group in the league not playing in Seattle.

Bottom five (four teams and an add-on):

29. Kansas City (0-2): A year removed from the playoffs, the Chiefs look overwhelmed against a tougher schedule and with a depleted offensive line that was ravaged by free-agent defections. To make matters worse, superstar running back Jamaal Charles has a high ankle sprain, and while his return date is unknown, this type of injury for a guy who makes his living with speed is less than ideal. As for the good news, well, the Chiefs are balanced, ranking 25th in overall defense and overall offense. Well, that news is not all that good, huh?

30. New York Giants (0-2): You kind of knew it was a bad omen for the Madden '15 video game to include the "Eli Manning Face," which Giants fans know as the confused/frustrated/puzzled gaze after a missed chance or an interception. Wow. It really is in the game.

31. Oakland (0-2): At least there is some hope for the future as rookie quarterback Derek Carr looks the part for the winless Raiders. Side point: Man, we thought Darren McFadden was going to be a lot better than he turned out to be in the NFL. Dude has all of one 1,000-yard season in the NFL and has averaged 3.3 yards a carry since the start of the 2012 season.

32. Jacksonville (0-2): As the Jaguars struggle out of the gate, we wonder how long the front office and coaching staff will stick to the plan of treating Blake Bortles' rookie season as a "redshirt" year?

Negative infinity: The NFL's current image. Think how much hand-wringing we did over the whole steroid mess in baseball. This is much worse.

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