It’s not easy to admit, but for the first time in my life, I may jump on a bandwagon.

As I sat and watched the Browns lose their lead in the final seconds on Sunday, I asked myself what I am going to do for the final 14 weeks of this nightmare of an NFL season. My team is 0-3 and just lost another winnable game – not that I was surprised, more flustered and aggravated.

Then Monday night I watched the New Orleans Saints come out and obliterate the Atlanta Falcons pro-option offense.

The Saints are now 3-0 and have a swagger about them. Yes, the Saints. They are team that had no home last year and have been nothing short of god-awful for most of their existence.

Putting it into perspective, I saw the Saints live in their first game. Although tailgating for four hours may have clouded my perspective, I was not really impressed because ultimately they beat the Browns. Then again, most NCAA Top 10 teams could give the Browns a run for their money as I see it. That aside, I thought the Browns beat themselves that day.

The next week the Saints beat the Packers, an equally unimpressive feat. Not to mention it was a close game and they had to come from behind. Giving the Packers a lead and expecting them to keep it is about as smart as leaving your beer in my fridge and expecting me not to drink it.

Then there was Monday night. The Saints went out and gave the talented Super Bowl contending Falcons more than they could handle. They looked great to say the least.

A blocked punt got the ball rolling and the Saints never looked back. They fed off the sell-out crowd and gave a city in ruins a reason to laugh and smile with a 23-3 win.

You have to find a bit of energy to root for these guys. They have talented players at the skill positions and if your favorite team stinks (like mine) then you may need a team to root for when the playoffs draw near. I’m not all that thrilled to see the day that Derek Anderson starts for the Browns.

The response by players like Joe Horn, Reggie Bush, Deuce McCallister, Warrick Dunn and many other players has been great too. They take their own time to give aide to victims and donate money.

Dunn even made a plea for each player to donate $5000 to the cause.

Another great reason to get with the Saints is because Spike Lee does. His documentary, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, was a chilling look at the way that aide was dispersed around the city and what people did to cope with the devastation.

The fact that he was endorsing the game Monday night and rocking a Saints cap says a lot about his awareness of how important that team is to New Orleans.

Now to my point. Sports once again prevailed Monday night in the wake of devastation. Whether it was a small step or not, the game was a beacon of light for the city.

Spike even mentioned that the great thing about the game was that it was taking place in the last place of refuge in New Orleans, the Superdome.

With so much adversity and tragedy in a city, a game of football where the underdog removes all doubt on the first few possessions of the game gave a city a ray of hope. As corny and cliché as it sounds, it is going to be hard not to get with the Saints.

The city still has a long way to go before it is back to the way it should be. Monday night’s game was just reminding us that sports are a beautiful part of life. With devastation and ruin around a community of people, they can take three hours to forget about that. The Saints may be on to something.