By Dave Goldberg
The Associated Press

Two teams with the bleakest pasts in the NFL have quietly established themselves as contenders.

The struggling St. Louis Rams and Super Bowl champion New England Patriots have drawn plenty of attention. And the AFC West looks strong, with Oakland, Denver and San Diego apparently ready to stage a season-long shootout.

But look at New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

Six weeks into the season, the Saints and Bucs have at least as good a chance as Green Bay, Philadelphia or San Francisco to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl - assuming that the Rams don't win their last 11 games.

"They just grind you and pound you," Cleveland coach Butch Davis said after Tampa Bay won its fifth straight, beating the Browns 17-3.

The Saints? They were so impressive in their 43-27 win in Washington that coach Jim Haslett gave out seven game balls, which could be a record.

One of those surely went to Michael Lewis, a former beer truck driver who became just the seventh player in NFL history to return a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the same game.

"The thing I am impressed with most right now is that somebody new is stepping up every game and making a play," Haslett said. "That is what good teams do."

New Orleans and Tampa are certainly good. At 5-1, they share the NFL's best records with San Diego, Green Bay and Miami - and Tampa Bay's only loss was to the Saints in overtime the opening week.

But what about the Saints' and Buccaneers' pasts?

Tampa Bay was the Cincinnati Bengals of the '80s and '90s, losing 10 games or more from 1983 until 1995, when they lost nine before going 6-10 again in 1996. The Bucs went 9-7 in 1997, Tony Dungy's first year as coach. He took them to the playoffs four of the next six seasons.

But Dungy was fired after losing in the first round to Philadelphia last season for the second straight year (don't cry for him; he was snapped up by Indianapolis and has the Colts at 4-1.) The Glazer family chased Bill Parcells, Steve Mariucci and other big names and lucked out, getting Jon Gruden from Oakland for a steep price in draft choices.

The Saints, an expansion team in 1967, didn't reach .500 until 1979 and didn't have their first winning season until 1987, a year after Jim Mora took over as coach. New Orleans went 0-4 in playoff games during the Mora era, finally winning its first postseason game two years ago - in Haslett's first season.

But last year, the Saints lost their last four to finish 7-9, allowing an average of 40 points along the way. General manager Randy Mueller was fired, and Haslett got a new contract.

Tampa Bay is doing things the way it always has - with defense.

The Bucs have allowed a league-low 56 points in six games, including 16 in the last three. Warren Sapp, coming off two sub-par seasons, has been rejuvenated by the Gruden regime, although the defensive staff headed by Monte Kiffin remains the same.

One reason for Sapp's resurgence: Anthony McFarland, the other defensive tackle, has become almost as proficient as Sapp, who gets double-teamed less. The Bucs already have four defensive touchdowns, three on interceptions by linebacker Derrick Brooks - who with Sapp and safety John Lynch have been the heart of the defense for the past half-decade.

The test comes Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles have embarrassed the Bucs in two consecutive playoff wins - 21-3 in 2001 and 31-9 in January. The Eagles are coming off a bye, but the weather should be warmer than during the playoffs.

The Saints, as they did in Washington on Sunday, are finding success on both sides of the ball.

The 26-year-old Aaron Brooks is one of the better young quarterbacks in the league. Deuce McAllister has replaced Ricky Williams at running back and is providing more versatility. The defense, led by safety Sammy Knight and defensive end Darren Howard, has remained solid.

New Orleans is a good example of addition by subtraction. In the offseason, the Saints lost (or gave up on) Williams, defensive linemen La'Roi Glover and Joe Johnson, and offensive tackle Willie Roaf, all stars of the 2000 playoff team.

Like the Bucs, the Saints get another test next week at home against San Francisco, their old rivals from the NFC West.

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EMMITT WATCH

Emmitt Smith ran for 59 yards on 13 carries Sunday as the Cowboys edged the Panthers 14-13. Smith has 365 yards this season, 175 away from breaking Walter Payton's career record of 16,726 yards rushing.

Smith's numbers have been remarkably consistent this season.

He's had between 52 and 70 yards in every game. He's had no fewer than 11 carries and no more than 18 in a game.

Smith is on course to break the record in Detroit on Nov. 3. The Cowboys are at Arizona next week, then host Seattle. At the pace he's going, Smith would need a breakout game (100-plus yards) to get the record before the trip to Michigan.

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