METAIRIE, La. (AP)—Hobbled and disenchanted, Chris McAlister(notes) wasn’t sure he wanted to play in the NFL any more.

Suddenly, the 10-year veteran cornerback has been snapped up by the New Orleans Saints—one of only two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL—and he’s glad to be back in pads again.

“Earlier in the offseason I wasn’t ready or (didn’t) have the mindset to come back and play football,” McAlister said Wednesday, his first day with the club. “For it to take as long as it did, I’m happy it happened before I had no other opportunity.”

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At 32, McAlister was bitter about being cut by Baltimore, the only team for which he’d played during a highlight-filled career that included three Pro Bowl invitations, a victory in the 2001 Super Bowl and a famous 107-yard touchdown return of a missed field goal.

“He’s a veteran player that understands defense and is someone that we think can come in and help us,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “He worked out yesterday and did a good job.”

McAlister injured the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the middle of the 2007 season, but tried to play through it. He wound up playing in only eight games two seasons ago and six games last season before having season-ending surgery last November.

In February, while undergoing rehab, he was released by the Ravens. In June, he needed arthroscopic surgery to clean up debris in the same knee and he remained unsure about whether he wanted to attempt a comeback until the preseason rolled around.

“It was a bitter divorce in Baltimore, the way I was no longer a part of the club and for my first time in 10 years, didn’t have any place to call home,” McAlister said. “The offseason took on a new life for me. There was a transition period for me to figure out exactly if I’m going to come back and play football or am I not.

“The first preseason game started and I got butterflies like I was supposed to be coming out of a locker room somewhere,” McAlister said. “I knew I was supposed to be somewhere else instead of on my couch.”

Payton said the Saints are trying to get McAlister ready to play this Sunday, though it’s unclear how much they’ll need him. New Orleans knows it will be without starting cornerback Tracy Porter(notes), who badly sprained his left knee last weekend against St. Louis.

The other starting cornerback, Jabari Greer(notes), said his pulled left groin is feeling better and that he may return, though he missed Wednesday’s practice. New Orleans’ remaining healthy cornerbacks are rookie Malcolm Jenkins(notes), Randall Gay(notes) and Leigh Torrence(notes).

McAlister has not played in more than a year. His last game was on Oct. 19th of last season. He remained on the active roster three more weeks before finally deciding to have surgery.

McAlister said he expects to catch on to the Saints’ scheme quickly, given that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, like former Baltimore coordinator Rex Ryan, were both disciples of Ryan’s father, Buddy Ryan.

“They do the same thing,” McAlister said. “There’s just terminology difference.”

Saints safety Darren Sharper(notes) was noticeably pleased by the acquisition of McAlister, who played with Sharper’s brother, Jamie, in Baltimore.

“He’s a guy that’s going to be an experienced player, who has played in this league and has been a top, elite player in this league for many years,” Sharper said. “He fits our system perfectly.”

McAlister said his body feels about as good as it has in several years, noting that he passed physicals before and after his workout with New Orleans.

“It’s unfortunate, but fortunately I’ve been out almost a whole season with last year playing six games, the year before played eight games. And it’s like my body is fresher,” McAlister said. “Everything besides my knee is 100 percent fresh. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of bounce in my legs, and covering and doing my drills today I feel good.”

NOTES: Free safety Darren Sharper practiced on limited basis and said he also could return from the sore left knee that sidelined him last weekend. … Payton rested Reggie Bush(notes) and David Thomas(notes), who both had sore knees. … Starting defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis(notes) returned to practice for the first time in three weeks. He was limited but hopeful of returning in the next week or so. … The Saints waived reserve quarterback Chase Daniel(notes) to make room for McAlister, but could re-sign him to the practice squad or to the regular roster if another spot opens up later.

The fact that Gary Payton comes from the Parcells era of Cowboys coaches

saints should pull their starters

sorry guys no time for Cyber sex tonight.

They have an easy schedule except for Dallas

shirt and purse matches

I think Manning will have a hard time in this game.

yea but what causes that?

What about that Cowboy front four. Just wait til they tee off on Brees.

i thought the defensive backs were mediocre, but me being a dallas cowboy fan im hard to please.

They haven't had good safties since the great Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters back in the 70's

By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
10 hours, 14 minutes ago

Buzz up! 3 PrintNEW ORLEANS (AP)—Jake Delhomme(notes) has several reasons to love the Saints.

They were the team of his south Louisiana childhood, the first NFL team to put him on a roster, and ever since he left, he’s been able to beat them with regularity.

The quarterback is 8-2 against New Orleans since joining the Panthers in 2003.

When asked about the last time he’d lost a game in the Superdome, Delhomme responded, “I don’t know. I’d be lying. I’m not sure.”

There’s a good reason he can’t remember. It’s never happened.

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He had only one home start for the Saints, his first career start in 1999, and led New Orleans to an upset of the Dallas Cowboys.

He’s won all four of his Carolina starts in the Superdome and also beat New Orleans in LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge in 2005, when the Saints were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

He even beat Tulane in the Superdome—twice—when he played for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (then known as Southwestern Louisiana) in the mid-1990s.

The Panthers haven’t lost in Louisiana since 2001. This Sunday, though, they will face what is increasingly looking like the best Saints team in the franchise’s 43-year history.

Having matched the 1991 Saints for the club’s best start ever, the 2009 Saints need one more victory this Sunday to give New Orleans fans something they’ve never seen: an 8-0 team.

Delhomme is already calling New Orleans “the best team in football.”

“What they do is awesome. It’s fun to watch,” Delhomme said. “On some Mondays you pull up film from around the league. I’ll pull up some Saints film and just watch what they’re doing.

“We have to go into the Superdome thinking we’re going to play good football, because if you don’t, they’re going to run you out of there,” Delhomme added. “It’s kind of what they’ve done for the majority of their games this year.”

New Orleans leads the league in scoring, averaging 39 points, or 8.5 points per game more than the second-highest scoring team, Minnesota. New Orleans also ranks first in total yards (428.7) per game. The Saints’ 35-27 victory over Atlanta last Monday night marked the first time all season they hadn’t won by double digits.

Some days, Brees throws the ball all over the field. He’s had as many as six TD passes in one game this season. Some games, the Saints go with a three-headed ground attack powered by Pierre Thomas(notes), Mike Bell(notes) and Reggie Bush(notes), who’ve combined for 975 yards and 10 TDs rushing.

And in every game, the Saints’ defense has come up with at least one interception. Led by new safety Darren Sharper(notes) and new cornerback Jabari Greer(notes), New Orleans has picked off 16 passes overall, already surpassing last season’s total. The Saints have returned five interceptions for touchdowns, needing less than half the season to tie a single-season team record set in 1998.

Considering all that, it’s hardly surprising oddsmakers are forecasting the end of Carolina’s winning streak in Louisiana. They’ve made New Orleans two-touchdown favorites.

The Saints aren’t buying it. Coach Sean Payton already has made his players aware he has yet to beat the Panthers in New Orleans, and the fact Carolina (3-4) has won three of its last four games wasn’t lost on them, either.

“Their slow start this year is no reflection on the type of team they are,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees(notes) said. “They’ve kind of come out like gangbusters the last few weeks and they’re playing extremely well defensively.”

Also, the Saints have been torched in recent years by Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith, who’s made 11 catches for 256 yards and a touchdown in his last two games against New Orleans.

“He’s an unbelievable football player. He does things that obviously you can’t coach,” Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “He’s so explosive. The thing that I think he does the best is that for a little guy, when the ball goes up in the air, he plays like a 6-10 (basketball) center. He goes and gets it. What you have to do is to turn his little body over so that when he does get it, he lands on his head and he doesn’t come back in for a while.”

In some ways, Williams’ strategy for dealing with Smith resembles what these 2009 Saints are doing to the historical perception of the franchise. For decades, New Orleans has been known mostly for finding ways to lose, never going to a Super Bowl or having fans who sometimes wore bags over their heads in shame.

The way the Saints have played this season, players and coaches across the NFL are starting to pay them the types of compliments normally reserved for Tom Brady’s(notes) Patriots, Peyton Manning’s(notes) Colts or Ben Roethlisberger’s(notes) Steelers.

They refer to the Saints as an elite team—even the best team—without raising eyebrows. It’s as if the club’s long-held reputation has been knocked on its head as well.

When asked what it would mean to beat the Saints in the dome, Carolina defensive tackle Damione Lewis(notes) said, “It’d be awesome. … It’s going to be a challenge for us, it’s a really good team. In my opinion, it’s probably one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL.”

AP Sports Writer Mike Cranston in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.

Updated 10 hours, 14 minutes