For Payton, imitation is the greatest form of flattery

NEW ORLEANS Bill Belichick and Bill Gates have more in common than their first name, the way Saints coach Sean Payton sees it.

"You have to pay attention to the Microsofts of the world if you're some day wanting to compete in that industry," Payton said this week as New Orleans prepared to host Belichick's New England Patriots.

"It's fairly common in business to look at groups or businesses that are having success and to pay attention to why teams are successful, and I think that exists in a lot of areas, not just football. New England's been one of those franchises. It's been one of those organizations that have found the right formula."

Payton has been talking about following New England's model ever since he landed his first head coaching job in New Orleans in 2006.

Now the Saints are 10-0 and threatening, along with Indianapolis, to become the only team to go 16-0 in a regular season since the 2007 Patriots. Fittingly, New England stands in New Orleans' way on Monday night.

"I remember what kind of confidence we had taking the field as an undefeated team and knowing that if we played a good game, it was going to be almost impossible for teams to beat us," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "But if you don't play well you do get beat, as evidenced by what happened in the Super Bowl that year."

New England (7-3) arguably needs to win this game more than New Orleans, which has a five-game lead in the NFC South Division with six games left. The only tight race the Saints are in right now is with Minnesota (9-1) for the top overall seed in the NFC.

The psychological dynamic coming into this game seems very much different from what the Patriots dealt with a week earlier against their division rivals, the New York Jets.

Earlier this season, Jets coach Rex Ryan famously said he would not "kiss the rings" of New England and its coach. When Payton and Belichick talk about each other, it's a lovefest.

Payton said Belichick is the best in the business right now, someone who'll certainly end up in the Hall of Fame, someone "you worry about outcoaching you on the coin toss."

Although the Patriots have faced the undefeated Colts, and lost, Belichick said he thought the Saints were playing the best football in the NFL this year.

"They really haven't been in a competitive game all year. They're basically running out the clock in the middle of the third quarter most of the time," Belichick said. "There were a couple scores that were really close at the end, but the games really weren't that close. They've just been dominant in all phases of the game: returning kicks, covering kicks, offensively, turning the ball over on defense - 29 turnovers . . . I don't think most teams get 29 turnovers in practice during the year."

Only once this season have the Saints led by less than a touchdown in the closing seconds. Their average margin of victory is 16.5 points. They lead the league in scoring (36.9 points per game) and total offense (420.5 yards per game). At their current pace, the Saints would score 590 points in the regular season. The record is 589, set by the 2007 Patriots.

"They're one of the best teams in the league," Brady said. "We see ourselves as a team that can beat anybody we play. Then again, we've got to go out and do it. It's much easier said than done against this team."

Belichick raved about how explosive and dynamic the Saints' offense is with Drew Brees throwing touchdowns to everyone from Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey to former Patriots tight end David Thomas, who New England traded to New Orleans this season for a 2011 seventh-round draft pick.

But it is the Patriots' success that has stood the test of time, as New England has appeared in four Super Bowls, winning three.

For now, Payton, Brees and the rest of the Saints can only dream of realizing such sustained success.