He now bleeds the black and gold of the Saints.

That's why Evans, who is on the mend after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, met with the New Orleans coaching staff during the week. He wanted to provide coach Sean Payton and his staff with any advice and information he could to help defeat the Patriots . He also took the time to put together a personal account of the team's strengths and weaknesses, a virtual blueprint for the Saints to follow.

Sure, Evans still loves Tom Brady, and still exchanges text-messages with the Pats quarterback every few weeks. But this is business, and that dictates that Evans draw up every tendency, personnel grouping and formation he can conjure from his 3 1/2 years in the Patriots offense.

``I wrote up a scouting report for our coaches and our players. I really stressed to them about how tough it was going to be to get a win against Bill Belichick and his team,'' Evans said during a phone interview last week. ``They're a great team. We think we're a great team. We're beginning to prove that week in and week out.

``I just know how well (the Patriots ) will be prepared. I've just challenged our guys and our coaching staff to do the same. If we want to find a way to get to 11-0, we've got to win the preparation battle. I know when I was putting that Patriot helmet on every week, I can't think back to a game where I felt like we were going to play another team that was more prepared than us.''

Evans had hoped to be helping out on the field. He was a much more vital part of the Saints offense than he was with the Pats given their emphasis on a running game. But the knee injury he suffered three weeks ago relegated his contributions to tactical rather than physical.

``Obviously, when you leave any team, this (reunion matchup) would have been an exciting mark on the calendar for me if I was healthy,'' he said. ``At the end of the day, I'd want to do my job to help my Saints beat the Patriots . And at this point, because I'm sitting on the bench cheerleading, that's going to become helping (by telling) them what I know about their offense, defense, and special teams. And what do I know about the personnel? How can I help my guys get an edge and an advantage going into (tomorrow) night's game?''

What did he say about Brady? Did he rat him out and tell his secrets?

Evans laughed.

``You know what? I told our defense today, I was joking with (safety) Darren Sharper, that Tommy is kind of like Drew (Brees). He's the pump-fake king,'' Evans quipped. ``Darren is such a ballhawk. He wants his hands on every possible interception that's out there.''

Evans told the Saints defenders about Belichick and his tendencies against opposing defenses.

``I reminded them of '06 when I was with the Pats, and we went to Minnesota, and they had the best rushing defense in the league that year,'' Evans said. ``Bill said, 'Hey, we're not going to beat our heads against a defense you can't run against. We're going to go in there and go five-wide and spread them out.' I don't know what the score was at halftime, but it was ugly in our favor. So, I said, 'You better be studying harder than ever. This isn't going to be an easy battle.' ''

He also warned his new teammates about the approach of Brady, trying to give them a better feel for what was in store beyond all the pump-fakes.

``I know Brady well enough, he's going to know every (opponent's) weakness, every discrepancy, every issue that could possibly be in that defensive backfield, and try to rip it apart when given the chance,'' Evans said, ``but I know (defensive coordinator) Greg Williams is preparing hard. He'll have these boys ready to play.''

Obviously, Evans is doing what he can to help his team get to 11-0. But what about 16-0? Can the Saints match the Pats' perfect regular season of 2007?

Evans certainly knows the obstacles and has a feel for what it's going to take. He said he's been asked, along with other former Patriots on the team - defensive back Randall Gay and tight end David Thomas - about the road to perfection.

Evans said he doesn't know if the Saints will match that milestone, but the one thing about which he's certain is that the Saints' mind-set is the proper one to have.

``I think I can speak for the guys in our locker room. Going undefeated is the least of our concerns,'' Evans said. ``We want to better ourselves. We want to play championship Football, week in and week out. We want to find those little areas where we can improve. I think Sean (Payton) is doing as good a job as possible at pushing and inspiring and motivating this team to not rest on our laurels, and to continue to push forward.''

Both Brees and Payton remarked early last week that the Saints were trying to emulate the Patriots , with their consistency and winning ways. Evans concurred.

``I think anyone that's going to be honest in this league, is going to tell you that. Why not?'' he said. ``They've been the team that's won the most games when it counts in November and December for the last decade.

``They're a physically tough team, offense, defense, special teams. They've got a great head coach that has a method to all of his madness. You have an organization that puts the team first ahead of any individual.

``If you look at the grand scheme of things, and what's given the Patriots their success, any organization that's striving to win championships would be foolish not to (follow the model).

``That's what I love about (the Saints organization) the most, is really just the humility, from our head coach, to our quarterback, to our leaders, from the top on down to the bottom to just say, 'Hey, we don't have all the answers ... we're going to take everything we can along the way to improve and get better.' If that's trying to copy what the Patriots have done, why not?''

As for tomorrow night's game, Evans said it's being played up big in the Bayou.

``I've heard rumors about how many different businesses are canceling work on Monday because their employees aren't going to show up anyway,'' Evans said. ``So it's a huge game.''

Brady, Brees peas in a pod

During a conference call with the media, ESPN ``Monday Night Football'' analyst Jon Gruden provided a terrific commentary on the similarities between Brady and Brees.

``There are a lot of similarities above the neck. Both guys lead the civilized world in effort. They're (at work) before sunrise and they're there after dark. They are tempo-setters and leaders. They are both crunch-time performers, but physically they are different,'' Gruden said. ``Tom is 6-(foot)-4, 6-5, while Brees is 6-feet tall and came up the hard way.

``The interesting thing about both of these guys is that they came into the league kind of obscure, and that has a lot to do with where they are today. Brady was a sixth-round draft choice -- really came out of nowhere and wasn't the go-to-guy at (the University of) Michigan. Brees was considered too short. People said his career was over when he left San Diego. Nobody wanted him. Both guys use that as fuel to prove to everybody they made a grave error.''

Cassel turning corner

With last week's upset of Pittsburgh, quarterback Matt Cassel has started to show the people in Kansas City what he has to offer. Even though the Chiefs are in a rebuilding phase, that hasn't stopped the team from competing and trying to win each week.

``The worst thing you can do as a player is tell yourself this is a rebuilding year though -- that we're not good enough, we can't beat these teams. I've never felt that way,'' Cassel said during a teleconference last week. ``I always feel like we have opportunities and that we need to find a way to win each and every week, even if people are telling us that the opponent that we're playing is superior to what we are.''

Some have marginalized Cassel's contributions with the Pats last year in place of Brady because of his strong supporting cast. He was asked if he felt vindicated given how the Chiefs have come on of late.

``I've always had a lot of faith and a lot of confidence in my ability to play the game. I know last year everybody was telling me that it was because of the players around me and there's no doubt I think if you look at every great quarterback in the NFL right now or in the past, they've never done it by themselves,'' Cassel said. ``A lot of people asked me, 'Hey, well what are you going to do without Randy Moss or Wes Welker?' I think they're two outstanding players and that they definitely helped me, Tom Brady or any other quarterback they play with. But the same goes for Kurt Warner with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, same thing goes for Peyton Manning with Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. You know what I mean? There's no one guy who makes such a complete difference at the quarterback position without having help.

``I feel like I've played well throughout the course of the year. Do I think I can play better? There's no doubt about it. I'm just trying to get better and work on the things I need to and hopefully we can build this team into a winning franchise and have some success here quickly.''

Having been on a team with good chemistry, Cassel stressed that it's important for the Chiefs to find the same mix.

``Chemistry is what really makes good Football teams. It's players caring about each other, it's players caring about what they're doing on a day-in and day-out basis,'' he told the Kansas City media last week. ``We're still building that chemistry here and I think every guy in the locker room has bought in, they're working hard and we're trying to do our best. You can see our play starting to get better and I think that coming out and winning a tight game, because we've been in a lot of tight games this year, but to come out and actually win one against a good opponent was big for us.''

The Ultimate booster

A few weeks ago, we wrote about DIRECTV's nationwide contest to find ``America's Ultimate Displaced NFL fan.'' There have been pretty intriguing entrants, including a pair of Patriots fans. One of them is Jonathon Kent, a serviceman stationed in Fort Sill, Okla. In 2004, while in Iraq, he organized a Super Bowl party. As his entry states, his unit's electrical power went out the morning of the game. Determined to watch the game with his fellow soldiers, Kent, who had a source of hot water, traded warm showers, cases of near beer and other items to another unit in return for its backup generator.

``Whenever you're deprived of something you enjoy or value,'' he said, ``it becomes that much more precious.

``As the (2004) season went on, it became that much more important to watch (the Patriots ) if you had the chance,'' Kent said when reached via phone last week at his base. ``Then when they made the Super Bowl, there was no way I was going to miss it. Whatever it took to watch the game, I was going to watch it.''

Kent has many New England ties. He went to Andover High and played on the Football team. He also graduated from the University of Vermont, and went to law school at Western New England College in Springfield. His interest in the Pats, however, stemmed from when he lived in Pennsylvania as a kid. He loved the old Pat Patriot logo. A friend sent in his entry for the DIRECTV contest.

``He was laughing at all the stories I was telling about the lengths I'd go to to watch the games,'' Kent said. ``He's successful enough to go to a lot of games. I was telling him, I'm just glad to be able to see the games.

``I can still derive enjoyment from watching a 4-by-4 square on a laptop computer, where you can't even see the ball, but frankly, it's still worth every second watching it.''

--kguregian@bostonherald.com

Karen Guregian's NFL power rankings

1. Saints (10-0)

If they really want to emulate the Patriots , losing isn't an option tomorrow night.

2. Colts (10-0)

Four straight fourth-quarter comebacks. Who says Peyton Manning isn't clutch?

3. Vikings (9-1)

Forty-year-old Brett Favre (with 21) has one more TD pass than Tom Brady.

4. Patriots (7-3)

Bill Belichick can't be happy with his team's second-half slumbers.

5. Bengals (7-3)

Should they blow a first-round playoff bye, they will remember a bumbling Raiders defeat.

6. Chargers (7-3)

Hard to believe this was the NFL's worst rushing team not so long ago.

7. Cardinals (7-3)

Kurt Warner better be healthy, because Matt Leinart is no Vince Young.

8. Steelers (6-4)

Have allowed a TD return in an NFL-record eight straight games. That's worse than bad.

9. Packers (7-4)

Looks as though Aaron Rodgers and his O-line have figured out how to keep him upright.

10. Cowboys (8-3)

Wins against Washington and Oakland are nice, but don't exactly inspire.

11. Eagles (6-4)

Donovan McNabb has taken a back seat to the DeSean and LeSean Show.

12. Broncos (7-4)

Had doubts the 6-0 team would ever show up again. Thursday night, it reappeared.

13. Ravens (5-5)

It must be bad if Ed Reed is making the kind of mistakes usually reserved for rookies.

14. Texans (5-5)

Refusing to surrender the title of league's biggest tease.

15. Giants (6-5)

Bad sign when Osi Umenyora openly screams at the offense.

16. Jaguars (6-4)

They've been outscored and can't beat teams with winning records. What's not to like?

17. Titans (4-6)

Sorry, can't give them a mulligan for those first six weeks.

18. Dolphins (5-5)

They have yet to beat a team with a winning record. Playing Buffalo today won't solve that issue.

19. Falcons (5-5)

Eli Manning exposed the defense, proving that good quarterbacks can pick them apart.

20. Jets (4-6)

Now we know why there's crying in Football. Two words: Mark Sanchez.

21. 49ers (4-6)

Alex Smith threw for five first-half yards, 222 second-half yards. Talk about Jekyll & Hyde.

22. Panthers (4-6)

If your defense can't stop the other team, it doesn't matter what Jake Delhomme does.

23. Bears (4-6)

It's doubtful Jay Cutler listened to any of Donovan McNabb's unsolicited advice.

24. Chiefs (3-7)

Now that's more like the Matt Cassel that kept the Pats afloat last season.

25. Seahawks (3-7)

The losses are getting uglier by the minute.

26. Raiders (3-8)

How many more wins would they hvae had JaMarcus Russell been benched sooner?

27. Bills (3-7)

Mike Shanahan? Bill Cowher? Should anyone be surprised Buffalo's not the A-listers' first choice?

28. Redskins (3-7)

It says something that they're still playing hard for embattled Jim Zorn.

29. Lions (1-10)

Matthew Stafford didn't have any magic left in him for Turkey day tilt.

30. Rams (1-9)

Marc Bulger left last week's game with a head injury. Now he's out with a broken leg. Only in the NFL.

31. Buccaneers (1-9)

When's the last time both coordinators didn't last the season?

32. Browns (1-9)

Hank Poteat apparently didn't get the memo on how to defend the Hail Mary.

GRAPHIC: The wonder of Welker

Last week's show of force by Wes Welker was just the latest reminder that he's not only one of the most dynamic performers in the NFL today but among the most productive wide receivers in NFL history, too.

While his touchdown totals are relatively modest by the measure of top receivers and he doesn't make the kind of long and acrobatic receptions that demand attention in highlight shows, Welker's unparalleled skill at shaking coverage and turning short passes into long gains should inspire increasing awe.

Despite his sub-standard size for the position, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Oklahoman has already setting new standards -- with no signs of slowing down. In fact, Welker's pace this season (9.9 catches per game) is so prolific that he would have projected to break Marvin Harrison's single-season record of 143 receptions had he not missed two games with injury. Not bad for a player who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, and three years later was traded for just second- and seventh-round draft picks.

Here's a look at some of the NFL standards Welker has already established and a few team and league milestones that could lie ahead:

UNDER THE RADAR:

* Most receptions since 2007: 302

* Highest per-game average since 2007: 7.6 catches

* Most receptions in first season with a team: 112

* Most receptions in first 40 games with a new team: 302

* Most yards gained after catch since 2007: 1,773

* Tied for most catches in a Super Bowl game: 11

* Established an NFL record in 2008 by catching at least six passes in each of the first 11 games of the season.

ON THE RADAR:

* 2009 season projection of 138 catches would break his own single-season Patriots record of 112.

* A third straight 100-catch season would tie him with Jerry Rice and Herman Moore and put him one shy of Marvin Harrison's record four straight.

* Three more games of 10-plus receptions would tie Andre Johnson's single-season record of seven. (He already has the Patriots career record in this category with eight, three more than Ben Coates).

SOURCE: NEW ENGLAND Patriots

TEXT/STAFF GRAPHIC BY NATE DOW