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METAIRIE, La. -- Veteran linebacker Craig Robertson, who emerged as a surprise starter in his first season with New Orleans, uses words like confidence and trust when he describes the Saints transformation from an 0-3 team to a resurgent playoff hopeful that has won four of five games.As important as improved chemistry was bound to be for a team with its share of young players and recently acquired journeymen, it might take more than that to see the Saints through an upcoming two-game stretch that could either validate their recent run of winning form, or send them stumbling back to the ranks of playoff long shot.New Orleans hosts defending Super Bowl champion Denver on Sunday, then plays the following Thursday night at defending NFC champion Carolina, which has won two straight since a surprising 1-5 start.You know what it is -- you have two physical teams, two physical battles, Saints running back Mark Ingram said. You just know mentally you have to be prepared and physically you have to be prepared.For the third straight season, and the fifth time since 2007, New Orleans is 4-4 following a start of 1/3 or worse.On the four previous occasions the Saints rallied from a poor start to climb back to .500, they were unable to sustain their mid-season momentum and faded down the stretch.But coach Sean Payton and his players sound dismissive of any attempt to compare the 2016 Saints to those of failed seasons past.Its a new year, a new team, said Ingram, who rushed for 158 yards, including a 75 yard touchdown, and also caught a short TD pass in a 41-23 victory at San Francisco on Sunday. Weve got a lot of guys with great character, a lot of guys with resilience. I feel like our teams getting closer. We all love each other.Halfway through its season, the Saints have at least produced the resume of a competitive team. Of the four teams that have beaten New Orleans, two (Atlanta and Oakland) are division leaders, while the other two (Kansas City and the New York Giants) are second-place teams with winning records. Only New Orleans loss to Atlanta was by more than six points. The other three came down to the final possession.Yet, of the four teams New Orleans has beaten, only one -- Seattle -- has a winning record. Three of their victories were by five or fewer points. New Orleans double-digit defeat of the Niners was only the latest of several lopsided losses for San Francisco.I dont try to look at the quality of wins or losses, Payton said. Its in the rear-view mirror, really, and weve just got to learn from the mistakes.And the Saints made mistakes in San Francisco, particularly on defense. Niners QB Colin Kaepernick had his best performance this season with 398 yards passing -- second most of his career -- including touchdown passes of 47 yards to DuJuan Harris and 65 yards to Vance McDonald. If the Saints defense hadnt come up with four turnovers, including Robertsons early interception that set up a New Orleans TD, Sundays game could have been much tighter.Their explosive plays were mistakes on our end, Robertson said Were still growing as a defense, week by week, mixing together, and youre going to have that where you just have mistakes like that. But its our job as a defense to limit those mistakes because mistakes in this league go for touchdowns.In the meantime, the Saints have managed to reduce pressure on their defense by keeping their offense on the field with time-consuming drives that have featured an improving ground game. In a victory over Seattle two games ago, Tim Hightower became the Saints first running back this season to rush for more than 100 yards. On Sunday, Ingram became the second as New Orleans finished with 248 yards on the ground. And quarterback Drew Brees still managed to pass for 323 yards and three TDs.This team is playing complementary football, Robertson said. Our offense did a great job of running the ball, controlling the clock and letting us have time to rest. And when you have that, you have a chance to be good when its time for you to get back on the field again.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Tennessee Titans Jerseys . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Custom Football Jerseys Sale .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. http://www.footballcustomjerseys.com/custom-carolina-panthers-jerseys-548c.html .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Custom New York Jets Jerseys . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Custom Miami Dolphins Jerseys . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. It will be sister vs. sister Saturday night in the NCAA volleyball tournaments second round in Manhattan, Kansas.Taylor Sandbothe, a senior middle blocker, will lead her Ohio State squad against host Kansas State, for which Elle Sandbothe is a freshman middle blocker.The Buckeyes defeated Missouri State 3-0 on Friday in the first round, as Taylor got a team-high 16.5 points with 14 kills, three blocks and three digs. Then the Wildcats, who are the No. 14 seed, beat Lipscomb 3-0, as Elle scored 9.5 points with seven kills and five blocks.Their parents, Mike and Teri Sandbothe, were both Missouri Tigers as Division I athletes in the 1980s. Taylor and Elle were Titans at Lees Summit West High School just outside of Kansas City, Missouri. The family will have split loyalties in Manhattan, which is a little over two hours west of Kansas City.The winner of the Kansas State-Ohio State match will advance to the regional semifinals in Madison, Wisconsin, against the No. 3 seed Badgers.Taylor was a firsst-team AVCA All-American last season and is finishing her career as one of the top players in Ohio State history.dddddddddddd Earlier this week, she was a unanimous pick for first-team All-Big Ten for the second year in a row, getting 464 kills, 95 digs and 123 blocks during the regular season. She scored a team-best 567 points for Ohio State, which is now 21-12.Elle played in 19 regular-season matches for K-State, getting 81 kills, 13 digs and 52 blocks. She had 109 points for the Wildcats, who are now 21-9.Mike Sandbothe played basketball for the Tigers from 1985 to 89, while at the same time Teri (LeBlanc) Sandbothe was a four-time All-American and seven-time Big Eight champion in track and field, competing primarily as a heptathlete. Incidentally, their alma mater, No. 15 seed Missouri, advanced to volleyballs sweet 16 on Friday with a 3-1 victory over Purdue. ' ' '