INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indianapolis defence just wanted a fresh start in 2007.

The Colts did far better than that.

A year after becoming the butt of league-wide jokes, Indy's rebuilt defense was dominant on Monday night in the NFL season opener, even outscoring last year's top-ranked offense in a 41-10 rout of New Orleans.

"Who cares if they were the No. 1 offense, this is a new year," former Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders said of the Saints. "That's what we've been saying all along. This is a new defense, a new offense and we did what we had to do. We played physical, smart and fast."

Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning and his teammates looked like they were in championship form - thanks in large part to the good field position and scoring opportunities the defense provided.

Manning finished 18-of-30 for 288 yards with three touchdowns, and Joseph Addai carried 23 times for 118 yards and a TD. Pro Bowl receivers Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison combined for 11 catches, 198 yards and three TDs - all against Jason David, the former Colts cornerback who left the champions as a restricted free agent in April.

"It was just another day at the office," Wayne said. "I gave him (David) a free touchdown, so I guess that was the appreciation we gave him."

New Orleans (0-1) managed only 293 yards in offense and one field goal. The other score came on David's nifty 55-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

"You couldn't hold the ball against them," Deuce McAllister said after running 10 times for 38 yards. "There are not a lot of Dwight Freeneys or Robert Mathises on other teams that pressure you like that."

And New Orleans stumbled all night.

Most expected the Colts' defence to be the greatest obstacle to a repeat as Super Bowl champs, especially after losing four starters from a unit that was the league's worst against the run in 2006.

That certainly was not the case on opening night.

With Super Bowl towels and a championship banner waving above the field, the Colts (1-0) showed they are every bit as dominant as last year.

They played fast, aggressive and opportunistic football as they made Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints' vaunted running tandem of McAllister and Reggie Bush look ordinary.

Freeney, Mathis and their counterparts also managed to keep the Colts close in the first half when the offense staggered. They allowed New Orleans to run only one play in Indy territory during nearly two full quarters, starting midway through the second quarter.