I tend to agree with this, they have some players in their side who are in good form, but aren't necessarily top players, I'm thinking of Ryan Taylor, Mike Williamson and Danny Guthrie.
You're right that it might be too early to judge it (although were are now well into the season) but the fact is that Pardew has welded together a useful operating unit of players from a squad that wants to play for him. He has removed the potential troublemakers (Carroll, Barton) and he has bought well and without fanfare. Guthrie, Taylor, Ben Arfa et al all play a useful part in affairs when Tiote and Cabaye are not available.
Signing Ba's Senagalese strike partner was clever work too.
Hats off - so far, Pardew has defied all my prejudice about him. And shown others the way.
PS - reading that through, the first paragraph describes what GHou was apparently going to do for us over last summer ...