Lola Dardar
July 27, 2010
Senator Circle residents oppose duplex donation
July 29, 2010
After more than 40 years of being the hunters, the New Orleans Saints will finally be the team that’s hunted in 2010.
And while that may be a bull’s-eye that sinks plenty of teams, overcoming first-time challenges is nothing new to the members of the Black and Gold who rewrote the franchise’s record book of “firsts” just last season.
“When we went into the playoffs last year, there were times where we’d be out of practice and we’d be in the meeting room, and Sean [Payton] would be like, ‘Who in this room has ever been the 1-seed in the playoffs?’ And very few people raised their hands,” said Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees. “Then there was, ‘Has anyone ever been to a Super Bowl?’ And again, very few people raised their hands. So a lot of us were going into unchartered territory last year being the 1-seed, then hosting the NFC Championship, then going on and winning the Super Bowl. These are all things we’ve had to learn as we’ve gone along here … It’s difficult. It’s very difficult.”
What might make it difficult is the shortened offseason the Saints have had thanks to their magical Super Bowl ride.
From trips to Disney World, to parades, book signings and the occasional Lombardi Trophy showings, several Saints players have missed out on the rest and relaxation that usually makes up a traditional NFL offseason.
“Everywhere you go, they come up to you and tell you how much they appreciate you and love you for everything you’ve done,” said Saints’ safety Roman Harper. “They’ve been waiting on a championship for 40-50 years now.”
But internally, immediately after the last piece of confetti settled onto the champagne-soaked ground on Bourbon Street, the Saints set out to tweak their already-stacked roster.
Perhaps the biggest moves the Saints made in the offseason involved keeping their team mostly intact.
The team was able to keep free agents Pierre Thomas, Jahri Evans, Darren Sharper and Lance Moore, while also finding the cap space to keep Reggie Bush.
In addition to adding six draft picks in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Saints also signed a trio of experienced players on the defensive side of the football who plan to make an impact in the new season.
Veteran defensive end Alex Brown signed with the team after recording six sacks for the Chicago Bears last season. The team also snagged former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson and former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Clint Ingram.
Acclimating the team’s new players into a winning locker room is something the team is trying to do prior to the new season, according to head coach Sean Payton.
“We’re all anxious to see this draft class and the rookies themselves and the additional free agents we signed; how they transition,” Payton said, “how they fit into this team. I’d say we’re more experienced and with winning a Super Bowl certainly more confident.”
But like any team, there were departures, as well.
The Saints will be without last season’s starting outside linebacker Scott Fujita after he inked a deal with the Cleveland Browns in the offseason.
Also gone is halfback Mike Bell, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and Jammal Brown, who was traded to the Washington Redskins.
The team also released former starting defensive end Charles Grant to make room for Brown and Wilkerson.
“Those are always difficult losses, because those are guys you won with a year ago,” Payton said of his team’s free agent casualties. “But I think the minute we finished playing in Miami, there’s that reality that you’re not going to have the same team back. I think it’s important to evaluate closely and not get maybe misguided to think everybody returns and you pick up where you were at.”
Throughout the team’s mini-camps and heading into Friday’s start of training camp, the Saints’ veterans have tried to emphasize to younger players that winning back-to-back Super Bowl titles is something that is difficult to do in today’s NFL.
So instead of the Lombardi Trophy, the team is not focused internally on righting the wrongs the team had last season. If that is done successfully, victory will be soon to follow.
“We’ve seen the celebration hundreds of times. And we can still relive that when we see those pictures,” Sharper said. “But it’s going to be time once training camp starts to try and accomplish a new goal – and that’s going to be winning another Super Bowl. That’s all the focus we’re going to need … We still feel like we left plays on the football field. And that’s our mentality – to go out there and try and improve each and every day.”
Payton agreed and said knowing the difficulty of a repeat is what he believes will serve as motivation for his players who have a knack for achieving “firsts” in their stays with the Saints.
“That’s the thing that gets your blood going a little bit and getting you excited about the upcoming year is knowing that it’s been difficult,” Payton said. “I think we have a smart enough locker room to understand the challenges and that this will be another season.”
New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees (9) speaks to his team before the game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Jan. 24. FILE PHOTO
