I usually balk when injuries are used as excuses in conversations about why the New Orleans Saints have performed at a consistently mediocre level during much of the past five seasons.
It's a figurative crutch, given that literally every NFL team deals with injuries.
The news of Nick Fairley's playing career being in jeopardy because of a heart condition lends to the credence, though, of the Saints annually being snake-bitten before a season can commence. Typically, before the offseason even reaches July.
The freshly paid Fairley has missed organized team activities the past two weeks.