The 2018 NFL season launches Wednesday for most of the league's 32 teams, and like many of their peers, the New Orleans Saints will begin practice Thursday filled with hope and optimism.
Fresh off a surprisingly successful 11-5 campaign, the Saints are regarded as Super Bowl contenders, and visions of another Lombardi Gras parade dance in the collective heads of the Who Dat Nation.
The entire coaching staff and 21 starters, including seven Pro Bowlers, return from a team that won the NFC South Division title and came within seconds of advancing to the franchise's third NFC Championship Game.