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Mickles: Saints get back to work next week
By SHELDON MICKLES

While the front office and coaches have been at it for nearly two months getting ready for free agency and the draft, it’s almost time for the New Orleans Saints to begin defense of their Super Bowl XLIV title.

It still seems odd to be saying that — exactly nine weeks after the Saints’ 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Sun Life Stadium.

But in just eight days, the Saints will go back to work to begin preparing for the 2010 season.

A week from Monday, the Saints begin their offseason strength and conditioning program, which will end the shortest offseason in the 44-year history of the franchise.

March 15 was the first day NFL teams could bring their players in for voluntary workouts, but Saints coach Sean Payton pushed his team’s usual schedule back about four weeks.

That gave them 10 weeks to soak it all in before they set their sights on a repeat.

But make no mistake about it, General Manager Mickey Loomis and Payton said the focus will be on the future when they come back.

“We’ll start the offseason program, talk a little bit about some of the changes and lay out the calendar,” Payton said at the owners meetings last month. “What they have in front of them now is a calendar that takes them all the way to the first day of training camp. Literally.”

-- Payton said there will be some distractions along the way, considering the Saints will have a ring ceremony and likely visit the White House.

“Those are things you have to get fitted into their schedule that you wouldn’t otherwise be doing,” he said. “But I think we’ll be able to outline the challenges and trying to have success after you’ve already had it.”

According to a release from the NFL, the Saints will hold organized team activities, a series of of-field practice sessions, the weeks of May 25-28, June 7-10 and June 14-17.

A rookie minicamp will be held in early May and a full-squad minicamp will likely be held June 3-5 — the weekend Payton usually has it — even though he hasn’t released the exact dates yet.
-- Speaking of the April 22-24 draft, the Saints will have six picks — barring trades.
They have single picks in the first (32nd overall), second (64th), third (95th), fourth (130th), sixth (201st) and seventh (239th) rounds.

-- Thursday is not only the federal tax deadline, it’s the deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets from other teams.

Only two of the 16 RFAs that received qualifying offers from the Saints have signed their tenders — defensive end Jeff Charleston and defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove.

Running back Mike Bell, another RFA, signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Eagles that the Saints declined to match.

The Saints top RFAs are tackle Jammal Brown, guard Jahri Evans, strong safety Roman Harper and running back Pierre Thomas, while strong safety Darren Sharper remains their top unsigned, unrestricted free agent.

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