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Each summer in the searing sun of southern Louisiana, 90 men leave their individual life behind and dream of becoming one. The goal is simple: forsake yourself for the fortune of group, rise above the immediate trials of the time, and become timeless. The summer progresses, the heat intensifies and the number of men sacrificing together dwindle; and although your body tires, your resolve must strengthen. This is the life of a New Orleans Saint preparing for the season, and if you are one of the 53 few chosen, this is the place you want to be.

Coming into this season, like every season before, there is a sense of promise.

If you take a poll of all 32 teams, 32 of them will believe that there is something different about this year's chances; the offseason breeds hope, but only when hope is challenged, does resolve flourish.

The 2012 New Orleans Saints season was well documented, from the loss of Sean Payton, our coach; to the rest of the sanctions dealt to our program in the alleged bounty case; to, ultimately, the performance of our team -- a 7-9 finish that left us out of the playoffs for the first time in three years.

What was not told in the headlines or on the news, however, was the spirit of our men in the locker room. Experiencing an unprecedented ordeal in the history of the NFL, our men never wavered. Although our spirit wasn't reflected in the final score of nine of our games, we endured Goliath's wrath last season, and now Goliath has to pay.

So forgive me if I sound the trumpet of preseason enthusiasm. It was out of tune for a year, in the shop being repaired. This year holds no promise of a better timbre for the orchestra that is the Saints; but now, in our coach, we have our first chair back, and he has brought in a badass sax player in defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, some new songs and some new steps.

So, for this summer, in the searing sun of Southern Louisiana, 90 men leave their individual life behind and dream of becoming one; and although the goal is simple, and hope profuse, becoming timeless is going to take a lot of work.

Rugby Saint II

Become timeless.