The 2018 Saints might have what it takes to make history
 

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.

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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.

And yet, for all the reasons for optimism, there are just as many reasons to curb your enthusiasm, among them this inconvenient truth: In their 52-year history, the Saints have never won back-to-back division championships.

The centrifugal force of NFL parity is powerful. Repeating success is difficult in a league where the difference between 10-6 and 6-10 is often one ill-timed injury. As good as the Saints looked in 2000, 2006, 2009 and 2011, they were not able to replicate that success a year later. The closest they came was 2010 when they went 11-5 and earned a wild-card playoff berth.

The reasons are varied. The NFL business model promotes parity. Bottom feeders are rewarded with high draft picks. Successful teams see their rosters and coaching staffs poached by rivals. The league intentionally forces division winners to play tougher schedules.

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Re: The 2018 Saints might have what it takes to make history
 

I took a quick glance at the 2018 Saints Schedule ... it's paramount we come out the gate fast. Cannot afford any hiccups against Tampa/Cleveland in weeks 1 & 2. The schedule gets considerably harder after the bye week (wk 6).