I think Steven Tyler said it best when he sang...
"Football season's a journey, not a destination."
I might have mixed up a couple of words, so don't quote me on that, but his point was still the same. Yet, as fans, it feels like we've already reached the destination now that the off-season is behind us. The hard part is finally over. We've braved the long, lonely, informationless off-season and now that training camp has finally arrived; we have reached the end of the road. A collective sigh of relief has been breathed.
Can you feel that we're getting close? The talking heads have all come back from their vacations and started pushing out training camp related articles at a feverish pace. The players have started heading back to town from whatever corner of the world they were inhabiting during their last free moments. Courtney Roby and Chip Vaughn, respectively, on Twitter...
"Headed back to tha NOLA...back on tha grind!"
"On the way back to Nawlins"
Even things right here on Da Chronic have begun picking up a bit. The FanPost section has started to see more action, traffic is up and comments are getting heated. Hell, Stu is back.
But Steven Tyler was on to something when he waxed philosophic about the NFL. This isn't the end. Oh no, my friend. Not by any means. In fact, it's only just beginning for the players we've pinned all of our hopes on. Well, you've pinned your hopes on them; I'm still cautiously optimistic. A successful season certainly is a journey; A long one. Not a destination. The players know what they need to do and are excited to begin that trek. Drew Brees and Billy Miller, respectively, per Twitter...
"Training camp starts tomorrow. Making some last minute, late night preparations. Can't sleep. Too excited. Here we go!"
"I am ready now for camp! Let's get it and bring a championship to the state of New Orleans. Haters keep haten we play better that way!!!"
It's also just the beginning for us as Saints fans, even though the end of the off-season brings much relief. This is the moment we've all be waiting for. We've analyzed every player, evaluated every position, studied every move and considered every trade. It's time now to follow through on our duty as team supporters and transcend to a higher level of fan consciousness. So now I ask you the same question Al Pacino asks his players as he ends his speech in Any Given Sunday..."What are you gonna do?"
As far as Canal Street Chronicles is concerned, we'll be shaking off the dust and bumping it up a notch as we head into season mode. Our all-time Saints team will be put on the backburner and be replaced by lots of links, news, videos and coverage throughout the day, as I will be constantly monitoring the web and keeping CSC updated often. True, I do a damn good job of that already but I'll be doing it more so now. The Times-Pic has promised plenty of coverage and with training camp right here in Metairie, the information should be abundantly flowing. I also plan on attending training camp myself at least a few days, twittering live and offering my own personal insight and scouting reports. You won't want to log off. You guys can step it up too. If you think you'd like to contribute here on a regular basis, perhaps weekly, shoot me an email and let me know. If you've been abstaining from Da Chronic for a while during the off-season or laying low in the weeds and not commenting...come back. We miss you and it's that time again to unite. If you haven't gone anywhere, keep up the great work, keep the FanShots coming and be sure to comment often.
I would like to leave you now with the words of my favorite current Saints running back and obvious Aerosmith fan, Pierre Thomas, per his Twitter account...
"One more day and the journey begins - Saints '09 WHO DAT!!"
Goodluck to the 2009 New Orleans Saints.