The offseason survival guide for New Orleans Saints fans

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Nov 30, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; A New Orleans Saints fan celebrates a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Heinz Field. The Saints won the game, 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports /

This is easily the most difficult time of the year for football fans in general, be they the general populace, or even us bloggers/writers.

The offseason comes in three phases. First is the build up to the draft where fans are inundated with a million and a half different mock drafts and scouting reports on the various prospects, and writers half kill themselves trying to feed the insatiable beast that is the pre-draft process. Phase one is kind of fun, but phase two sucks.

Phase two is the time period between the weeks immediately after the draft and the beginning of training camp. There is the briefest reprieve during OTAs (organized team activities), but really the only news that comes out during that time is bad news (like what happened to Hau’oli Kikaha).

Phase three is of course training camp where the narratives begin, and fans can begin to hope (or despair if that’s your flavor). Phase three is going to be a lot of fun, and I can’t wait for it to get started, but it’s right HERE in phase two where fans need to read this survival guide.

Why do they need it? Because once training camp starts you are going to be bombarded with an unstoppable stream of information from every possible direction. When a player makes a catch, he’s going to be the next Megatron (remember Brandon Coleman from last year?), and if someone in the secondary drops a pick they’re a bust.

Every single play is going to be analyzed from a million directions, and every player is going to go from bust to superstar and back to bust over and over. So how are you to filter through all the information, the analysis, and the rumors that comes with training camp?

I’m glad you all asked because I’m about to tell you. Today, we are going to go over a few of the keys I have come across to keep my own sanity during this time period that have helped me to keep perspective and not fall in or out of love with players too soon (except for that one time I pronounced Brandon Coleman the next superstar…but hey we’re all human).

Next: Tip No. 1