WBRZ - Baton Rouge

METAIRIE, La. - The 2012 New Orleans Saints will have to overcome the loss of their head coach and several key players to start this season, but the team is ready for the challenge.

"Football and trying to win football games has always been the main topic here," said interim head coach Joe Vitt. "We've had to overcome some hurdles. We've had to stick together through the tough times but that is always the main discussion here. We try to do everything we can on a daily basis to get better and win games."

Quarterback Drew Brees enters camp fresh off his NFl-record contract of five years and 100 million dollars. Brees will provide a huge leadership role for this year's team.

"I'm excited," said Brees. "I'm always excited and I love football, I love to compete. I'm excited about the unknown because in a lot of ways we don't necessarily know what to expect, and with all this stuff swirling around us, all we can worry about is what we can control. We focus on the process and the result will take care of itself."

The Saints conducted a team meeting tonight and will run through conditioning drills tomorrow. Thursday kicks off the first official practice day of training camp.

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