The New Orleans Saints' players are officially back to work for the start of the 2014 season. Monday marks the beginning of the team's offseason conditioning program.
Participation is optional and limited to strength and conditioning activities. Typically the full squad will get together for a team meeting on the first day.
The morning chatter on Twitter had a "first day of school" feel to it:
Gettin back to the grind today... #whodatnation first day back liftin lets get it today http://t.co/o7laQNesNg
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) April 21, 2014First day back at the office for the 2014 season. Let's get it started! #WhoDat
— Benjamin Watson (@BenjaminSWatson) April 21, 2014First day of @Saints off-season, Excited to meet my new teammates and prepare for the 2014 season
#WhoDat
— Thomas Morstead (@thomasmorstead) April 21, 2014
On-field practice sessions are scheduled to begin the week of May 27 and last through June 19. The team's mandatory three-day minicamp is scheduled for June 10-12.
The Saints have not yet announced their starting date for training camp, which will begin at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia sometime in late July.