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New Orleans Saints players can't miss the large banner affixed to an exterior wall at team headquarters.

On coach Sean Payton's instructions Bobby Wagner Jersey , it was placed near the entrance to the locker room from outdoor practice fields, and reads: "Prove them right."

That says all anyone needs to know about the expectations surrounding the Saints, who rode a youth movement to within one play of last season's NFC title game.

"The guys at the top 鈥?we've got to prove them right," explained cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Defensively, Lattimore said, the Saints expect to climb into the top five after ranking 17th last season and no better than 27th the three seasons before that.

"We can't just say it. We've got to work at it," Lattimore said. "If we do that, we're going to be good."

Goals are also lofty on offense, a unit that has consistently ranked among the NFL's best ever since quarterback Drew Brees and Payton, who designs the offense, joined forces in 2006.

Last season, the Saints ranked second offensively and were more balanced that usual, thanks to the Pro Bowl running back tandem of Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara and veteran Mark Ingram.

"We haven't lost veteran guys. We've gone and acquired some more veteran leadership and some guys that are great in the locker room," Brees said. "We've got this young talent that is continuing to develop Lester Hayes Jersey , and I think you're always looking forward to seeing that jump from Year 1 to Year 2 with certain guys, and Year 2 to Year 3 for other guys."

Last season, it took an unlikely 61-yard touchdown pass as time expired 鈥?the Minneapolis Miracle 鈥?to lifted the Vikings past the Saints in the NFC divisional playoffs.

Now New Orleans enters 2018 determined to take care of unfinished business.

Some things to watch with the Saints:

STEADY BREES: If the Saints make it as far as the NFC title game, their star quarterback will have just turned 40. But quarterbacks like Brees and New England's Tom Brady are trying to redefine QB longevity in this era of evolving training methods and NFL rules designed to protect quarterbacks. In 2017, Brees had his least prolific season as a Saint with 4,334 yards passing, but that appeared to be by design. Not only did New Orleans have a resurgent running game, but Brees was more accurate than ever, setting an NFL record with his 72 percent completion rate. In addition to Pro Bowl receiver Michael Thomas and veteran Ted Ginn Jr., Brees has two new intriguing targets: Chicago's 2016 receiving leader, Cameron Meredith, and rookie Tre'Quan Smith.

This season, Brees likely will eclipse Peyton Manning's NFL record 71,940 career yards passing. Brees also enters the season tied for third all-time in TD passes with Brady at 488, 20 behind Brett Favre and 51 behind Manning.

YOUNG STARS: In 2017 Marshon Lattimore Jersey , the Saints became the first team in half a century to field offensive and defensive rookies of the year in the same season. Could Kamara and Lattimore possibly have better seasons in store? Kamara was New Orleans' second-leading rusher with 728 yards and eight TDs, as well as the club's second-leading receiver with 81 catches for 826 yards and five TDs. He also had a 106-yard kickoff return for a score, giving him a team-leading 14 total TDs.

Lattimore was a big reason the Saints went from last in the NFL in yards passing allowed in 2016 to 15th in 2017. He covered opponents' top receivers and finished with five interceptions to go with 18 passes defended, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

INGRAM'S ABSENCE: Ingram says his goal remains to surpass 1,000 yards rushing this season, even though he'll only have 12 games to do it. He won't be a factor in New Orleans' first four games because of his suspension for use of a banned substance. Payton designs game plans to suit the strengths of available players, so Ingram's absence won't necessarily force the Saints to use another player in Ingram's role. But any time a team losses a player who rushed for 1,124 yards and 12 TDs, it's bound to present challenges. Kamara could wind up with more work. Other running backs getting looks in the preseason were sixth-rounder Boston Scott, third-year pro Jonathan Williams and veteran Shane Vereen.

EDGE PRESSURE: Payton said at the start of the offseason that his priorities included improving the pass rush. That was not a knock on Cameron Jordan , a first-time All-Pro with 13 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 28 QB hits, 11 passes defended, two forced fumbles and an interception for a touchdown. But Jordan could use help. New Orleans used its top draft choice 鈥?14th overall 鈥?on Marcus Davenport Danny Shelton Jersey , an end out of UTSA. His progress has been slowed by a groin pull in training camp. Beyond that, New Orleans hopes Alex Okafor returns effectively from his torn Achilles tendon and that Trey Hendrickson, the last of three third-round draft choices in 2017, shows considerable progress.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When Jimmy Garoppolo got thrown into the lineup as San Francisco’s quarterback just weeks after joining the 49ers, simply getting a play off in time was an accomplishment.

Garoppolo overcame that limited knowledge of coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense to put together an impressive 5-0 finish to the season as one of the NFL’s most productive quarterbacks down the stretch.

It will be a very different Garoppolo heading into Sunday’s season opener at Minnesota than he was in his first start in Chicago in December. He was given a $137.5 million contract in the offseason and has had months to learn the whys and hows of Shanahan’s complex offense.

“We were trying to avoid the delay of game in Chicago,” he said. “That was a big part of it. I think every week last year I progressively got more and more comfortable with winning obviously and learning new things every week. Every week I was hearing new things for the first time that I had never heard before. So, it was that comfort level that just keeps growing as you get more along with the offense and learn more.”

That comfort level is astronomically higher after getting more practice time with his receivers and offense.

Garoppolo also took advantage of the opportunity to spend more time away from the 49ers facility with his teammates, whether it was informal sessions or non-football bonding to build chemistry with players who were almost strangers when he played last year.

“Last year I was in a tough situation because I really didn’t have any extra time to go out and hang out with the guys,” he said. “I was trying to learn as quickly as possible. So, this offseason we’ve had a lot more time to do things together away from football and kind of get to know each other on a more personal level.”

How Garoppolo fares this year is one of the most intriguing questions in the NFL as he has shown great promise winning all seven of his career starts to earn the lucrative contract but still has very little track record.

What Garoppolo has done on the field has been impressive. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes last season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs, five interceptions and a 96.2 rating.

Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts last season, Garoppolo ranked first in yards per attempt, fourth in completion percentage. His 308.4 yards passing per game in his five starts also would have led the league had he played a full season.

Defenses now have had plenty of time to study Garoppolo in San Francisco’s system but Shanahan doesn’t see that being a major hindrance.

“You hear that all the time with quarterbacks Marcus Cannon Jersey ,” he said. “You figure the scheme out and then you stop plays. Then, you put other stuff in to get other people open and you see if the quarterback is capable of doing other stuff. I think Jimmy’s capable of making any type of throw. I think he sees the field very well. It’s not like they’re going to learn how to stop him from running with the ball and then stop him from throwing it. Jimmy has a very talented arm. He knows how to play in the pocket. Hopefully we can continue to get guys here to separate, help get people open in zone and give him time to go through progressions and give him a running game not to put all the pressure on him.”

The 49ers running game took a big hit over the weekend when projected starter Jerick McKinnon went down with a season-ending right knee injury. He was one of San Francisco’s main additions in free agency and was being counted on to be a big threat as a runner and a receiver.

Now the 49ers will count on second-year back Matt Breida, who has 105 career carries, and veteran Alfred Morris, who was signed midway through training camp and has never caught more than 17 passes in his six seasons, instead of McKinnon.

“Since the day we signed him we’ve been game planning for Minnesota,” Shanahan said. “So, I’m not going to lie, it changes things pretty drastically.”

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