LA CROSSE, Wis. -- The future is now for the only NFL team that has never won a playoff game.
It was a message repeated over and over by the New Orleans Saints' hierarchy on the first day of training camp."Last year, if I had told you the Falcons would be in the Super Bowl, you would have laughed," general manager Bill Kuharich said Thursday. "This year, we're the team that will make believers of people."
The Saints' dedication to proving Kuharich right could be seen in their offseason workouts, which were the most successful in the history of the franchise, with 98 percent of the players participating.
"These guys understand that our chance is now, not three years from now," coach Mike Ditka said. "The bottom line in this business is winning. The bottom line for me is winning. I didn't win my first two years. If I don't win this year, I shouldn't be here."
New Orleans, which has not had a winning season in seven years, was 6-10 in each of Ditka's first two seasons. Yet when Ditka introduced Ricky Williams to a crowd of fans following the draft and pronounced his team playoff bound, nobody snickered.
"I believe everything he says," said Williams, who predicted at least a trip to the playoffs. "This is a good team."
If the Heisman Trophy winner isn't able to carry the Saints, he should at least give it a big boost.
Ditka, who still dreams of the days when Walter Payton was carrying the football for him, believes Williams is from the same mold.
"I think this kid is the real thing," Ditka said. "I don't think anything bothers him except not doing his job and not winning."
The plan is to get the football to Williams at least 20 times a game -- something the Saints have not done for other running backs.
Lamar Smith, last year's leading rusher, had only 138 carries -- an average of eight a game -- and 457 yards. The Saints have not had a 1,000-yard rusher in a decade.
"Of course, people are going to try to stack the line and stop Ricky," offensive coordinator Danny Abramowicz said. "We have to find a way to stop that and get the ball to him anyway."
Abramowicz believes that Williams can wear down opposing defenses if he is given enough opportunities. He also believes that Williams can be used as a receiver.
The Saints, who ranked 28th in the NFL in offense last season and dead last in rushing, also signed left guard Wally Williams, coupling him with Pro Bowl tackle William Roaf and leaving former No. 1 pick Kyle Turley in his natural position at right tackle to stabilize the line.
New Orleans traded their No. 2 pick for wide receiver Eddie Kennison, counting on his speed to provide a deep threat.
"People talk about us giving up all our picks to get Ricky," Kuharich said. "But that's misleading. It's not as if we have only one new player from last year. We've been active in getting people we need and keeping the good players we have."
Quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, who missed all of last season with a ruptured right Achilles' tendon, is the starter going into training camp. Although Hobert has only a 3-2 record as a starter, Ditka has enough confidence in him and backups Billy Joe Tolliver and Danny Wuerffel to pass on acquiring Jeff George, Warren Moon, Neil O'Donnell and Eric Kramer via free agency, or trading for Jim Harbaugh or Brad Johnson.
The defense had a hard time last year, partially because it was on the field for most of every game. This year, Ditka said that should not be the case.
The Saints on Thursday re-signed safety Sammy Knight, who led the team with six interceptions last year. Knight agreed to a five-year deal worth $9.225 million.
RAMS: The St. Louis Rams have reportedly offered holdout running back Marshall Faulk a seven-year contract worth $45 million.
But his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, opposes a seven-year deal unless the Rams guarantee they won't make Faulk a franchise or transition player after four years.
COWBOYS: Alonzo Spellman, out of football since the Chicago Bears released him in 1998 following several bizarre episodes, has agreed to a contract with the Cowboys.
Spellman's agent, Leigh Steinberg, said the defensive lineman accepted a one-year contract for the veteran minimum of $400,000.
BENGALS: Carl Pickens, the leading receiver in Bengals history, will sit out the season if the team doesn't trade him.
As Cincinnati prepared to open training camp in Georgetown, Ky., Pickens was working out in Atlanta. His agent, Steve Zucker, said the receiver won't play for the Bengals this season.
PANTHERS: Rookie Robert Daniel will miss the season after fracturing a disc in his neck during a blocking drill.
Surgery to fuse the two vertebrae between the disc will be performed next week after the swelling goes down. Recovery is expected to last three to four months, but the team said he should be able to play next season.
COLTS: Linebacker Mike Peterson, the Colts' second-round draft pick, ended his holdout and joined the team at training camp in Champaign, Ill.
The Colts didn't announce terms of the agreement, but his agent said Peterson agreed to a four-year contract.
JAGUARS: First-round draft pick Fernando Bryant, who's involved in a contract squabble, missed the first day of camp.
The cornerback has demanded a four-year deal, while the Jaguars have insisted that he sign a five-year contract.
EAGLES: Defensive tackle Rhett Hall will sit out the entire season and might retire because his ailing left knee hasn't responded to rehab.
Hall, who led the Eagles with eight sacks in 1997, hasn't recovered from surgery to repair a fractured kneecap that forced him to miss the final 14 games last season. He had major surgery on the same knee to repair torn ligaments in 1997.