With players reporting today, it’s the official start to the 2009 season and the beginning of preparations for the first game. Now it’s time to see whether things really are different this season, and intangibles like leadership will be put to the test on the field. For the next month, we’ll hold our breath every afternoon and cross our fingers that the inevitable injury reports aren’t causes to find the highest convenient point from which to jump.

If the season is getting going, that also means that the offseason is over. For what it’s worth, the Dawgs didn’t tally a single arrest during the offseason. A trio of players did earn suspensions and ultimately cost Tony Wilson his spot on the team, but those were incidents involving internal team rules. Of course a lot can still happen over the next month, but after a season in which the team saw ten arrests before and even during the season it’s been a dramatic (and welcome) change.

Will it make a difference? The next five months are all about finding out.