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NEW ORLEANS -- The play everyone remembered from the NFC championship loss in January came near the end, when the Los Angeles Rams defender smashed into the New Orleans Saints receiver as the ball traveled through the air.

A pass interference call would have positioned the Saints for … well, you know.

There was a Super Bowl berth on the line. But the play third-year tight end Dan Arnold continued to replay in his head in the days and weeks that followed came in the first quarter.

What would have been a sensational leaping catch in the back of the end zone slipped through his fingers for the Saints to settle for a field goal on the opening drive.

Only at the end, when the Saints lost in overtime, did the missed opportunity get magnified. If not from the public, than certainly from Arnold, the conscientious former receiver turned tight end now preparing for his third NFL season.

“I learned so much about myself last year and how I responded to pressure,” he said. “I think that was my biggest thing. Today, there was definitely a difference.”

The difference was born from some self-assessment during the offseason. In the weeks after the conference championship game loss, Arnold stayed away from football. He needed a break from everything -- from the training, from the coaching, from the analyzing.

He needed to think.

He told himself how this could be a defining moment in his life.

“You could either give up and never come back to football and decide you want to hide in a hole,” he said. “Or you could step back up and make yourself do something that you want to do.”

He had to decide for himself, does he want to continue playing football.

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"At the end of the day, it was yes, this was something I want to excel at and I want to do well," he said. "Not only for myself to prove it to myself that I can, but for the rest of my teammates. I felt like I let a lot of people down last year. I know I can do better."

Arnold came to the Saints in 2017 as an undrafted free agent from Wisconsin-Platteville, a Division III school that Pro Football Reference says has put six players in the NFL. Before Arnold made his debut, it had been 26 years since someone from the school played in the league.

In his first training camp, Arnold made an early impression on coaches but spent the season on injured reserve. Only after his return in the 2018 offseason did the 6-foot-6 Arnold continue his move to playing tight end after he excelled as a wideout in college.

His NFL debut came in Week 5 last season on the night Drew Brees set the career passing yards record in a win against Washington. In the next game, Arnold caught two passes for 35 yards in a win at Baltimore.

Then came a productive four-game stretch of 10 receptions for 115 yards along with a touchdown that came Thanksgiving night against the Atlanta Falcons.

His only touchdown. So far.

Arnold waited until about three weeks after the NFC title loss -- maybe a week or so after the Super Bowl -- to finally pick up the iPad on which he could view game film. It was there, with his personal trainer in Dubuque, Iowa, where Arnold finally viewed the pass that slipped through his fingers.

“When I finally watched the play, it was like, there’s some good (to come) out of this. … We can improve on this. This isn’t the end of the story. I think (watching the play) was the kind of moment where like, yep, we can go now.”

Still, there are ups and downs.

In the preseason opener Friday against the Vikings, Arnold caught a pass from Teddy Bridgewater near the 5-yard line and squeezed between two defenders as he reached with the ball in his right hand over the goal line for a touchdown.

But on the next offensive series, this time with Taysom Hill at quarterback, Arnold let a pass hit his hands and bounce off his leg for an interception returned 30 yards for a touchdown. On that play, he said, he turned his eyes downfield too quick.

The difference between now and last season? Arnold believes he would dwell on the mistake more than he should. At some point, it’s time to move on, he said.

“He’s still learning,” said coach Sean Payton, who spoke of Arnold as someone still trying to find confidence. “There are a handful of players just like Dan that are working to put together a good game, put together a handful of plays and have some success.

“He’s hard on himself.”

Now in his third season learning the offense, Arnold has a better understanding of things. He knows, based on the personnel grouping, how opponents are likely to group their defenders -- something that takes time to learn.

“Even in previous games from the NFC championship game, I wasn’t confident in myself at times,” Arnold said. “I wasn’t preparing for the games the way I should have. This year … I have a year under my belt. I know the offense so much better this year.

“It’s really so much easier to be like, alright, I’m not worried about assignments or where I’m lined up or who’s on me. I’m reacting to plays and what the defense is giving me.”

The Saints are known to have one of the more creative offenses in the league. Arnold won’t be a primary pass-catching option ahead of tight end Jared Cook. But when the ball is delivered to him, he’ll be expected to make the play.

Some lessons come in the least expected ways. For Arnold, the turning point might have come in that NFC title game. That's his hope, anyway. 

He knows he can't afford many more mistakes like the one that let the Vikings score a touchdown the other night. But then he feels better positioned to make the kind of plays he did on the pass from Bridgewater. 

If he's more conditioned to let go of the past like he says he is, then whatever happens next, he'll be ready.