It will not be long now. The time is near. Yes, the time is near for no-names to prove they got game, for aging veterans preparing for that one last push, and for all 32 teams having aspirations of holding the Lombardi trophy in Jacksonville in February. With training camps beginning in about two weeks, every team has a set plan on what they want to see happen in camp and how they want it to look.
Speaking of looks, most teams are choosing to hold training camp in different cities (with the exception of the Patriots, Jaguars, Texans, and Titans). Twelve teams will hold training camps at the team facilities, a far cry from the old days when teams would hold training camps at small colleges.
Which begs the question. Where is it better to hold training camp?
At team facilities, where the players will be allowed to come and go as they please after two-a-days?
Or is it better to round up the players at a college for a few weeks, having a curfew so early it makes one think they are back in high school again? The answer is a pretty simple one, actually.
Training camps should be at colleges, and it should always be that way. Now I am sure some players (like Edgerrin James for instance) would prefer to not have it in a college so that they won't be tied down to a secluded area for a few weeks.
However, from personal experience, I have seen the way teams come together while training at a college. As a student at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, where the Pittsburgh Steelers hold training camp, I have noticed the amount of focus that the players have while practicing. Sure, they can be loose and funny when the situation calls for it, but when it is time for the pads to go on, its all business.
Another reason why it is better to hold it at a college than at a training facility is that the fans can be allowed to see their team practice. What one needs to think about is that the fans, like the players, wait for this time of year, as well, because they miss football. Some people who might not be able to go to a game to watch their team play during the season can come to the team's camp to watch them practice. If they are lucky enough, they can get a player's autograph.
This is the only time of the year that the public can have a huge access to the players, so that is why thousands of people make the trek to watch their team practice. I can vouch for that because I was fortunate enough to meet a few of the Steelers.
The next reason that it is better to hold training camp at a college is that teammates can bond together while on a college campus. At a training facility, after practice is over, people go their separate ways to the comforts of their own bed, instead of being able to bond with other teammates, especially the rookies. On campus, players can get familiar with other players that they see even when they are not practicing, since they are around campus somewhere. It makes some players feel as if they are in college again. They can do a lot of things together that would help forge a trust that can benefit them during the season.
While being a student at St. Vincent College during my junior year, I was lucky enough to be given a free wrist band to go watch the Steelers practice. Mind you, I am a New England Patriots fan, but being able to go see an NFL team practicing at my college was just too good to pass up. The experience was gratifying in so many ways, especially with the fans getting into it when the Steelers ran their two-minute offense.
The scenery surrounding the practice field was beautiful. Even ESPN noted that it is the best place to come watch training camp. Now can one say that about a practice facility? Not very likely.
The last reason that training camp should be held at colleges is control. At colleges, coaches can enforce a curfew to make sure that their player is ready to go for the next day of practice. At a practice facility, coaches do not have that luxury. They can only hope that one of their players can behave themselves at a bar or another public place.
Coaches that thrived on controlling things, like the late Vince Lombardi, know that training camp is the only opportunity that they have before the season starts where they can set the schedule on how things will be ran. They make the rules, and the players have to follow them, or suffer the consequences. For teams to play well during the season, they need to bond, and training camp provides them the opportunity to do that.
I am not saying that anything is wrong with holding training camp at practice facilities. However, for teams like the 49ers and the Detroit Lions who deny fan access to their training camp at their practice facility, it can be a huge problem. To the fans, training camp is like an event. They want to go see their favorite players, and if they are not allowed to get that chance, it is a huge letdown for them.
All of this is just my opinion. But ask the fans that can't go see their team practice, like the Lions and the Niners. They want to see their favorite team. Not that they are worth seeing anyway. But the true fan of a team won't care.
Leave a Comment