…Back to work!
NFL clubs will begin their on-field preparations for Kickoff 2016 this week, starting today with the New Orleans Saints when their rookies report. The Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions rookies will head to camp on Friday and Saturday, July 22-23, respectively.
The Green Bay Packers, who will take on the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL/Hall of Fame Game (Sunday, August 7), will be the first team with a full squad in camp when their rookies and veterans report on Monday, July 25. By Saturday, July 30, every NFL team will be in camp.
This year, more than half the league (19 of 32, 59%) will be “staying home” for training camp. In 2000, only five of 31 (16%) teams stayed close to home.
“It’s a great set-up here at home,” says Eagles first-year head coach Doug Pederson of the team conducting training camp at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia. “I like the idea of doing it right here in our backyard where we are comfortable. That part makes it nice. You can come right in off the practice field and your film is ready to go. And the way the setup is here, it’s awesome.”
The numbers may prove home base popularity is a growing league-wide trend, but there are still teams employing the “old-time” philosophy of encamping away.
The Rams are one of the teams that “come together” away from home (University of California – Irvine in Irvine, California), as they return to Los Angeles in 2016 for the first time in two decades.
“We look forward to training at UCI in preparation for the 2016 season,” says Rams head coach Jeff Fisher. “Their facilities are top-notch and we’re excited to welcome our fans to their campus and also to the Coliseum as we gear up for the start of the season.”
The NFL training camp longevity king? The Packers, who return for their 59th consecutive summer at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.
Photo credit: Giants.com