Ground Report

NFL Training Camps Open This Week; Browns First in on Friday

07/20/2009

NFLTRAINING CAMPS OPEN THIS WEEK;

BROWNS FIRST IN ON FRIDAY

Back to work!

That’s where NFL players and coaches are headed as the first group of teams report to training camp this week. Six clubs will begin their on-field preparations for NFL Kickoff 2009 this week, starting with the Cleveland Browns on Friday, July 24 when their rookies report.

Five teams will follow this weekend, starting with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, July 25 and then four more clubs on Sunday, July 26 – the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers.

Every NFL team will be in camp by August 2.

Three clubs – the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – have opted to follow a growing NFL training camp trend by “staying home.” All three clubs will train at their home facilities in 2009 after being on the road last summer.

“I’m looking forward to practicing at our own facility,” says Tampa Bay tackle JEREMY TRUEBLOOD. “It will be nice to stay closer to home. For the players, it will be different and less stressful.”

This year’s new crop of stay-at-home teams raises the number of clubs that willtrain at home to 17, representing more than half the league (53 percent). In 2000, only 4 of 31 (13 percent) teams stayed close to home.

Here’s a look at the number of NFL teams that stayed home for training camp the past10 years:

YEAR
NFL TEAMS WITH HOME
TRAINING CAMPS (PCT)

2000
4 of 31 (13%)

2005
15 of 32 (47%)

2001
5 of 31 (16%)

2006
13 of 32 (41%)

2002
7 of 32 (22%)

2007
17 of 32 (53%)

2003
12 of 32 (38%)

2008
14 of 32 (44%)

2004
12 of 32 (38%)

2009
17 of 32 (53%)

For the Buccaneers, whose state-of-the art facility at One Buccaneer Place opened to rave reviews in 2006, being closer to home will be a welcome change for players and coaches alike.

“I think it’s great,” says Buccaneers linebackers coach JOE BARRY. “With a new facility, it only makes sense to stay and use it. We have everything there that we need. That’s great news.”

The Saints, too, are looking forward to having all the comforts of home at their disposal as they remain in Metairie, Louisiana this summer.

“As NFL training facilities evolve and develop, there is a trend to want to maximize the exposure your team has to all of the amenities that help make training camp successful,” says New Orleans general manager MICKEY LOOMIS. “Training camp is a very physically and mentally demanding period of time for the players, and by being able to utilize our facilities, we feel like it is the best decision that we can make for our team.”

The homecoming is also great news for Saints fans across the Gulf Coast who’d like to watch their team prepare this summer.

“Fans in New Orleans and in our entire region, from Baton Rouge to Lake Charles and from Biloxi to Pensacola, will have the ability to come out and watch our team get ready for what will be a very exciting season,” says Saints owner TOM BENSON. “We are committed to our region. We remain committed to doing our part to strengthen our state and our city. I believe this is another step in that direction.”

Each summer, training camps mark not only the beginning of a new season, but also the end of an off season filled with hard work, preparation and anticipation of what’s to come.

Things happen fast in the NFL. In just a few short weeks of training camp and preseason action, starting jobs and roster spots are won and lost, and one team will embark on a memorable march towards a Super Bowl championship. Players need to be in top shape from Day 1.

As the Rams wrapped up their organized team activities this offseason, rookie head coach STEVE SPAGNUOLO told his players, “When we get back here together, we’ll hit the ground running.”

Players across the NFL are ready to sprint!

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FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS

In addition to the Buccaneers, Rams and Saints, three other teams – the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks – will encamp at new training sites this year.

While some clubs have changed their training bases in the past decade, others return to familiar venues where they have spent their summer months for years.

The NFL training camp longevity king? The Green Bay Packers, who return on July 31 for their 52nd consecutive summer at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin.

The longest active NFL training camp tenures:

TEAM
TRAINING CAMP
CITY
YEARS

Green Bay Packers
St. Norbert College
DePere, Wisconsin
52

Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota State Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
43

Pittsburgh Steelers
Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
43

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The 2009 NFL training camp sites and reporting dates:

AFC

TEAM
SITE
LOCATION
ROOKIES
VETERANS

Baltimore
McDaniel College
Westminster, MD
7/27
7/29

Buffalo
St. John Fisher College
Pittsford, NY
7/25
7/25

Cincinnati
Georgetown College
Georgetown, KY
7/30
7/30

Cleveland
Cleveland Browns Training Facility
Berea, OH
7/24
7/31

Denver
Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre
Englewood, CO
7/27
7/30

Houston
Methodist Training Center
Houston, TX
7/26
7/31

Indianapolis
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Terre Haute, IN
8/2
8/2

Jacksonville
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
Jacksonville, FL
8/2
8/2

Kansas City
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
River Falls, WI
7/31
7/31

Miami
Miami Dolphins Training Facility
Davie, FL
8/2
8/2

New England
Gillette Stadium
Foxboro, MA
7/26
7/29

NY Jets
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, NY
7/27
7/30

Oakland
Napa Valley Marriott
Napa Valley, CA
7/29
7/29

Pittsburgh
Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, PA
7/31
7/31

San Diego
Chargers Park
San Diego, CA
7/26
7/31

Tennessee
Baptist Sports Park
Nashville, TN
7/30
7/30

NFC

TEAM
SITE
LOCATION
ROOKIES
VETERANS

Arizona
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
7/29
7/29

Atlanta
Atlanta Falcons Training Facility
Flowery Branch, GA
7/31
7/31

Carolina
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
8/2
8/2

Chicago
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, IL
7/31
7/31

Dallas
Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
7/29
7/29

Detroit
Detroit Lions Training Facility
Allen Park, MI
7/31
7/31

Green Bay
St. Norbert College
De Pere, WI
7/31
7/31

Minnesota
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mankato, MN
7/30
7/30

New Orleans
New Orleans Saints Training Facility
Metairie, LA
7/30
7/30

NY Giants
University at Albany
Albany, NY
8/2
8/2

Philadelphia
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
7/26
7/29

St. Louis
Russell Training Center
Earth City, MO
7/29
7/30

San Francisco
Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Center
Santa Clara, CA
7/28
7/30

Seattle
Virginia Mason Athletic Center
Renton, WA
7/30
7/31

Tampa Bay
One Buccaneer Place
Tampa, FL
7/31
7/31

Washington
Redskins Park
Ashburn, VA
7/29
7/29

2009 NFL PRESEASON NATIONAL TELEVISION SCHEDULE

(All times Eastern)

DATE
GAME
NETWORK (TIME)

Sunday, August 9
Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio:

Buffalo vs. Tennessee
NBC (8:00 PM)

Thursday, August 13
Arizona at Pittsburgh
ESPN (8:00 PM)

Monday, August 17
Carolina at N.Y. Giants
ESPN (8:00 PM)

Thursday, August 20
Philadelphia at Indianapolis
FOX (8:00 PM)

Friday, August 21
Tennessee at Dallas
FOX (8:00 PM)

Monday, August 24
N.Y. Jets at Baltimore
ESPN (8:00 PM)

Thursday, August 27
Miami at Tampa Bay
FOX (8:00 PM)

Friday, August 28
New England at Washington
CBS (8:00 PM)

Saturday, August 29
San Diego at Atlanta
CBS (8:00 PM)

Sunday, August 30
Chicago at Denver
NBC (8:00 PM)

Monday, August 31
Minnesota at Houston
ESPN (8:00 PM)

NFL MEDIA