More NFL Teams Staying Home For Training Camp
By Mike Dyce
Training camp is usually associated with NFL teams travelling away. Teams get together in a remote destination out of town and remove themselves from the distractions of home. The team can then focus on what they need to and bond with one another.
With the advent of technology and social media, “getting away” becomes trickier, harder, and less realistic.
"Here’s an interesting tidbit courtesy of the NFL: Just 13-of-32 teams will go away for training camp in 2013.By contrast, 26-of-31 teams traveled for camp in 2000, per league data."
One of the teams to change their training camp plans this year is the Philadelphia Eagles under new head coach Chip Kelly. That ends a 70 year tradition of training camp on the road, but Kelly claims it was all for logistical reasons, not an attempt to mark his turf.
“I just think we have everything here so the fact that we would pack everything up and move, that didn’t make sense to me,” Kelly said, via the Eagles website. “All our video stuff is here. Our servers are here. You’re dealing with portable laptops and hoping you can get practice on it. You have issues when it rains up there. Where do you go? Our training facility in terms of how we want to lift (is here). Why would you move everything to go somewhere else?”
The teams still traveling for camp this summer are:
- Arizona Cardinals
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers
- Indianapolis Colts
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Minnesota Vikings
- New York Jets
- Oakland Raiders
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Washington Redskins