A different kind of camp

Sporting News, The, July 23, 2001 by Gary Horton

It seems like it was only yesterday that we were watching the Ravens methodically take apart the Giants in Super Bowl 35. But that was six months ago, and now we're ready to look forward to the opening of training camps in preparation for the 2001 season. Let's look at some questions you might have about what goes on at training camp.

1. What do teams like to accomplish in training camp? Years ago, most players had offseason jobs, few lived in the cities they played in and most needed all six weeks of preseason to get in shape both physically and mentally for a long and grueling season. Today's players are a totally different breed. All teams have sophisticated offseason programs that involve the players from mid-April through mid-June. During that period, they spend time with the strength coach on the physical aspects of the game, and they spend time in the classroom and on the field with their position coaches on the mental and skill aspects.

Today, training camp is basically a place where rookies and young developmental players display their skills and try to earn roster spots while veterans work on timing and trying to stay healthy, with the emphasis on "peaking" at the end of preseason. Most teams will enter camp with a fairly clear-cut idea of their roster composition, especially the first 30 players. It's the back end of the roster that is decided in training camp and during the preseason games.

2. What is a normal day at training camp like for a coaching staff? All teams practice twice a day early in camp, so you're talking about long, grueling days for coaches and scouts as well as players. Coaching staffs usually will meet in the morning to make any last-minute changes or adjustments before the morning practice. After a two-hour practice, they will grab a quick lunch, evaluate the morning practice video, then meet with their units before the afternoon practice. They will go over mistakes made in the morning and any new wrinkles or plays to be implemented in the afternoon.

After another two-hour practice, coaches will eat a quick dinner and then prepare for an extensive evening agenda that includes a special teams meeting followed by the various position meetings. Afterward, the players will have about an hour of free time before curfew, but the coaches have no such luxury. They will meet with the personnel department to discuss the progress of every player on the roster and possible moves. These personnel meetings, which are critical in the training camp process, sometimes last until midnight or later. If they're lucky, coaches get about six hours of sleep. Then they get up and start the routine all over again.

3. Do coaches look forward to, or dread, training camps? Most coaches will tell you that training camp is their favorite time of year because they love the structure and the lack of distractions. It is football 24 hours a day, and they have the total attention of their players. It's a time when players and coaches can bond. If a team thrives in the regular season, that success likely was born during the dog days of July and August, when an organization really comes together.

4. How important is winning in the preseason? All coaches would like to win all of their preseason games, but it is more important in the last two games, as teams get closer to the regular season. If you are a low-round rookie or a player "on the bubble," you must make a positive impression in the first two weeks of camp and in the first two preseason games. That is the only time those players are going to get significant playing time, because the veterans take over and get most of the snaps in the final two games.

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