Tag: NFL training camp

NFL tells teams they must stay at their facilities for training camp

The league sent a memo to all teams today outlining new guidelines for training camp in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has made this an offseason unlike any other for the NFL. And with team facilities slowly beginning to open back up, the league is making sure they take all the proper steps to ensure a safe path to the regular season, sending out a memo today outlining guidelines for training camp this year.

Take a look.

Fortunately, for the Bucs, this won’t affect them, at least in terms of where they hold their training camp. Tampa Bay has held its camp at One Buccaneer Place since 2009, so no change there.

While joint practices have become a recent trend, I doubt it will impact the Bucs. The most important thing for Tampa Bay when training camp starts is developing that chemistry between Tom Brady and his new teammates. The six-time Super Bowl champion held an informal workout session with Bucs players recently, but will need all of training camp to get comfortable in this new offense.

At least he won’t have to worry about traveling far.

[lawrence-related id=34746,34740,34731,34724]

Eagles won’t be allowed to hold joint practices during training camp and preseason

NFL announces no joint practices during 2020 training camp, preseason

The NFL is currently full steam ahead with their plans to successfully start the 2020 regular season on time and the league has taken steps to mitigate any potential risk to the coronavirus.

The league announced that teams will have to stay at their team facilities for training camps this summer because of the coronavirus.

Shortly after the league announced further steps to avoid risk, canceling the tradition of joint practices, a staple around the NFL the last few seasons.

Club personnel are taking the steps to return to team facilities and the league has hopes of allowing teams to hold mid-June minicamps.

The Eagles have held joint practices with the Ravens and Patriots in recent years and the work gave a great assessment of how they’d stack up during the regular season.

Even without the minicamps, the NFL is scheduled to start 2020 training camps at the end of July.

[vertical-gallery id=633661]

[lawrence-related id=636468,636454,636440,636433]

NFL teams could start return to facilities by next week with minicamps in June

A lot has to happen before it’s a reality, but there are encouraging signs for a 2020 NFL season.

According to a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson, in which the reporter spoke with several NFL sources, the NFL could be readying to have their head coaches return to facilities as early as next week — and that this action could lead the way to possible minicamps in June.

One source told Robinson that if California Governor Gavin Newsom opens the door to full team operations, that could lead the way for the NFL to start planning minicamps.

“If California is open for [team] operations soon, minicamps can still happen in June — probably late June, I’d think — but maybe even mid-June,” the source said.

Another source told Robinson that June 15 and June 27th have been identified as potential minicamp dates. Recently, Newsom did float the idea of pro sports returning to California sooner than later.

“A number of other sectors of our economy will open up again if we hold these [positive] trend lines in the next number of weeks,” Newsom concluded on May 18. Clearly, any spike that reverses those trend lines would affect any additional player participation.

On the same day, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that his state will help teams that want to start opening.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that all professional sports teams in his state are allowed to plan for and begin training camp activities as long as they’re following necessary health protocols.

“We have been in constant discussions with teams about necessary protocols to protect the health and safety of players, coaches, and personnel,” Murphy said in a Twitter statement.

As minicamps are generally private entities, observed by team representatives, credentialed reporters, and selected team guests and VIPs, it would be easy enough to practice social distancing for those in attendance. How even non-contact practices would fall under those guidelines is entirely another matter, and the NFLPA would obviously have to sign off on any player participation, but this is an encouraging step for those who have worried about the viability of a 2020 NFL season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Training camps are generally attended by fans, but with the NFL looking at the possibility of starting the season with games in stadiums with no fans, one would imagine a similar scenario when padded, contact-filled practices begin.

Again, a lot has to happen here. Right now, this is all in the realm of the hypothetical. Testing numbers and overall curves have to continue to go in the right directions in the right places for prescribed periods of time.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross recently said on CNBC that he anticipates a 2020 NFL season, and if all these possibilities happen to come true, that seems a likely scenario — again, under all the right protocols.

“I think there definitely will be a football season this year,” Ross said on Tuesday. “Real question is, will there be fans in the stadium? Right now — today — we’re planning to have fans in the stadium. We all miss our sports. The NFL, I think, will be ready to go. I know we’re all looking forward to it. I know I am.”

Ravens hopeful to keep training camp in Maryland but considering backup plans

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and regional restrictions, Ravens president Dick Cass said the team is open to moving training camp

The Baltimore Ravens have held training camp at their Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills for the last nine years. After moving from McDaniels College in Westminster to their palacial training facility all those years ago, it seemed as though the Ravens would never have a reason to move again. But with the coronavirus pandemic raging on and social distancing restrictions still in place, Baltimore is having to think of some backup plans. And that could mean training camp isn’t held in Maryland at all, much less at their facility.

“We’ll consider all options,” Ravens president Dick Cass said in a conference call with the United Way of Central Maryland on Thursday, per PennLive’s Aaron Kasinitz. “When we think about the option of trying to move our training camp outside of Maryland, we don’t like that option. We think that we can conduct training camp safely in Maryland. We know that our building will be absolutely pristine, and we think the safest place to conduct our training camp will be in Maryland at our facility. But if circumstances don’t allow that, we will explore the circumstances that are available to us.”

With the 2020 NFL Draft and the biggest portions of free agency now completed, teams are turning their attention to preparing for the regular season. And that means getting players and coaches ready with things like rookie minicamps, training camp and the preseason. But as the NFL continues to monitor the coronavirus pandemic and various regional restrictions, any form of offseason workouts are far from guaranteed.

[lawrence-related id=47830]

The league has thus far worked around the restrictions, creating a schedule for virtual offseason programs, recently extending it through May 29. But there’s little to no way to virtually simulate on-field work for an entire team, which is where training camp comes in. When asked how much time players would need to get ready for the regular season, Ravens running back Mark Ingram said he believed training camp and the preseason was essential.

“It has to be something around that – three, four, five weeks. The preseason and three or four weeks. Teams just being together, going through training camp, and being able to scrimmage other teams and play against other teams – I think all of that is crucial to the camaraderie of a team, and the development of your players on the team. I think it is all necessary in order to prepare yourself mentally, physically, individually and collectively, to have a successful season.”

Cass said he didn’t anticipate Baltimore would be able to hold in-person offseason programs or minicamp, according to Kasinitz. However, he did say the Ravens were “preparing to open training camp on time in late July.” While there are no guarantees and the situation is constantly evolving, that’s a good sign for a return of real football.

“The key thing for all of us is to have football games,” Cass said, per Kasinitz. “The community needs them, we need them and we’re expecting to play our games.”

[vertical-gallery id=47631]

Jags, Bucs planning to have joint practices in the preseason

The Jags plan on traveling to their in-state rivals of the NFC to get in a couple joint practices in.

In NFL training camps, practicing against your teammates can get repetitive real fast, which is exactly why the Jacksonville Jaguars elect to have joint practices in the preseason. This year, they have plans to do so with a familiar team in the Tampa Bay Bucs before their Week 2 preseason game, who will host the Jags at AdventHealth Training Facility.

While it’s unclear as to when camps will start or what the process will be like, the Jags and Bucs appear to have a plan in place for when the league announces that players can return to their respective facilities.

The Jags and Bucs have been down this road together before as they had joint practices in Jacksonville before the 2017 season. The Jags also had joint practices with the New England Patriots that year, who then had current Bucs quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski. Later that season the Jags met the Patriots in the AFC Championship.

Needless to say, if there is NFL football, things should be interesting in the preseason as the Jags’ young secondary (and team in general) will get some quality looks as the Bucs are projected to be a postseason team.