St. Louis Rams: Rams Confirm They Will Train at Home in 2011

Senior writer Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com confirmed today that the Rams will train at home at the Russell Training Center, known to many as Rams Park, for the third straight season. 

It was reported yesterday that the Rams would train at home, but it was not officially confirmed.

In a tweet Sunday from Tony Softli, (former VP of Player Personnel for the St. Louis Rams and currently a writer and contributor for 101espn.com), he wrote: 

"Rams have not officially announced it league sources say Rams will stay home for training camp to be held at Russell Training facility."

It is no surprise, given the ongoing lockout, that the Rams have chosen to train at home.

According to a report from stltoday.com on June 10, a Rams spokesman admitted that the longer the lockout remained, the greater the chances that Rams camp would retrn to Earth City and Rams Park.

Days ago, the New York Jets and Giants announced that they would remain home for training camp this year. Considering the lockout is in place, with such uncertainty still hovering, it makes sense. 

This will be the third straight season the Rams train at the Russel Training Center.  

As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch earlier this year, head coach Steve Spagnuolo stated a desire to move training camp away from St. Louis, though, saying:

“I think it’s a great team bonding thing. I’m a traditionalist that way. There’s something about going away to camp.”

The Rams have discussed moving camp away from St. Louis this year, investigating two potential sites: Missouri S & T of Rolla, MO, and Southern Illinois University of Carbondale.

For a much more detailed analysis of why the Rams may likely choose Rolla over Carbondale in 2012, please read this article.

Tony Softli of 101espn.com tweeted Sunday that the Rams are likely to train in Rolla next season. 

The Rams are slated to kick off the NFL's preseason slate in the Hall of Fame game against the Bears on August 7, the weekend of former "greatest show on turf" superstar Marshall Faulk's Hall of Fame induction.

Training camp dates have not yet been released due to the continued lockout. Last season, the Rams opened camp on July 28.

Shane Gray is a long-time St. Louis Rams fan and covers the Rams year round. To check out the rest of his work, click: http://bleacherreport.com/users/582932-shane-gray