Designing the Ideal NFL Training Camp

NFL training camps are right around the corner. For NFL fans, they've been a midsummer highlight for almost as long as there's been an NFL; the time when football is definitely, truly coming back soon. For NFL players, they're nothing like they used to be.

Decades ago, training camp was really like camp. The entire team would hole up in a college or prep school dorm, and for weeks they'd go through two-a-days like professional football players and bed checks like Boy Scouts.

George Plimpton's classic book, Paper Lion, gives a fantastic glimpse into those days, with established stars staying up late at night to laugh and play cards with kids on tryout and grizzled veterans alike.

With today's minimum contracts in the six figures, and the demands of this millennium's fast-paced life keeping players constantly on the go, it's getting harder and harder to convince players that staying with the team all camp long is worth it.

What would the perfect blend of past and present be? How would the perfect NFL training camp—balanced between grueling camaraderie and perfect precision—be structured?

The Ideal Training Camp Facility

The ideal training camp facility isn't a college campus hundreds of miles away. It's the same practice facility where players will work all season long.

Weightlifting equipment, medical facilities, cafeteria, video infrastructure and computer technology are all critical parts of NFL training camp. Either all that stuff has to move with them to training camp (at great expense), or be left behind for inferior alternatives.

An indoor, climate-controlled field will prevent weather from disrupting a precious practice, but there should also be an outdoor field for the fans—and to make sure the players get some work done in the heat.

The Ideal NFL Training Camp Location

The ideal location for a team's in-season practice facility might be as close to the city as possible. If a team is using it as a training camp ground, though, it should be a little further away from the players' usual stomping grounds.

While it may be impossible to recreate the old days of teams completely sequestering themselves for weeks on end, it should still feel like "camp." With 90 players invited for intense competition, and months of weekly grind ahead, a few weeks of focused intensity can bind a team together.

If players can go through their usual daily routine before and after practice, camp won't really feel like camp.

The Ideal Training Camp Fan Accommodations

When camp is held at a college or high school, a grandstand for the fans comes included. But at most facilities, a few meager bleachers is the best a fan can hope for. If camp is going to be open to the public (and it should be), there has to be someplace for the public to watch.

Moreover, fans should be welcomed with concessions, merchandise and maybe even activities for the kids. Consider giveaways or raffles. Not only are these things revenue sources for the team, they're a great way to reward the most diehard fans for making the trip out to watch practice.

The Ideal Training Camp Daily Schedule

Training camp has changed. Per the new CBA, there are no more two-a-days. With a maximum of three hours of padded practice, there's plenty of time for weightlifting, film, position group work, etc.

The goal of every team must be to maximize those three hours.

Many will hold a walk-through practice early in the day. If they want to get the most out of the padded work later, they'll do enough non-contact drills and scrimmages in the morning session to focus mostly on blocking, tackling and position drills in the afternoon.

Of course, 11-on-11 scrimmages are important, but in the early weeks of camp teams will have a great chance to teach their preferred techniques and polish fundamentals with repetition.

The Ideal Training Camp Depth Charts

Traditionally, starters, second-stringers and third-stringers are designated as such during camp: the "ones," the "twos" and the "threes." Though there's plenty of tweaking going on, these groups tend to match the eventual depth charts quite closely.

To foster competition and get a better sense of how the newcomers will contribute, the initial depth chart shouldn't be set for the first few practices. Even then, it might be wise to allow unlimited moves up or down the depth chart based on performance in position drills.

By using the initial practices to stoke the competitive flames, and offer the players looking to prove themselves a chance to do just that, training camp depth charts can be a powerful motivational tool.

Fast Tempo

A key to making practice effective is tempo. A quick tempo helps keep intensity at game speed, and allows the players who require precision timing, such as QBs and WRs, reps to polish that timing. A quick tempo from station to station keeps practice moving and makes the most out of the precious little time they have to work.

Basic Tackling Drills

When you get to the NFL, it's expected that you know how to tackle.

But with multi-million dollar defenders frequently struggling to wrap up like were told to do in high school, the NFL needs to focus on the basics again. Sloppy play looks terrible on television, and frustrates fans paying exorbitant fees to see the best football on the planet.

Significant time of the three padded hours a day should be spent working on the most important skill any defender has.

Blitz vs. Pass Protection Drills

Many predicted 2011's lockout-shortened offseason would leave teams struggling to pull off the more complicated parts of the game, like passing offense.

Instead, passing offense started off 2011 with a bang, racking up yards at an unprecedented rate. Turns out, pass defense needs plenty of practice, too!

Autographs

Though nearly every training camp session has time for the players to sign autographs on their way back to the facility, there's plenty of room to make sure every fan who wants a great personal experience with their favorite players will get one.

A dedicated autograph period (or, perhaps, a meet-and-greet) should be an important part of thanking the fans for their support—and reminding franchise players and camp bodies alike who really signs the paychecks they're playing for.