The Jets announced on Friday that they "will hold camp at team headquarters in Florham Park," N.J., instead of "moving operations 3 1/2 hours north to SUNY-Cortland" as the team had done the past two offseasons, according to Jenny Vrentas of the Newark STAR-LEDGER. The decision was made as the Jets "reached a critical point in their planning" amid uncertainty surrounding the NFL lockout. Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum in a statement said, "With all the variables presented by this unique offseason, we felt it was best for the Jets that we hold our training camp here at our practice facility." Since the lockout began in March, "staying in New Jersey was considered as a contingency plan." Cortland hosted Jets officials in recent weeks and "moved forward in planning but didn’t make any moves that required an investment." Vrentas noted the Jets "plan to replicate the set-up they have used at their facility for organized team activities and mini-camp practices." The team is "still in the process of setting the camp schedule and had not yet decided how many of the camp practices would be open to fans." The Jets and Cortland signed a three-year training camp deal last year, "with the option to extend, so they will be back in 2012 and 2013 -- and possibly beyond" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 6/25).
SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER: SUNY-Cortland President Erik Bitterbaum said that university "will get an extra year tacked on to the agreement with the team for the loss of this camp, meaning the Jets also will be in Cortland in 2013." The AP's Barry Wilner noted 15 NFL teams "held training camps at locations other than their regular-season facilities" last year, and "several have said they need an end to the labor impasse by early July to return to those out-of-town venues" (AP, 6/24). On Long Island, Roderick Boone noted the Jets faced a July 1 deadline to inform Cortland of their decision, and team officials "thought the logistics caused by the now-100-day-old lockout made it too difficult to move training camp 200-plus miles away from their facility, especially given the roster reshuffling they'll have to do, thanks to having 17 free agents" (NEWSDAY, 6/25). The Jets "will make several accommodations for SUNY Cortland alumni in New Jersey and extend media relations internships for current students as they did last year" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/25).
HOLDING OUT HOPE: In N.Y., Paul Schwartz reported the Giants are "holding out hope that the NFL lockout will be lifted in time for them to train, as usual," at the Univ. at Albany, where the Giants have held camp since '96. Giants VP/Communications Pat Hanlon said, "We continue to stay in touch with the university and play it by ear. Our hope remains to hold camp in Albany" (N.Y. POST, 6/25). Meanwhile, in Chicago, Brad Biggs reported the Bears also "remain hopeful they won't need to alter their plans" for camp, "at least as long as optimism remains high for a new collective bargaining agreement sometime next month." The Bears are scheduled to spend their 10th training camp at Olivet Nazarene Univ. in Illinois. The Bears "do not have a firm date" to inform ONU of their decision, and school spokesperson Gary Griffin said that the campus "could be prepared for the arrival of the Bears with 24-hour notice." He added that it "could take up to a week to prepare for fans if the start of camp is delayed," but Biggs noted that is "not expected to be an issue" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 6/24).
