The Chiefs on Sunday opened training camp at Missouri Western State Univ., marking the "final guaranteed year of the original 10-year contract" between the team and the school, according to Terez Paylor of the K.C. STAR. Missouri Western Associate AD/External Relations Brett Esely said that the Chiefs now have "five one-year options to keep the camp in St. Joseph." Paylor noted the Chiefs' front office has "been quiet on the issue, but teams in the league are trending toward staying at their home facilities for training camp." This year, 18 of 32 NFL teams (56%) will "be 'staying home' for training camp," compared to only five of 31 (16%) in '00. Esely said that the Chiefs have "until Dec. 1 to make up their mind." Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, "This is a great setup. These are fairly new dorms -- or at least well kept. The food here, the people do a tremendous job with the food. It's just a short jaunt right to the practice facility, where we really spend the whole afternoon." Chiefs QB Alex Smith: "I love going away, but it's a perfect distance. We're away, but we're not. You get a day off or a night off, you can run back (home) ... your family can come up and see you and watch practice" (K.C. STAR, 7/21).
ROAD TRIP: In Richmond, Michael Phillips noted more than half of the league is holding training camp at their home facility, but there are "signs it may be headed the other direction." The Redskins’ complex in Richmond "is the envy of the league," and the Cowboys "broke ground on a similar facility last year," set to open in '16 in Frisco, Texas. The Saints will "hit the road this year for the first time, and will hold most of their training camp workouts at The Greenbrier resort" in West Virginia. The "bidding wars among towns and investors indicate how hot the NFL is right now." With "no expansion on the horizon, landing a training camp is the best way to get into the action." For some teams, being on the road "is a decades-long tradition." The Packers have "been visiting the same spot, St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., for 57 consecutive years, the NFL record" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 7/21).
