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Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo would prefer to hold training camp an hour to 90 minutes outside of St. Louis, and who can blame him? It's the only way he has ever done it. That's the approach taken by both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants when Spagnuolo worked with Andy Reid and Tom Coughlin. But other issues to deal with this offseason, coupled with not enough time to fully research potential training camp sites, have prompted Spagnuolo and the Rams to stay home in 2009.
So, for the fourth time in the past five years, the Rams will hold training camp at their year-round office and practice facility at Rams Park in Earth City.
"In the end, we just felt that this was the most practical option for 2009, from a football standpoint and also from a fan standpoint," said Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations.
In an attempt to find an alternative location, the Rams looked at Lindenwood University, just across the Missouri River from Rams Park in St. Charles. They also considered Southern Illinois University Carbondale and SIU-Edwardsville.
"Nobody had ever really taken the time to research local options, at least not in the past few years," Demoff said. "It's possible in 2010 we could go elsewhere. But in the end, all of our research this year led us to want to stay here."
A promising option for 2010 is SIUC ,which is in the midst of an $83 million athletic facilities project that includes a new football stadium, a new athletic support building and renovations to the basketball arena. By 2010, SIUC would have the new stadium and four football fields available for use by the Rams. "All within 200 yards of each other," said SIUC athletics director Mario Moccia
Demoff has put together a team that will continue to research possible camp sites over the next years, including assistant to the head coach-football operations Bruce Warwick and vice president of operations John Oswald.
"By the time we started seeking out schools (this year), it was a little late in the process for them to be able to commit to a month," Demoff said. "... This will give everybody lead time of a year to really give us a proposal that makes sense. And for us to consider what makes sense."
So, for the fourth time in the past five years, the Rams will hold training camp at their year-round office and practice facility at Rams Park in Earth City.
"In the end, we just felt that this was the most practical option for 2009, from a football standpoint and also from a fan standpoint," said Kevin Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations.
In an attempt to find an alternative location, the Rams looked at Lindenwood University, just across the Missouri River from Rams Park in St. Charles. They also considered Southern Illinois University Carbondale and SIU-Edwardsville.
"Nobody had ever really taken the time to research local options, at least not in the past few years," Demoff said. "It's possible in 2010 we could go elsewhere. But in the end, all of our research this year led us to want to stay here."
A promising option for 2010 is SIUC ,which is in the midst of an $83 million athletic facilities project that includes a new football stadium, a new athletic support building and renovations to the basketball arena. By 2010, SIUC would have the new stadium and four football fields available for use by the Rams. "All within 200 yards of each other," said SIUC athletics director Mario Moccia
Demoff has put together a team that will continue to research possible camp sites over the next years, including assistant to the head coach-football operations Bruce Warwick and vice president of operations John Oswald.
"By the time we started seeking out schools (this year), it was a little late in the process for them to be able to commit to a month," Demoff said. "... This will give everybody lead time of a year to really give us a proposal that makes sense. And for us to consider what makes sense."
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