Even though they still cant talk to players and cant trade players and cant sign players, the Eagles nonetheless are allowed to make preparations for training camp. And even without a CBA in place, they are.
Although at least two NFL teams have already canceled training camp because of the unknowns surrounding the NFL labor situation, the Eagles are proceeding full-bore with preparations to spend at least part of the preseason at their long-time summer home in Bethlehem, Pa.
If there is no CBA in a couple weeks? Theyll pull the plug at the last minute. If there is? Off we go to Lehigh.
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With the owners and representatives of the former NFLPA inching closer in recent days to hammering out a new collective bargaining agreement, the Eagles have continued with plans to hold their 16th training camp at Lehigh University.
Only 20 of the 32 NFL teams still hold a remote training camp, with the rest choosing to hold summer operations at their year-round facility. The Jets and Ravens have already announced that because of the labor situation, they wont be holding their camp this summer.
The Eagles havent announced a specific date that operations in Bethlehem would begin if the labor situation is resolved, but with the first preseason game scheduled for Aug. 11 against the Ravens, Andy Reids normal schedule would have rookies reporting around July 24two weeks from Saturday.
Reid has always been a big fan of the training camp portion of the preseason. The Eagles could always hold training camp-style practices on their grass fields at the NovaCare Complex if the lockout were to continue, but Reid likes to get his players away from Philadelphia, away from their friends and families, and give them an opportunity to bond as a team over several weeks at a remote location with little to do other than watch film, attend meetings and get to know each other.
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If the Eagles hold camp at the NovaCare, the players who live in Philly year-round would stay at home and the rest would be lodged in nearby hotels, and the team-bonding portion of camp would not be as pronounced.
Its likely that even if the Eagles do hold a portion of their preseason camp at Lehigh, it wouldnt be the same type of camp as usual. Generally, the Eagles hit more than any other team in the preseason, starting the second day the full team has assembled and continuing for several weeks.
But because the lockout has prevented teams from holding any minicamps, OTAs or other offseason workouts, this years camp would be more of a teaching camp, with less hitting and more installation and work on fundamentals and technique.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com