Citing a concern for football readiness, Baltimore Ravens President Dick Cass told the Baltimore Sun that the club missed several cutoff dates before finally deciding this week to move training camp from McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. to the team’s regular facility in Owings Mills, Md.
The uncertainty apparently was too much to deal with for the Ravens, who have held training camp at McDaniel since their inception in 1996. With no end in sight for the current NFL lockout, the Ravens wanted to maximize the time they’ll have to get ready for the season, and staying home was the best option.
The Ravens move weight machines, football equipment, video equipment and computers, basically transferring the entire office staff to McDaniel along with the football operations. Ravens fans showed their disapproval on radio talk shows and internet message boards immediately after the move was made.
Fans are able to attend practice sessions at McDaniel, but not in Owings Mills primarily due to parking restrictions there.
“We knew it wouldn’t be a popular decision,” Cass said. “That’s why we delayed it as long as we could.”
Cass noted that the Ravens expect to have some practice sessions at M&T Bank Stadium, which would be free and open to the public, but it all depends on the training camp’s structure. That will be determined once the lockout is lifted.
A shorter camp, obviously, means less practices and less opportunities for the fans to see the team as well.
