Saints arrive in West Virginia for Training Camp

Today starts the first phase of the New Orleans Saints 2014 training camp, presented by Verizon. Players have reported to the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.V.,  some 800 miles away from the Big Easy for physicals, meetings and strength and conditioning tests. Many have questioned why coach Sean Peyton decided to change the rather successful training camp formula that has been used for the Saints over the past half-decade. Payton has coached his club to the playoffs during his past four seasons on the sideline (excluding 2012, when he served his one-season bounty ban). And all of those began with training camp right at home at Saints headquarters in suburban New Orleans.

“By splitting training camp between New Orleans and The Greenbrier, we will have a great opportunity to further enhance our training camp in 2014.”

This year marks the first time the Saints have not only taken camp on the road since 2008 but the first time its been done at a latitude and altitude which, Payton says, “offers a tremendous opportunity to our team in a more moderate summer climate.” There could be another reason for getting players far from the comforts of their in-season homes. All six of their losses last season — five in the regular season and one in the playoffs — came on the road. So the club’s performance outside the Superdome is among the areas Payton has targeted for improvement.

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So what should the Saints expect at Greenbrier? First and foremost new training camp facilities, which were commissioned by the resort’s owner Jim Justice and custom-built for the Saints. These facilities include three practice fields (two natural turf and one synthetic grass), along with a 55,000-square foot multi-purpose building equipped with meeting rooms, weight rooms, locker rooms, training and physical therapy accommodations, and kitchen and dining facilities. A far cry from the only other “on the road” training camp experience the team has had under Peyton’s lead.

From 2006 to 2008, it was at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. While Payton viewed the campus setting as good for team bonding, it was still scorching hot. And unlike Saints headquarters, Millsaps had no air-conditioned, indoor field. “By splitting training camp between New Orleans and The Greenbrier, we will have a great opportunity to further enhance our training camp in 2014.We all understand the importance of training camp and ultimately, that’s to get the team ready for the regular season. As far as the time we will spend at The Greenbrier, it offers a tremendous opportunity to our team in a more moderate summer climate.”

New Orleans Saints schedule for 2014 Training Camp at Greenbrier, presented by Verizon.