I could go on and on about how much I loved training camp at West Chester and the unforgettable memories, like Herschel Walker standing at the top of the steps on the west end of the practice field signing autographs in the blazing heat (with his helmet on) for an hour, until every kid had gotten something signed.
I could go on and on about how much I loved training camp at Lehigh and how fans could stand literally six feet from the practice field and hear the thud of contact and interact with the players as they stood on the sideline.
But I'm not going to do that because those days are gone forever and no amount of me crying about it is going to bring it back.
And I understand why the Eagles - and more and more NFL teams every year - are holding practices in their own year-round facilities instead of remote college campuses. It makes sense to practice where your film library is stored, where your modern medical and training facilities are housed, where all your equipment and gear is, where your immaculately maintained practice fields are located.
I get it.
What I don't get is just one open practice for the fans.
One. In a year.
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That's inexcusable.
The Eagles moved from Lehigh to the NovaCare Complex in 2013, when Chip Kelly replaced Andy Reid. The Eagles scheduled five open practices that first summer, then three in 2014 and two each from 2015 through 2018.
Yeah, the $10 ticket fee for the Eagles' one open practice this summer goes to a great cause. Every penny goes to the Eagles Autism Challenge, a cause that's close to Jeff Lurie's heart. The Eagles Autism Challenge raised $3 1/2 million this year, and it's a terrific event that I've participated in the last two years.
But that doesn't change the fact that the Eagles have an opportunity to put on a show for their fans two or three times during training camp, and for reasons they haven't explained, they've chosen not to.
The Eagles didn't respond to a request for comment on why they've scheduled just one open practice this summer, but I assume it's because it's a logistical nightmare loading up all that equipment and moving it across the street for a glorified walkthrough.
It's a hassle - and presumably an expensive one - for Doug Pederson to lose a valuable practice day in the cozy environment of the NovaCare Complex so Jake Elliott can play catch with fans, Brandon Graham can sign autographs for every kid he can find and everybody can watch in person while Carson Wentz and DeSean Jackson light it up.
But this is a franchise worth close to $3 billion, according to Forbes, and these are fans that devote their lives to this football team, buying their jerseys, snagging every ticket the instant it's available, traveling to their games.
They deserve more than one open practice.
They deserve more than one day to watch their football team with their own eyes.
We all know how hard it is for the average fan to get tickets. If you don't know someone or already have season tickets of your own or have a whole big pile of money, you're not going.
The open practices are the only remaining opportunity most fans have to see their heroes up close. To interact with them. To feel like they're a part of everything.
It's a long preseason. Training camp starts July 25 and really continues until Aug. 21, when joint practices with the Ravens wrap up.
I find it hard to believe the Eagles can't find one more day to move their operations across Broad Street for all the people who've helped make this franchise worth close to $3 billion.
We've gone from five to three to two and now to one. You can see what direction this is trending. I'm afraid of what's coming next.
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