Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter Richard Ryman responds to fans’ questions about the Green Bay Packers. This is a regular feature published as long as there are questions to answer.
You can send questions to rryman@usatodayco.com.
Sarah: Are NFL teams required to have a certain number of training camp practices open to the public?
Richard Ryman: From what I can find, most NFL teams open some part of training camp to fans, but none are required to. Fan access varies widely, but the Packers are at the top of the list for being welcoming. Not many teams are in a position, like the Packers, to have training camp at their home stadium’s campus, which makes it a great deal easier.
Packers training camps, and for many years their regular practices, were open to the public. It is more restricted now (see related question below), but to a certain extent, because they are owned by the fans, the Packers are compelled to provide some open training camp practices. They have 13 open practices, including Family Night, this year.
Packers facilities evolved over the years to provide them with the necessary privacy when they want it. They can retreat to the Don Hutson Center and be indoors, or put up built-in screens around the Ray Nitschke and Clarke Hinkle practice fields.
Also, and this is no small point, training camp attracts tens of thousands of people to Green Bay, often on their vacations, who spend money in the Packers Pro Shop and restaurants and hall of fame, to say nothing of other businesses around town. For a team which, under President and CEO Ed Policy, is emphasizing local income growth, training camp is another revenue source, even though the practices are free.
Thomas: I think I recall a no video policy in previous years at public practices. It seems to have gotten a little more restrictive this year, particularly during the offensive reps. Was there a specific incident or suspicion that lead to the new limitations?
Richard Ryman: The no photo/video policy has been around for a long time. Media members covering practices have had to follow it for years. During training camp, there are periods that can be recorded and periods that are restricted (and special teams pretty much all the time).
Let’s face it, if the Chicago Bears wanted to send a scout to Packers’ training camp practices, they wouldn’t need a video camera to find what they’re looking for. Those guys are good at understanding what they are seeing.
Bob Labriola of Steelers.com answered a similar question this week about whether teams send scouts to other teams’ training camps: “Teams are more likely to send scouts to preseason games and request pregame field access to see guys moving around in uniform before the game. And teams also know it’s useless trying to scout systems – and strategy within those systems – during the summer. There will be plenty of video available to study those things when the time comes.”
As far as I am aware, there was no specific incident that caused the no-photos/videos emphasis this year. And I suspect the Packers wouldn’t tell us if there was. My former colleague and Cheesehead TV commentator Aaron Nagler got it right when he said recently that NFL general managers and coaches are just paranoid. Par-a-noid. They are always looking for an edge, no matter how diaphanous.
I think the greater emphasis on not shooting during the restricted periods is the normal course of things. They always are looking for things they can make more orderly, more efficient, more institutional, whether or not they need to.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X at @RichRymanPG and on Instagram at @rrymanPG.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Reader asks if Packers required to open practices or allow videos
Reporting by Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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By Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
