They wanted to make a decision by July 17. But July 17 came and went without a labor deal.
Now that the 17-year-old champagne is flowing (I poured mine down the drain), the Vikings have decided that they’ll indeed return to Mankato State University for training camp.
It’ll be the 46th time the Vikings prepare for the season there.
“We wanted to prolong our decision as long as possible in an effort to maintain our training camp tradition of practicing in front of Vikings fans in Mankato,” Vikings president Mark Wilf said in a statement released by the team. “The Vikings appreciate the patience and flexibility shown by Minnesota State University and the Mankato community in making this work, and we look forward to returning to our training camp home in August.”
It’s more important than ever, in our view, for teams to have training camp at an off-site location. With the offseason program lost and a premium placed on getting ready quickly, the focus, convenience, and camaraderie of having everyone in one place makes lots of sense.
As one head coach recently explained it to me, the fact that the coaching staff has nearby rooms with beds in them makes life a lot easier than sleeping on a cot or an air mattress.