The two-year West Virginia experiment for the Saints could be over.
Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports that the Saints are considering returning to their team headquarters in Louisiana for training camp in 2016, after spending 2014 and 2015 at The Greenbrier.
That’s consistent with chatter from the Scouting Combine last week, and it’s not a surprise given that the team has gone 7-9 during each of the two years with training camp being held several hundred miles from home.
It’s hard not to wonder whether the deliberations are influenced by the possibility that the Saints will be given the Hard Knocks assignment against the team’s wishes. If being at The Greenbrier makes the Saints more attractive to HBO and NFL Films, not going to The Greenbrier could be a way to avoid being drafted to fulfill the Hard Knocks obligation.
Whatever the decision, The Greenbrier has proven that it can provide a first-rate experience for any NFL team, and a franchise seeking a relatively isolated experience in a climate that avoids the high heat and humidity of late July and early August could decide to replace the Saints at some point down the road. Last year, for example, the Cardinals spent a week at The Greenbrier between road games at Detroit and Pittsburgh.