Wednesday 25 July 2018 11:26, UK
By the time you read this column, I will be jetting across the Atlantic for an annual summer pilgrimage which always reminds me that the new NFL season is just around the corner.
This year's NFL training camp tour will make stops at four of the teams heading to London to play during the 2018 campaign. Over the course of six days, I will take six flights, cover more than 12,000 miles and interview some of the biggest names in the sport.
As usual, it promises to be a trip filled with coffee, airport departure lounge dinners, late nights, early mornings and lots of laughs. But, most of all, it promises to be filled with the opportunity to get up close and personal with four NFL teams as they ramp up their preparations for the new season.
I love NFL training camps. There is something quite pure about them - it is all about the football and the fans, who get to witness the action on the practice field pretty much every day. And it is a real thrill to be so close to the action - this trip alone will offer the opportunity to watch the likes of Marcus Mariota, Philip Rivers, Derek Carr and Russell Wilson at close quarters.
That is a pretty good quarterback quartet to keep an eye on!
Here is my upcoming itinerary…
Wednesday July 25 Fly to New York
Thursday July 26 Interview with XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck… afternoon flight to Nashville
Friday July 27 Interviews with Tennessee Titans… evening flight to Los Angeles
Saturday July 28 Interviews with Los Angeles Chargers… evening flight to San Francisco
Sunday July 29 Interviews with Oakland Raiders… evening flight to Seattle
Monday July 30 Interviews with Seattle Seahawks… evening flight home to London
My first stop will be in Stamford, Connecticut, as I catch up with an old friend in Oliver Luck. The former NFL Europe president will be a key interview in the documentary we are making on Sky Sports about the now-defunct spring league.
Oliver was involved on the ground as a general manager of the Frankfurt Galaxy and Rhein Fire before becoming league president. He should have some fascinating tales to tell and I am also intrigued to hear his plans for the start-up, re-born XFL. Oh, and I might ask him how Andrew's shoulder is coming along!
Friday will be a long day that starts in Nashville and ends in Los Angeles but I am fascinated to visit the Titans and to gauge the vibe of a team being led by new head coach Mike Vrabel. The plan is to open up the offense a little more to get the most out of Mariota, so watching practice that day should be quite insightful.
On the interview list for Nashville are Vrabel, Mariota, running back Derrick Henry, safety Kevin Byard and cornerback Malcolm Butler. We never quite hit 100 per cent on these lists but it never hurts to try!
Saturday will be spent with a Chargers team that finished very hot indeed in 2017 and is loaded with stars. I'll attempt to grab plenty of the big names after asking for time with head coach Anthony Lynn, Rivers, either Melvin Gordon or Keenan Allen, as well as the pass-rushing pair of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram and cornerback Casey Hayward.
Sunday represents a flying visit into the Napa Valley. We will get up early from our San Francisco hotel, drive 90 minutes up to Napa where the Raiders hold their training camp before returning to Oakland for an evening flight to Seattle.
The time spent on the practice field watching the Silver and Black should prove compelling. Jon Gruden is, in the words of his own players and staff, "as intense as advertised", so watching him operate will be a lot of fun. I have requested time with Coach Gruden, Derek Carr, wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Amari Cooper, British defensive back Obi Melifonwu and pass-rushing demon Khalil Mack, although he is currently embroiled in a contract dispute with the Raiders and may not be in camp.
I have not asked for time with running back Marshawn Lynch. It is genuinely easier to get blood out of a stone rather than to coax a good quote out of Mr Lynch!
Finally, for me (the crew head on to Canada to shoot an interview with Jeff Reinebold), the last leg of the tour will be in Seattle with a Seahawks team apparently being rebuilt following the offseason departures of defensive linemen Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, defensive backs Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, as well as key offensive performers such as tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Paul Richardson.
But as long as the Seahawks have Russell Wilson at quarterback, they have a chance and I cannot wait to meet him and inspirational head coach Pete Carroll. Again, I doubt we shoot 100 per cent but I have also asked for Doug Baldwin, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Earl Thomas, although the latter has some contract issues that might make him off-limits to the media.
All in all, it promises to be a fun trip so make sure you follow along with these daily diary entries, charting the action in camp, life on the road and everything in between.
Speak to you all again after day one is spent in New York, Connecticut and Nashville.
