Prescott training camp suits Cards

PRESCOTT - Last week, Dave Brown came to visit the Cardinals here, in what amounted to a recruiting trip. Brown, manager of Northern Arizona University’s Walkup Skydome, is the school’s longtime point man with the Cardinals when it comes to training camp in Flagstaff.

It was bad luck the Cards bailed on Flagstaff in the final year of the current contract, after a norovirus made NAU unfit to hold camp.

"We’ve invested a lot of time with the Cardinals and training camp, I wanted to come down and wish them luck and success," Brown said. "The university and Flagstaff have enjoyed that bond and we want to continue that relationship."

But NAU and Flagstaff may never get the Cardinals back.

The team broke camp for good Wednesday afternoon, and its month in Prescott went remarkably smooth considering the city and the Cardinals had only five days to organize everything once the norovirus hit NAU.

Despite the team’s vague answers for now, Prescott — and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where the team was housed the first part of camp this year — seems to be the future favorite.

Coach Dennis Green has mentioned many times he likes the idea of a hotter camp, which Prescott is compared to Flagstaff. The area is a little more Spartan, and it is closer to the Valley.

Not to be dismissed as a factor is the mere element of change. The franchise has worked hard to purge itself of many remnants of its dismal history. It has new uniforms, new players and a new coach. It will have a new stadium next season — why not a new training camp site?

Asked what place he preferred, Green dodged the question.

"I’m not going to get into that," Green said. "I’ve been (to Prescott) twice, only been to Flagstaff once. Probably not fair."

Where the Cards go in the future won’t be determined for a while. John Idzik, the team’s senior director of football operations and the man who puts training camp together, said the Cardinals will focus on making the playoffs during the 2005 season and that training camp 2006 will likely be put on the back burner until early next year.

"It’s difficult for both us and NAU," said Mike Willinger, Embry-Riddle’s director of business and finance. "We’re both in the same situation, not knowing how to plan."

NAU’s Brown, not surprisingly, approached the subject more gingerly, perhaps understanding his spot as the underdog.

"We want what’s best for the Arizona Cardinals," Brown said. "They have business at hand, so everything is on their schedule. We were fortunate to be part of their plans over the many years and we want to support them in any way we can."

The three major issues the Cardinals have in Prescott should be rectified given enough lead time. Willinger said if the Cards commit to Prescott, Embry-Riddle will not have a problem holding enough dorm rooms open so the team can stay there through camp.

This year, the Cards moved into a Prescott hotel after two weeks because students arrived for the fall semester.

The team needs upgraded fields to practice on, although Pioneer Park has held up remarkably well and a few months of preparation by the Cardinals’ groundskeepers should correct any problems.

Finally, there is the issue of an indoor facility if it rains. NAU already has the Skydome. Dave Maurer, the CEO of Prescott’s Chamber of Commerce, said some ideas have already been "kicked around." He noted that Prescott Valley just broke ground Tuesday on a new indoor convention center and arena that will seat 5,100. That arena should take about a year to complete.

There has been some talk that another NFL team might have an interest in coming to NAU if the Cardinals don’t go back. The Dallas Cowboys are operating under a oneyear deal with the city of Oxnard, Calif., although owner Jerry Jones was recently quoted as saying he would like to work out a longterm deal there.

The San Diego Chargers returned to their own facility for camp this year, and team spokesman Bill Johnston said the team has no plans to leave.

Green said if a team did find its way to NAU, the Cardinals would likely work out at least a couple of shared practices.

That would also mean the Cards were staying in Prescott.

"It is a prestige thing to have an NFL team," Maurer said.