[RamWraith]

Rams Heading to Concordia
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

It wasn’t exactly the best-kept secret in town, but the Rams are putting the final plans on what many already knew Tuesday, selecting Concordia University in Mequon, Wis., as the home for this summer’s training camp according to team sources.

Coach Scott Linehan made his desire to train at a remote location away from the Russell Training Center clear early in the offseason.

Soon after, the team put together a delegation of coaches and staff to visit a variety of potential candidates. That group toured various sites in Wisconsin, including Wisconsin-Whitewater, a seminary in Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

The team also strongly considered a return to Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., where it trained for nine years before moving camp back to St. Louis in 2005.

Originally, Linehan desired a camp that would allow the team easy access to scrimmage with another club during the summer. But the Rams couldn’t find a good logistical fit with the other teams that train in Wisconsin and Green Bay was unwilling to reciprocate visits by coming to wherever the Rams train in 2009.

The Rams will scrimmage the Tennessee Titans in the week leading up to the first preseason game in Nashville. It’s expected the Titans will come to scrimmage at the Rams’ home site next season.

Concordia University is a short drive from downtown Milwaukee, approximately 15 miles north. It is about 400 miles from St. Louis, meaning there’s a good chance the Rams will have to charter a flight to transport players.

Concordia has an enrollment of about 6,000 students but doesn’t have much in the way of a summer crowd, leaving the Rams plenty of space to train and hold meetings.

The Rams trained in St. Louis in each of the past three years. Macomb and Whitewater were the other finalists for hosting duties.

The team is expected to make an official announcement in the coming days.