Eagles Training Camp 2008: A Fan's Guide

By Steve Esack and Larry O'Rourke | Of The Morning Call

July 20, 2008

You can still taste it, can't you? It's the sour taste of last season's 8-8 record for the Philadelphia Eagles mixed with the lump of envy over the New York Giants improbable Super Bowl victory over the New England (dare we say cheating) Patriots.

Well, it's time to forget about 2007, gargle mouthwash, clear your throat and chant... "E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!"

On Monday the Birds start landing in Bethlehem for training camp at Lehigh University, marking the official start of the 2008 season and the beginning of Super Bowl XLIII victory dreams.

This is the 13th consecutive year the Eagles have set up at Lehigh for training camp, where 80 hopefuls vie for 53 spots on the roster. The 2008 camp is about five days longer than normal, so Eagles and Lehigh officials are expecting even more fans to descend on the South Mountain campus than last year's official count of 139,123.

The extended camp has nothing to do with last year's .500 record, says Kyle Custer, an Eagles spokesman who runs training camp. The National Football League sets the training camp schedules for the entire league. So camp was extended to accommodate an Aug. 8 pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, after which the team will return for more workouts.

All told, 18 of the 24 days of camp are open to the public. To help you get the most out of that time, we present our fan guide to 2008 training camp.

WHEN IS TRAINING CAMP?

Rookies and select veterans report to camp Monday, and their first practices are Tuesday. Veterans reporting on that first day include the quarterbacks, starter Donovan McNabb, back-up A.J. Feeley and second-year man and McNabb's heir-apparent Kevin Kolb. The rest of the team is due Thursday and the first day of full practice for all players in pads is Saturday. The last public session is Aug. 12.

WHAT ARE THE HOURS?

The campus opens for parking at 6:30 a.m., and fans can enter training camp grounds a half hour later. Morning practices are usually scheduled at 8:45 a.m. and afternoon practices at 2:45 p.m.

HOW DO I GET THERE?

Eagles Camp is held at the athletic fields of Lehigh University's Goodman Campus, adjacent to Stabler Arena off Route 412 in the southern end of Bethlehem.

From points north of Bethlehem: Take Route 22 to the Route 378 S exit to Bethlehem and continue for 3.6 miles and cross the bridge over the Lehigh River. After crossing bridge, stay on Route 378 South and continue over the top of the mountain. Turn left onto Seidersville Road and bear right at the fork. Follow to stop sign and turn left onto Mountain Drive South. Continue for a half mile and Goodman Campus is on right.

From points east, west and south of Bethlehem: Take Interstate 78 to the Hellertown exit (Exit 67). At the exit, turn onto 412 South and continue to third traffic light (look for blue sign that reads ''Lehigh University''), and make a right onto Water Street (becomes Friedensville Road); travel a half-mile to traffic island (look for blue sign); bear right onto Mountain Drive South, and Goodman Campus is on the right.

WHERE SHOULD I PARK?

Under a tree, any tree, far from the camp's front gate. It is not wise to try to park close to the front gate. The farther away you park, the easier it will be to leave.

The parking grounds at Lehigh are vast, but it takes less than five minutes to walk from the farthest spot at the campus to the camp's front gates. The bigger trees are at the outer fringe of the campus and offer a nice reprieve from the 90 plus-degree heat that often bakes the mountain campus.

IS THERE AN ADMISSION COST?

No. The Eagles are one of a declining number of teams left in the league that does not charge for training camp .

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT TRAINING CAMP?