INDIANAPOLIS –It's a first in the history of the Indianapolis Colts.
On Saturday afternoon, the Colts will report for their 2017 Training Camp.
Unlike the previous 30-plus camps in Anderson or Terre Haute, the Colts will not be going anywhere for the start of their preseason work.
This year's camp is the first time the Colts have stayed at home in Indianapolis.
It's a foreign feeling to new general manager Chris Ballard, too.
When Ballard took the general manager job in late January, he had to make a decision on what the Colts would do for their 2017 camp.
"The contract was up at Anderson," Ballard said of where the Colts camped since 2010. "(The Colts) had had a couple other plans in place, and I just didn't feel comfortable with the situations that we were moving into at the time that was the best thing for our team and for our team's chance to get ready to win."
Just because the Colts are training at their own facility in 2017, along with 20 other NFL teams, Ballard is very open to going back off-site in the future.
"I love Training Camp when we are able to go away, and our fans can get access to our players that they usually can't get," Ballard says. "And I apologize to our fans for not being able to do that this year. Hopefully going forward we'll be able to correct that."
Along with camping at home this year, there are a few more wrinkles to the next month.
The Colts will be practicing in the morning this year (typically starting at 8:00 a.m.), compared to the afternoon sessions they had in Anderson.
On Aug. 10, the Colts will welcome the Detroit Lions for two days of joint practices.
It also sounds like the Colts will be incorporating some live tackling sessions into this year's camp.
While fans will miss out on the 2017 camp, it's very possible having camp at home is just a one-year stay for the Colts.
"If we can find a place that we think is suitable and is a win-win for both the place we're going, and for us, where we can prepare, yeah, that could happen," Ballard says of going back off-site.
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