My five favorite camps

 1. Arizona Cardinals at Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Ariz.:  Clean, clear air. Picture-postcard town. Nice people. Mountains to the north. Evergreens everywhere. And the new Cardinals jerseys in the middle of all of it. What's wrong with this picture? I'll tell you what: Absolutely nothing.

2. Buffalo Bills at St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, N.Y.: Not only can you get up close and personal with the Bills football jerseys, but players and coaches routinely stop to talk to fans and sign autographs after practices. The setting is perfect, a small town in western New York that is so picturesque Marriott put a combination hotel/spa here. After practice, tool on down to the Erie Canal, rent a bike and enjoy the view. Then stop in at the Coal Tower and send me the postcard.

3. Seattle Seahawks at Renton, Wash.: It's so close to Lake Washington that when the Seahawks recruit high-profile free agents (T.J. Houshmandzadeh, come on down) they fly them in by seaplane. The Seahawks have a state-of-the-art building, with the best of everything at their disposal ... except, maybe, their roster. It's time to find players who can return Seattle to the top of the NFC West, guys.

4. Oakland Raiders in Napa, Calif.: It's the wine country, and it's gorgeous. Cool mornings. Hot afternoons. St. Helena and Calistoga to the north, and Healdsburg to the far, far north. Sonoma to the west. And the Napa Running Company in the heart of downtown Napa. If you're hungry, the Red Hen Cantina is less than a mile down the road. There is nothing missing here ... except Ken Stabler and Cliff Branch.

5. Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis.: I promise that one of these summers I'll have my daughter join the crowd and ride her bike with one of the Packers to Ray Nitschke Field. It's a time-honored practice and one of the most cherished rites of summer training camp. To appreciate it, you must see it. Then you know why Green Bay loves its football team. There is no other camp in the world like this, and hallelujah. When you're in Green Bay in August, all is right with the world. The Pack is back, every day is Take Your Kid to Work Day, and the only thing you have to shovel is another brat down the spout.