For five out of the last six summers, Downtown Cortland, NY pulls out all the stops, giving the boys of Gang Green a hero’s welcome when the buses pull up for training camp. Main Street shuts down, a stage is erected and inflatables are blown up, signifying the several week circus is once again upon us.

I remember that first year, way back to July 30, 2009. Thousands packed into Main Street, a stage set with bumping music, packed with Jets players and newly-hired, recently fired coach Rex Ryan with a look of proud affirmation on his face—a fitting coronation for a savior to a struggling franchise.

But here we are, six years later, and the man is gone, the team? Worse off than it was under Eric Mangini (9–7 in his final year, 4–12 the year before.) With nothing to show for it other than a few AFC championship appearances, the Jets are at a crossroads, looking for a culture change similar to the one they sought back when owner Woody Johnson decided to make the SUNY Cortland campus his helipad, often forgoing his parking space next to the tent I worked in that first year as a lot attendant. (a fun gig, I might add.)

Speculation on the team’s future in Cortland is widespread in local circles. The local news jumped all over it the day Ryan’s termination was announced, college officials saying little more than ‘we will prepare as we always have,’ team officials saying it’s too early to decide. Yesterday, Senator Charles Schumer held a press conference in Syracuse, declaring the economic benefit camp brings to town is something we can’t afford to lose, and though the team is based in New Jersey, they “have New York on their helmets.”

He said he’ll do everything in his power to keep them in New York. But everyone knows it’s all just rhetoric.

Truthfully, the Jets have had a sizable economic impact on the City of Cortland since that bus pulled into town six years ago—$19.24 million between ’09 and ‘14. More than 154,000 people from 34 different states flooded into this little town, bringing their cash and their families with ‘em. SUNY Cortland, the local college, got a lot of free press for hosting the camp.

Those are things that aren’t too easy to replace, let’s face it.

How Likely Is Cortland To Keep It?

One of the advantages this place had was its seclusion; it was a place for players to focus just on football, away from the media circus and rabid Long Island fan base they had to endure on Hofstra’s campus. 10,000 fans showed up to their last practice there in 2010, with similar numbers displayed for their family nights held in Long Island every year after.

Sure, a camp upstate means reduced merchandise sales and a reduced fanbase, but a lot more time to focus on football—something a 4–12 team certainly needs.

You also have to take into account the fact that after five camps in town, the city and the college have got preparations down to a science. The fields for practice are well-maintained, and a good amount of money has been invested in getting the facility up to a professional grade, with 130,000 square feet of Kentucky bluegrass and new seating for more than 1,000 fans. Hardly a meager investment.

You also have to remember the Jets and the college are entering their option years on their contract, meaning it’s still active but subject to cancellation. Though I’m sure their offices don’t mind, it’s still going to be quite a circus to not only pen a new contract, but to get their new facilities up to standard.

You need two, perfectly maintained grass fields, a training facility large enough to house the team’s weight equipment, offices, dormitories, etc. They also need the capacity to house the massive training camp rosters the team will have—much larger than the 53-man roster they’ll field when the season rolls on in.

On the other hand, one of the catalysts in getting the Jets here was the big man himself. Rex Ryan was a big proponent of the ‘no distractions’ philosophy (even with HBO cameras on-site), and after partying in Cortland a while, it’s safe to say he’s as much a fan of the town as they are of him. Now, he’s off to St. John Fisher, and the relatively media-lax market of Western New York, where the biggest scrutiny he’ll face will be under the watchful eyes of the Buffalo News or the Democrat and Chronicle.

Who Could Take Over Camp?

It’s pretty obvious the Atlantic Health Center isn’t big enough to house any sort of training camp on there facility. Thinking of potential venues in New York, you obviously need a large college setting with enough free space to build practice facilities, house their players, take in fans and provide adequate spaces for offices, coaches and training staff. New York State has a plethora of places like this, and a number could potentially submit bids to take over training camp duties this coming year.

RPI

The East Campus Athletic Village at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute houses some of the most gorgeous facilities in Division III. This is certainly an up-to-date, highly advanced facility with all of the bells and whistles any professional sports franchise would need to commence operations, and has a wide range of surfaces, from grass practice fields to turk, to practice on.

Its proximity to the capital region of the state can be good, with easy access off of I-87 to New York City. Unfortunately, they’ll certainly be rubbing elbows with the New York Giants, who hold their training camp in Albany, which RPI is located on the outskirts of.

Hofstra University

They don’t get any football action there anymore, after shuttering their football program and losing Jets camp in ‘09, but it’s still a Division I facility in close proximity to the brunt of their fan base—Nassau and Suffolk counties. They’ve obviously proven they can hold a camp there, they continually draw a large crowd and frankly, they’re still one of the top candidates for a Jets camp location.

Choosing Hofstra is choosing the fans over the seclusion and concentration that comes with training for the season upstate. This franchise needs progress, and the New York media circus in a transitional period, especially for a new coach, could potentially be pretty rough.

SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale has been brought up a number of times. Located in Suffolk County, it’s still based on the island, making it accessible to their fan base, while still being rural enough to keep players bored and focused only on football. However, prospects for Farmingdale seem to be more like a joke than an actual proposition, despite the rumors that have been swirling about the college since a visit by Jets officials took place in July. The fields need a lot of work, and the weight room facilities don’t provide as much space as Cortland provided, converting their ice arena into a fitness space. Farmingdale doesn’t have a similar space to house a setup like the one Cortland provided.

I wouldn’t take this one too seriously.

Stony Brook University

In my eyes, Stony Brook has a lock on holding Jets camp, should they choose to accept it. A real, legit Division I football program, they have facilities intended specifically for big time football while being located in—you guessed it—bumf*ck nowhere.

Medical facilities are right nearby, so grevious injuries can be addressed quickly, where in Cortland, the closest major hospital was 26 miles away in Syracuse.

It’s on Long Island too, so the team’s most committed fans have easy access. The only forseeable issue I could see with this spot is the pros competing with the Seawolves for space once football season gets underway. It’s a decent size campus, but a team of 99 guys and a team of 70-something guys sharing the same facility could prove problematic in the late summer.