Training camps aren't overrated. Locations are.

That's why the old days of seeing players loading up their cars with pillows, a television set, a fan and weeks of clothes are fading away. Thirteen teams are training at their own facility this year instead of packing up and relocating in a remote training destination.

The thought of having training camps in remote areas has been overrated for two decades. The Packers have been among the elite teams for years and they train across the street from Lambeau Field. The Bucs may have won a Super Bowl after training in Orlando, but they established themselves as a perennial NFL power before last season while training at their facility. The Dolphins did quite well and never had to leave home.

Sure, there is a bonding advantage to having a team spend six weeks together away from family where the player's only thoughts are on football. But what changed is that offseason programs have become almost as important as camp. Eighty to ninety percent of the players regularly attend 14 weeks of offseason workouts, and it's hard to recreate the same facilities in another location. Players need the state-of-the-art equipment that is available at their own facilities.

Players are more diversified in what they do as far as weightlifting and eating. Many hire dieticians who can't be packed in a suitcase and taken on the road. It's hard to take along all the equipment each player likes.

Five new teams, including the Redskins, Broncos and 49ers decided to stay at home for camp. If anything, the decision to stay or relocate is more business than football related. Teams with recently built headquarters are crazy to go away for six weeks.

Having training camps on the road does provide a chance for the fans to attend, but they aren't really money makers. The best case scenario is to break even and generate enough ticket sales and souvenir sales to offset the $1 million or so it takes to run a camp.

The Seahawks train across the state of Washington in Cheney where their fan base is limited but the facilities are good. It wouldn't be surprising if they move back to Seattle for camp in years ahead. The Chargers' move from LaJolla to Carson (closer to Los Angeles) is more for business than football. The new training facility in Carson is top rate, but it's still hard to understand why the Chargers would leave one of the best camp locations (LaJolla) other than to help the efforts to resolve their stadium problems.

Whether it's home or away, here are 10 things to watch at this year's training camps.

	Bill Parcells' career record is 149-106-1, including the playoffs.

1. All eyes on Dallas: Remember the Alamo. Certainly, the Cowboys will. They may be training in the air-conditioned comforts of the Alamodome, but Bill Parcells will turn up the heat. It's been a quiet offseason for Parcells. He didn't get the power to bring in players. That's Jerry Jones' job. But he's worked his coaching magic in little ways. Parcells has patrolled the weightroom each day during offseason workouts to see who wants to work hard enough to help the franchise end its losing ways. Over the offseason Parcells started to create the mental foundation needed to win. As a team, the Cowboys may not be talented enough to win eight or nine games. They are young at quarterback with Chad Hutchinson and Quincy Carter. Troy Hambrick is the only true option at halfback, but he is unproven and needed to shed pounds before the opening of camp. The defensive line and linebacking corps is lighter than Parcells likes. With that said, the Cowboys need to come together quickly under Parcells' direction. It won't be surprising if they don't start well. What would be surprising if the Cowboys don't come together by midseason and make a strong finish. That's the Parcells' way. He's setting up for playoff runs in future years, but he won't concede this season.

2. Holdouts will be a problem: No matter how the collective bargaining agreement changes in the NFL, there will always be holdouts -- even though the system discourages it. Twenty-eight drafted choices reported late last season, but only nine missed more than five days. A flat salary cap and desires by players in the first round to get five- to six-percent increases over last year should create more and longer holdouts. The problems will occur between the second and 19th selections in the first round. Quarterbacks, who receive significantly more than the drafting slot because of their position, are mixed into middle of the first round and that should cause problems. The problems with rookie holdouts this year is that they will be more damaging to a team and a player. There are fewer two-a-day practices, meaning that training camps are crisper and faster than in past years. The longer a player stays away from camp, the less chance he has of making an impact as a rookie.

3. Where are all the QB battles? There are fewer quarterback battles than normal. The best is in Cleveland where Tim Couch squares off against Kelly Holcomb. Couch rebounded well at the Browns minicamps to convince Butch Davis to say that Holcomb has to deliver the knockout punch to win the job. But they will share snaps in camp and the battle should be a good one. Rookie Kyle Boller has a chance to beat out Chris Redman in Baltimore, but he needs to report to camp on time. Boller impressed coach Brian Billick before and after the draft. Redman's still trying to prove himself as a starter. In Dallas, Hutchinson has the edge on Carter, but Parcells will push the competition to get the most from both players. Expect Hutchinson to win the job.

4. Defense. Defense. Defense: The four most improved teams as far as victories last season have one thing in common -- dramatic improvements in their defensive ranking. The Titans and Colts parlayed their improvements into playoff seasons. The Bills went from 21st to 15th and won five more games than they did in 2001. The Panthers went from 31st on defense to No. 2 and had a six-game improvement. The formula is set. Teams with Top 12 offenses can jump into the playoffs if they can improve a bad defense from the 20s in the rankings into the mid teens. Teams to watch this summer will be the Seahawks (28th last season and under new defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes), the Saints (27th), the Vikings (26th last season and under new coordinator George O'Leary) and the Chiefs (32nd).

5. Keep an eye on the Jets: Jets coach Herman Edwards needs a good training camp to shake off one of the toughest offseasons in the league. After back-to-back playoff seasons, the Jets were hit hard this year. They lost guard Randy Thomas, returner Chad Morton, wide receiver Laveranues Coles and kicker John Hall to the Redskins. Defensive tackle Josh Evans was lost -- perhaps for the season -- for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. First-round choice Dewayne Robertson could hold out past the team's trip to Japan for the exhibition opener. Even having five preseason games isn't a good thing. Edwards' lineup is a little thinner and a couple of injuries in the preseason could create some serious holes. If that isn't bad enough, the Jets face the Redskins in the opener with a lot of pressure to try to win that game.

	The Redskins finished 7-9 in Steve Spurrier's first season.

6. What's next for Spurrier? Last year, everyone looked to Steve Spurrier's camp to see how the "Ole Ball Coach" would fit in. Now, everyone will be looking to Redskin Park to see how quickly he can incorporate six to eight potential new starters from outside the organization. On paper, the Redskins are among the most improved teams in football. He gutted the interior of the offensive line by bringing in guards Randy Thomas and Dave Fiore, but it's possible that Fiore could take over at center. Trung Canidate has a tough job replacing dependable halfback Stephen Davis. Coles adds impact and strong route running at wide receiver, but second-round choice Taylor Jacobs could develop into the third receiver. The defensive line was beefed up by adding tackles Brandon Noble and Jermaine Haley and end Peppi Zellner. Matt Bowen comes from Green Bay to add speed at the safety position.

7. Third-year charm: A lot of emotion will be seen in River Falls, Wis. Dick Vermeil enters the last year of his contract with Kansas City, and maybe his last year in coaching. It doesn't take much for Vermeil to shed a tear or two, but he has a special feel about this team. Priest Holmes is bouncing back from hip surgery. The league's worst defense should show significant improvement. Trent Green has established himself among the league's elite offenses. The impact of a Vermeil turnaround is usually seen by Year Three. A good season could convince Vermeil to stay after this season, but no coach is putting more into this season than Vermeil.

8. New franchise for Plummer: Jake Plummer is used to carrying the burden of the franchise on his shoulders. He's been the franchise quarterback in Arizona, a team that has had more disappointment than successes. The pressure is different on him in Denver. Instead of having to run around to make all the plays, Plummer just has to learn to run one of the league's most quarterback-friendly offenses. Mike Shanahan wants to get back to the Super Bowl in the next two years. Brian Griese didn't get him there, so he's gone. Plummer comes in with one of the league's most experienced receiving groups -- tight end Shannon Sharpe and receivers Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey. Plummer quietly drew raves in mincamp, but training camp is where he has to win over his teammates.

9. On the defensive in Buffalo: Bills coach Gregg Williams doesn't fear going into the last year of his contract. Why? His defense is so much better than last year, and Drew Bledsoe enters his second season as the Bills quarterback. The key of training camp is making sure no injuries happen to the front seven of the defense. With Sam Adams and Pat Williams at defensive tackle, no one will run on the Bills. Linebackers London Fletcher, Takeo Spikes and Jeff Posey will be chasing down players all over the field. The defensive players have bought into Williams' scheme. A big season could earn Williams a big contract.

10. Another bumpy road for Carr: The unfortunate retirement of left tackle Tony Boselli leaves quarterback David Carr depending on a young offensive line to save him. Chester Pitts takes over at left tackle. Expect Ryan Schau to eventually be beaten out by Milford Brown at left guard. Zach Wiegert was brought in for experience at right tackle. Center Steve McKinney and right guard Fred Weary return for their second year of playing together. Can the line jell in training camp so that Carr won't be sacked 77 times? We'll see. Carr survived 16 games last season without missing a play. How well this line comes together in camp will determine Carr's survival rate for his second season.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.