Pittsford, N.Y. (WBEN) - Since the start of training camp nearly two weeks ago, NFL Films crews have been following the Buffalo Bills around as they prepare for the 2025 season of football in Orchard Park. That after HBO announced a couple of months back that the Bills were to be the featured team for their "Hard Knocks: Training Camp" series this summer.
The first episode of "Hard Knocks" debuts Tuesday night at 9 p.m., and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes air every Tuesday through Sept. 2, five days before the Bills' home opener against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
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The documentary series will give members of "Bills Mafia" a behind-the-scenes look at how the team is preparing for the upcoming NFL season. Many Bills fans are eager to see what this season will have to offer.
"It should be fun to see," said Andy from Ontario in an interview with WBEN. "I know the show is always really well done, and you get a look at some of the characters and personalities on the team. It should be fun to get to know some of the more."
"I think the NFL knows the Bills are one of the more exciting teams. HBO recognize that, NFL Films, and it's great that they're here," said John from Gates with WBEN. "Growing up, we always wanted to see the Bills on there. They usually didn't qualify or they weren't exciting enough, so very excited to watch this season."
Some fans like Brooke from Fairport watch "Hard Knocks" regularly, even with the Bills having never been featured in the past. The fact that this year will finally focus on the team has her itching to get to Tuesday.
"I was born and raised here, so I've been a Bills fan my whole life. It just makes it more exciting, because now anywhere you go in the world, people really know who the Bills are and get excited," said Brooke with WBEN.
Meanwhile, this will be Richard Schwartz's first time watching "Hard Knocks", now with the Bills being the focal point of this year's series. What is the Rochester native looking forward to the most?
"Just the camaraderie between the guys. I'd be interested to see how they do build a team," said Schwartz with WBEN.
"I want to see more of their interaction together, like their personal interactions. And then it's really interesting to me that they actually stay in the dorms, so just kind of some of the behind-the-scenes stuff, what they do and what they experience, and kind of how they decide what they're going to practice. All that kind of stuff," Brooke echoed.
Other fans like Andy will be watching for some storylines centering some the players lower on the depth chart, or other personalities on the Bills that fans might not know much about.
"We all know the Tre Whites and the Keon Colemans and their shenanigans, but there's obviously guys down the roster who are similar, and see some of that," he said.
One potential concern among some fans with the Bills being in the spotlight ahead of the 2025 season is this could serve as a distraction, as the team hopes to push for a Super Bowl run after coming up just short last year.
While some fans believe this attention can be a distraction, more fans seem to believe that the camera crews and storylines will not bleed into the focus of the players in the locker room.
"I think they're in a good place with coach [Sean] McDermott, who keeps the guys focused. The captains keep the guys focused. I think they're going to be able to tune that out and go about their day," said John.
"I think this is not a big deal. I think they're prepared for it," Brooke added. "The fact they agreed to it, I think they're used to it now. With the last few years, having more attention, more of the night games, I think they'll be excited for it."
For years, the Bills have avoided the spotlight in the NFL, whether it'd be for poor play on the field, a lack of interest in the team, or the team trying to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. However, Bills fans are happy that the team is getting the national attention they deserve.
"It's nice to have some prime-time games now that we're ascending in the league. But with that, every team gives you your best shot, so you've got to be ready to play each week," John said.
"To have people that maybe don't watch football so much talk like, 'Hey, I love Josh Allen!' That's fun. It connects with people that might not totally be interested in the Bills before that," Andy added. "It's fun to be the underdog and 'Keep Buffalo a secret' thing, but it's fun to have people be like, 'Hey, go Bills!'"