Pittsford, N.Y. (WBEN) - After more than a week of practices at St. John Fisher University in the Rochester area, Buffalo Bills training camp returns to Orchard Park on Friday with the "Return of the Blue and Red" practice at Highmark Stadium.
The annual practice gets underway at 5:30 p.m. ET, and it is estimated that upwards of 34,000 Bills fans will be in attendance once again for the practice.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is among the players every year that looks forward to getting in a practice on their home turf during training camp, and showcasing "Bills Mafia" to his newer teammates in the locker room.
"Obviously the fans back in the stadium, back at Highmark, and we'll some of our new guys feel the energy and the excitement that's going to be in the air tomorrow. So hopefully Western New York and Buffalo packs that stadium, and we can show them some love," said Allen following Thursday's practice in Pittsford.
Over the last couple of years, Allen has been known to come out of the tunnel with a few tricks up his sleeve to get the fans riled up one way or another. The last two seasons saw Allen coming out with a red helmet and blue helmet that vary from the regular white Bills helmets.
Allen is not willing to show his hand just yet with what may come next for the fans on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Return of the Blue and Red is a great chance for the fans to not only get back to a sense of football at Highmark Stadium, but also gear up for the year of weekly game day experiences, while also watching the new stadium continue to progress across the street on Abbott Road.
This year will be the second season of changes and challenges for some Bills fans with their game day experiences. While Year 1 was mainly a construction pit with excavating going on, this year sees the steel infrastructure being put in place with a stadium actually starting to take shape.
While this year may provide a challenge to the game day experience for some fans in Orchard Park, many members of "Bills Mafia" will take it all in stride, even embracing what the future holds in store in Buffalo.
"We're happy there's gonna be new stadium. We'll put up with it as much as we can, and we're fine with that, for sure," said Bills fan Mike from Hamburg.
"I love the activity that's around the stadium. Buffalo has always had more college feel to it, and that's not going to change, and that's great," added Bills fan Eric Heller from Albany.
Bills' Season Ticket holder Mike Ryan from Tonawanda says last year was a good barometer for him and his family to better know what to expect with stadium construction potentially impacting a game day experience.
"We get there early, we want to beat the traffic. We park in our lot, Lot 6, and we'll tailgate and I'll walk around, visit different people that I know. And check out the stadium now that we're at this stage of it," said Ryan. "I think it's going to be really interesting to see the progress as we're at the game. I'm looking forward to it."
As for Bills fan Brett in Rochester, he's looking forward to taking in a couple of games this season with his family, especially his 14-year-old daughter. He says he's looking forward to the new stadium, and has learned a couple of helpful tips on how to best handle it all for his game day happenings.
"You've got to break an egg to make an omelet, so I'm OK with all this," said Brett. "And we've started to learn more, so we know the timing of coming in, we know the timing of getting out. And we've made some friends and some connections, maybe even to help us navigate that a little bit better. I'm optimistic that it's going to be just fine."
The Erie County Sheriff's Office has announced the following information for the Return of the Blue and Red practice at Highmark Stadium on Friday:
Sheriff Garcia recommends all guests review Highmark Stadium maps to locate the best lot in which to park and gate at which to enter.
Additionally, all fans are reminded to familiarize themselves with the list of prohibited items at Highmark Stadium in order to avoid delays at the gates. Strollers, footballs, helmets and other items for autographs are permitted for this event.
"They are relaxing autographable materials, and you're also going to be able to have strollers and things of that nature. Essentially, things that would be on the prohibited items list, they're going to be a little bit more laxed on this one, because obviously it's a practice and they want the fan interaction, and they want to [allow] autographs after the practice," said Erie County Sheriff's Lt. Jeremy Lehning.
Abbott Road
- Abbott Road in front of the stadium closes to North and Southbound traffic at 2:30 p.m. ET. This section of Abbott Road will remain closed until after the practice.
Route 20A (Big Tree Road)
- Prior to the conclusion of the practice, Route 20A from Fieldhouse Drive to Route 219 will be two lanes, one-way traffic headed Eastbound away from the stadium.
Stadium lots
- All stadium lots open at 3 p.m. ET, and drivers are asked not to park on the shoulder of the roadways for pedestrian safety.
- Lots open to fans will be 1, 2-ADA, 4, 6-Preferred, 6-ADA and Lot 7.
- Lot 2 will be reserved.
- Lot 3 is closed due to new stadium construction.
Additional information
- Intoxicated and unmanageable guests will not be permitted entry into the stadium.
- Stadium gates will open at 4 p.m. ET.
In addition, the Sheriff's Office is reminding fans to stay out of the stadium construction site right across the street from the current stadium along Abbott Road.
"You're going to be caught, you will be arrested, and you will be charged with a criminal trespass due to the fact that the entire construction site is gated off," Lt. Lehning said. "The average human being seeing the fence knows they're not supposed to be in there. The signs are posted all over the entirety of the construction site. So by climbing the fence and disobeying those signs, you are committing a criminal offense and you will be arrested."
For a map of the stadium and parking lots, visit https://buffalobills.com/stadium.