By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
The number has shrunk by three-quarters.
There was a time when virtually every one of the NFL’s 32 teams held their training camp away from team facilities. These days, a mere eight franchises follow that format: Buffalo, Dallas, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Pittsburgh.
Today, for the 24th time, the Bills will hold training camp at Pittsford’s St. John Fisher University since 2000. The only two times it was held in Orchard Park over that span was during the Covid pandemic. When the franchise was formed, its first training camps were in East Aurora, then at Niagara University, followed by Fredonia until the switch to suburban Rochester a quarter century ago.
BUT THIS will be a special year for Buffalo as HBO has gotten permission from team owner Terry Pegula, coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane for the Bills to be the focus of the network’s pre-season “Hard Knocks” broadcast.
That decision forces HBO to establish two shooting sites, one at St. John Fisher and the other at the team’s practice facility in Orchard Park.
THE FORMAT for fans with be about the same, though a bit shorter.
Admission is free but requires a moble ticket and all seats are general admission.
Nine of the 11 practices are 9:45 a.m. starts (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday this week and July 28, 29, 31 plus Aug. 6 and 7 subsequently). In addition, the full-team scrimmage is set for Highmark Stadium on Aug. 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 while Sunday Aug. 3’s workout will be at St. John Fisher at 11:45 a.m.
Parking for the Red & Blue scrimmage at Highmark will open at 3 p.m. with a $5 charge to benefit the Buffalo Bills Foundation (stadium gates open a 4 o’clock)
There is no parking on campus for practices open to the public at St. John Fisher. Visitors may take a shuttle from designated lots to the entrance of Training Camp for the cost of $1. All shuttles are accessible for guests with disabilities. Shuttles are available from Jefferson Road Elementary (15 School Ln, Pittsford, NY 14534), Sutherland High School (55 Sutherland St, Pittsford, NY 14534) and Thornell Road Elementary (431 Thornell Rd, Pittsford, NY 14534).
As usual, there will be the fan experience with a football toss, running back and quarterback challenges, plus an appearance by Billy Buffalo and opportunities for autographs,.
THE PURPOSE of training camp, of course, is for teams to reduce their rosters from 90 players to the regular-season limit of 53.
For years, the NFL had multiple cutdown days, the last two, though, there has been one and this season it’s Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m.
Buffalo’s current 90-man roster breaks down as follows: quarterbacks (4); running backs (6); wide receivers (13); tight ends (5); offensive line (16); defensive tackles (9); defensive ends (8); linebackers (7); cornerbacks (12); safeties (6); specialists (punters, kickers, long-snappers) 4.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
