EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- For decades, questions have lingered around Western New York: When and where would the Buffalo Bills move? Los Angeles? Toronto?The answer proved to be the other side of Abbott Road.The first public event held at the Bills' new Highmark Stadium was Saturday's training camp practice -- more specifically the annual "Return of the Blue & Red" night. It offered members of the team and 51,807 fans (a team record for a practice, per the Bills) a first look at the $2.2 billion stadium.The Bills' new home is now open after three years of construction. Saturday's practice was filled with blue, red and even some gray sights on what many described as a "bittersweet night."ESPN chronicled the evening through photographs.QB1's new lookQuarterback Josh Allen's first steps in uniform onto the new field was a highly anticipated moment. Photographers and videographers gathered by the tunnel more than a half-hour before he came out.Allen is known for wearing custom items for this particular stadium practice.But new year, new stadium, new look.Allen came out of the tunnel wearing the team's new alternate "Nickel City" uniform that has been surrounded in controversy. The quarterback vocally supported the look on the opening day of training camp.Before practice, Allen played catch with fans all the way around the track of the stadium. As he threw his final passes, a sign that read, "the house that Allen Built" was visible in the stands behind him.Backup quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele, as well as punter Tommy Doman Jr., joined Allen in wearing the uniform, while the rest of the offense wore the team's home blue jerseys and the defense was in the away whites."I don't know if your quarterbacks are always the best models to show how it looks like. I made fun of Kyle Allen," coach Joe Brady joked. "It's taken me a long time to let [the defensive line] know not to touch the red jerseys in practice. ... I said, 'Look, if you touch a gray jersey today, you don't have to worry about me being the mad one. There's 50,000 fans that are going to be pretty mad at you.'"The quarterbacks finished the practice unscathed.Hello, grassThe new stadium features a big change that players are overwhelmingly in favor of -- going from artificial turf to natural grass."Perfect," right tackle Spencer Brown said of the grass. "I love it. I might sleep out here tonight actually."The field is made up of Kentucky Bluegrass cultivated by Tuckahoe Turf Farms in New Jersey. While the night practice was held on a humid summer night (and was hit by a brief, but strong, rain shower) -- winter will come.When it does, the field's underground heating coils will activate to prevent freezing. There are also snowmelt systems on the artificial turf and track that surround it. There are four natural grass kicking areas cut into the artificial turf that surrounds the grass field. Those allow specialists to work from the sidelines on the same playing surface that is on the field.There were moments when players had to stomp grass chunks back into place, but the reception after the practice was all positive."It's my No. 1 favorite thing, honestly," tight end Dawson Knox said. "I mean, people probably won't understand, but playing on grass vs. playing on turf is a huge difference. And I think I can speak for literally every player on this team, we love the grass. This is beautifully done. I mean, hats off to whoever did this grass, because it's perfect."The Family CircleThe much-anticipated bison family statues were in place a month ahead of the practice, but this was the stainless-steel statues' time to shine, quite literally.Four hours before the practice, an orderly line of people waited for their chance to take a photo with the bison and the stadium behind. But soon after, the line broke apart and fans took photos from every angle.The bison reside in The Family Circle, where fans congregated and immersed themselves in signage. All of the members of the team's wall of fame from the previous stadium are recognized here -- outside of O.J. Simpson. There are also blank canvases, ready to honor current and future Bills.The team livestreamed the bison statues onto the jumbotrons in the stadium, and the statues were lit up in blue and red at the conclusion of the practice.'Take it all in'Knox arrived at the stadium four hours early.He walked around the field, taking in all the sights or as he described, "taking myself on a little tour." The veteran tight end made sure to note all of the details. "It's the coolest place I've ever played football in," Knox said after practice.Other players and staff members took the field well ahead of the day's events with looks of awe and wonderment.Brady's goal with this practice was for his players to go through a game-like setting in the stadium. That's why a 7 p.m. start time was chosen. But he also wanted players to arrive early, as Knox did, to focus on practice when practice began."The lights, how does the wind feel, just the grass, the environment, take it all in," Brady said. "So that hey, now when we get out to practice, we're not thinking about all the other potential distractions."The coach himself took some time before the practice to take in the field with his son, Jordan, 3, sporting a Josh Allen shirt, of course."To get to run around with him, those are the moments that I made sure I tried to take that in," Brady said. "And then, all right, now it's time to go."A bag of Wegmans chipsThe old Highmark Stadium is largely erased from the Orchard Park skyline. What is left is the rubble from the upper deck as the underground portions of the stadium continue to be filled.Before the doors opened for practice, many fans took the opportunity to peer through the fence at what is left of the former home of the team."Bittersweet" was uttered time and time again.The SanFilippo family sat by their car in the parking lot with the rubble of the past behind them and their eyes on the future. They had multiple sets of season tickets at the old stadium and ultimately kept just three seats total from their 1963 package that originated with Andy SanFilippo's father.Andy remarked how he can't look back at the old stadium that holds "great memories." He renewed his own season tickets when Jim Kelly came to Buffalo and kept them over the past couple of decades.Bills apparel in full display, Buffalo pride and Wegmans chips in hand, they all agreed on a sadness in seeing the old stadium go while also acknowledging that they were "excited' to see the new venue for the first time.Nods to BuffaloBills owner Terry Pegula made very clear to the team's senior vice president of design, Frank Cravotta, what he wanted."[Pegula] said, 'Frank, when you plop me down in my new stadium, I better know immediately that I'm in Buffalo,'" Cravotta said. "We have such a proud history. We have such great stories to tell."That includes placing the world's largest folding table in the 100 level, on which a fan placed a Josh Allen sticker during the event. There is the large-scale model of the Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo to Fort Erie, Ontario, that fans can walk under. A full-size camper bus is on the 300 level.Food vendors are labeled with different Buffalo neighborhoods, and some represent local restaurants, such as Southern Junction, a BBQ restaurant with a South Asian influence.There is also an art program that includes more than 45 creators and teams who crafted pieces that are displayed throughout the stadium. The art depicts a variety of Bills-specific touches, and some reflect Western New York.'Welcome to Highmark Stadium'The first fans heard warm greetings from a ticket scanner as they entered the gates near the M&T Club, phones up in the air to record their first steps inside."Welcome to Highmark Stadium!"The event allowed personal seat license (PSL) holders to enjoy their new seats and get the lay of the land.The new stadium brought PSLs to Bills fans for the first time, and as part of the purchasing process, prospective buyers were shown virtual images of what the view from their seats would look like. Previously, the team used a season-ticket model for seats, but it now has transitioned to the PSL model that is common practice in the NFL.Just finding their seats was part of the fun. The navigation included discovering the nearest bathrooms and how steep the walkway to their seats is for those on the upper level. The stadium is nearly double the height of the previous stadium.Getting to the seats wasn't the priority for many, though. The concourses remained full of Allen jerseys and people exploring the new grab-and-go concessions while the heated lamps that thankfully don't need to be used just yet hung overhead.In the new parking lots, the infamous Bills Mafia tailgating experience had already taken shape -- even for a practice. Fans got to experience enlarged parking spots that allow more space for tailgating."Kim and Terry [Pegula} said from the very beginning they wanted a building that was designed just to watch the game of football," Scott Radecic, former Bills linebacker and founding partner of architecture firm Populous, which designed the stadium. "First, you got the vibrancy of the seats. You got the stacked tiers. It's the closest upper deck in the entire NFL. ... There isn't another stadium in the National Football League where a general mission patron can stand on the field.""Everything about getting that intimacy and intimidation, getting the fans as close to the field as possible," said Jonathan Mallie, global director and managing director of Americas at Populous.As part of the stadium experience, closed captioning was highly visible next to the jumbotrons. But the event also exposed some of the venue's flaws. The sound system was difficult for some fans to hear. Debate over a variety of topics broke out online, including whether the advertised more than 60% of seats covered by the canopy held up in the rain.Many fans spoke highly of the views and experience, but some images have circulated on social media of railings or concrete obstructing views. The Bills said as part of a statement that, "We are currently addressing internal and external feedback regarding the facility's operation following the first event. We'll utilize the next six weeks to refine any details."A source told ESPN that the team has heard from less than 1% of its PSL holders regarding anything sightline related and that some of the seats circulated on social media by The Associated Press are not for sale for football events.'One chapter ends, another begins'It was the swimming pool that stood out to Joe Andreessen.The Bills linebacker and Lancaster, New York, native has a unique perspective on the stadium change. He saw all sides of the old Highmark Stadium: the fan view and the player perspective.And now, Andreessen is trying to earn a roster spot with a new defensive coaching staff in his third season.As he checked out the facility Saturday, Andreessen's eyes were drawn to one spot in particular."There's a hot tub, a cold tub, which is pretty standard training room stuff," Andreessen said. "But then there's just like a swimming pool. And I was like, 'Why do we just have a swim pool? That seems a little extra.' And they're like, 'Why not?'"Andreessen echoed what many said, also describing the move as "bittersweet.""I think being able to enjoy the last season at the old stadium and then being able to be a part of the first season at the new stadium is definitely a cool transition to be a part of," Andreessen said. "One chapter ends, another begins."
