ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Training camp at St. John Fisher University is over, but the football hype is just getting started.
News10NBC’s Garrett Chan stopped by local bars to see how fans are feeling ahead of the season opener. The excitement once you walk through the door at Bar Bill East is palpable.
“I’m just excited that we’re getting back in the football season. And that just means my friends and my family know they’ve lost me until February,” Gianfrancsco said.
“It’s kind of surreal that we’ve come so far in, like, the season and stuff. Like, it just shows how, like, determined we are to get where we need to be. And if we keep working hard, I know we’re going to get there,” Walton said.
While some fans couldn’t score tickets to training camp at St. John Fisher University, the energy spread across the region. Caroline Kelly, a Bills fan, brought her daughters down to the canal and drove through campus.
“We didn’t have tickets to the training camp, but we kind of drove through campus and, yeah, so we felt the energy and it’s really exciting. I think it’s going to be a big season,” Kelly said.
Even with a new head coach and new stadium, Bills Mafia’s mission remains the same.
“I think sometimes when you just might not be reaching the pinnacle of things that you’ve been training for, sometimes it’s a little bit of a change will bring the excitement not just to the fans, the fan base, businesses, the players,” Gianfrancsco said.
While it’s back to business for the Buffalo Bills, that also holds true for local bartenders. A bartender at Marshall’s Bar and Grill said gearing up is just switching gears mentally.
“Getting ready for, you know, the excitement of people yelling at the TV. All that kind of good stuff. So it’s really just a little bit of switching gears mentally,” the bartender said.
Whether you’re at Bar Bill East or any of the local bars, you can expect them to be packed come Sunday, Sept. 13, when the Bills kick off against the Houston Texans. Before the Bills look ahead to their first game, the team will return to Orchard Park for their Blue and Red scrimmage.
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