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Looking Inside Buffalo Bills New Highmark Stadium · Alex Brasky: Unfiltered

0:00
SPEAKER_00: From the heart of Bill Tafia, this is our question unfiltered of Buffalo's most polarizing football show.
0:07
SPEAKER_00: No hot takes a clip, no sugar coating, just bold opinions, insider perspective, and unfiltered Bill's talk.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Let's go.
0:21
SPEAKER_00: Hello everybody, and welcome back by Popular Demand.
0:25
SPEAKER_00: This is Alex Brasky Unfiltered, your first stop for raw, honest takes on the Buffalo Bills and more.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: Please like, share, rate, and subscribe to the podcast, and also leave a comment on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: So, welcome in the night after, one of the biggest days in Bill's history.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: Certainly in recent memory, the first time fans were allowed inside the team's new stadium on Abbott Road in Orchard Park, the return of the blue and red practice.
0:58
SPEAKER_00: What a night it was.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: The season ticket holders able to get first crack at entering the gates at High Mark Stadium.
1:08
SPEAKER_00: But all the fans will have a chance.
1:11
SPEAKER_00: Come the preseason game this weekend and also later, August 18th, another open practice to be held.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: That one not exclusive to the season ticket holders.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: So I'll provide my observations from last night as I traveled around most of the stadium.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: While I also have a few takeaways from the on-field action from the return of the blue and red scrimmage.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: So let's start with what I observed at the stadium, since that is what's promised and featured in the headline of the show.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: The return of the blue and red, over 51,000 fans in attendance for the return of the blue and red.
1:48
SPEAKER_00: And that's a new record for the event, according to Pete Guelli on Twitter.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: Uh usually in the past at the old High Mark Stadium, they'd only open the lower bowl for the return of the blue and red.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: But this year they had the lower bowl, the 200.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: They they had all levels open uh so fans could really explore and go up and down.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: It was really a great environment to be in.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: A lot of excitement spread throughout the concourses and the stands as well.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: Uh a little bit of complaints here and there.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: We'll get to a few of those later as John Barker chimes in.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: Why complain about the scoreboard?
2:27
SPEAKER_00: It was built to watch the field.
2:29
SPEAKER_00: And we'll get to that later.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: I'll bring up your comment a little bit later, John.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: So be sure to stay tuned in here, and I'll respond to you a little bit later in the show.
2:38
SPEAKER_00: But let me take you through the timeline of events that I experienced my first day on the grounds at the new High Mark Stadium.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: I arrived on Big Tree Road at about 3 p.m.
2:48
SPEAKER_00: I immediately headed for that family circle that the Bills have with the big ass Buffaloes and uh the Circle of Legends plaques.
2:57
SPEAKER_00: No OJ Simpson, of course, but you have Marv Levy, you have Jim Kelly, you have Ralph Wilson, you even have Bill's Mafia being honored in that family circle.
3:07
SPEAKER_00: It's a great gathering spot for fans, a great place for photo ops as well.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: Uh the plaques really do a nice job explaining the players' career.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: Also, some history of Buffalo in front of those plaques.
3:18
SPEAKER_00: So a really great spot for fans to collect and congregate before the start of games, before the start of the practice coming up on August 18th.
3:30
SPEAKER_00: Make sure you make your way over there.
3:31
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you will.
3:32
SPEAKER_00: You can't miss it.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: The Buffaloes are massive, uh, chromed out, and at night they come to life and then uh when they light up.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: Uh, it was blue light this past uh evening, but I'm not sure if they can change the light.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: I know that they blow smoke as well, so a little bit more on those later.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: But it was interesting to see the family circle and to see the excitement surrounding it and people getting the photos in front of the Buffaloes.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: That was really the first impression that I had upon arriving near the stadium.
4:02
SPEAKER_00: And the three bison statues really were just awesome.
4:05
SPEAKER_00: I mean, in the daytime, they kind of glisten in the sunlight.
4:08
SPEAKER_00: At night, I mentioned that blue light.
4:10
SPEAKER_00: I think they can change the color of the light.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: The smoke comes out of the nose, as you've seen in uh videos.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: I I wasn't a big fan of these buffaloes when the renderings were first revealed by the Bills, but I've really been won over as time has gone on and seen them in person and and seen what they're capable of, I guess.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: I think I would prefer these ones over some big bronze statues.
4:35
SPEAKER_00: Uh I was really hammering against these buffaloes both both personally and publicly, I think, when they were first announced.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: But to be quite honest with you, as time has gone on, I really, really like them.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: I think that's a nice touch.
4:49
SPEAKER_00: Now, after that, I walked around the rest of the stadium, and there's not much to speak of there.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: I think it's a really boring area around the stadium, and they really need to do something to upgrade that.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Whether it be installing uh a couple of statues, build a Jim Kelly Marv Levy statue, get a statue of everybody that they feature inside the stadium, a little bit more on that later.
5:11
SPEAKER_00: Uh whether it be have a designated area where you explain the history of the various stadiums in the franchise's history, something needs to go around the stadium to make it a little bit more interesting.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: Just very bland.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: And you're able to walk around about 85% of the stadium before being redirected, but there just isn't much there, and it's kind of disappointing uh from that aspect.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, that's outside of the stadium.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: What really matters to fans is what's inside the stadium, and we'll get there uh a little bit down the road here.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: But as I said, maybe a statue, maybe some more history on the outside, something just to add to what they have out there, I think would be a much welcomed addition.
5:58
SPEAKER_00: Uh I know that they say they're going to repurpose the old stadium and perhaps add something there, but I think they need to add something on the new stadium site to really improve the fan experience before games.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: I know you have the tailgating, uh, and of course that's great.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: And I checked out the parking lots.
6:14
SPEAKER_00: There's actually quite a bit of room for everybody in each designated parking spot, so I'm sure fans will be very happy with that as well.
6:23
SPEAKER_00: But let's get some more surrounding the stadium.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: Maybe as the years go on, maybe even the weeks go on, we see uh some more there.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: But interest interested to see how they develop that uh and how that all comes together as we go.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: But once I traveled around the perimeter, made my way to gate D, and was really sweating like a dog at that point.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it was it was hot yesterday, and and it was a bit windy, but also in sections you're protected from the wind because of the massive structure in front of you.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: I would say the majority of the wind is on the north side of the stadium and the west side of the stadium, whereas the the east and the south is kind of protected from that wind a little bit more.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: But made my way over to gate D, and my first stop once I got inside what they're calling the perimeter and fan plaza zone, which really sounds like, and I wrote this in my article today on my Substack, Alex Brasky Unfiltered, it sounds like a food play place uh at a fast food place inside a military base.
7:21
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of a ridiculous uh way to term the perimeter, as they call it, between the gates and the ticket entry area.
7:31
SPEAKER_00: But hey, secure perimeter and fan plaza zone, it is.
7:34
SPEAKER_00: And my first stop once I got inside there, the Chevetta's chicken booth.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: I I'm not sure what it's exactly called, but you get inside gate D, you take a right, it's right there.
7:46
SPEAKER_00: And the Chavez Chicken was phenomenal.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: They had it grilling up right outside uh the enclosed food and beverage structure, and you could smell it even before you got into the stadium.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: You could see the smoke billowing, so that intrigued me before I even got inside.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: And then once I got inside, I beelined it uh right for there.
8:08
SPEAKER_00: Was one of the first people in line.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: I think I was third or fourth in line.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: There were a there was a little bit of a hesitation with the gentleman running the cash register, but as is food service, you have to get used to things, the pace of things.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: So I'm sure that is kind of what it was a factor of or a product of, I should say.
8:29
SPEAKER_00: Uh, and and as they go, I'm sure all the kinks will be worked out.
8:33
SPEAKER_00: But one thing I would be concerned about is they're not very big, and I believe there was only one cash register inside each of those.
8:40
SPEAKER_00: One was Chavetta's chicken, another Southern Junction barbecue.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: So I think that they could pile up a little bit quickly here.
8:50
SPEAKER_00: So we just have to be careful with kind of getting there early if you want the chicken and being mindful that you might fall behind in the line and it might take you quite a bit of time to get to the front and actually get cashed out.
9:06
SPEAKER_00: I tried to go to the barbecue place after the chicken place, but I had to kind of abandon my post there because I was running out of time.
9:15
SPEAKER_00: It was getting time to enter the stadium.
9:17
SPEAKER_00: So, and I just wasn't moving very quickly.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: So as time goes on, we'll see if things get better and better.
9:25
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but as of right now, there was a little bit of a slow go getting through the line.
9:30
SPEAKER_00: But once I got through the line, eight out of ten rating on the chicken.
9:33
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you also get three sides with it potato salad, potato chips, and cornbread.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: $21 for a quarter chicken and those three sides.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: I think that's a fair price for a stadium, uh, especially with the quality of Chevetta's.
9:46
SPEAKER_00: I think I keep calling it Chevetas, but I think it's Chevetas.
9:50
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you can correct me in the chat one way or the other.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: But$21, I think, is a fair price.
9:56
SPEAKER_00: 8 out of 10 rating.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: It was very solid.
9:59
SPEAKER_00: The spice of the chicken was good.
10:01
SPEAKER_00: Uh, it fell apart a little bit on me.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: Did the chicken leg.
10:05
SPEAKER_00: Uh, the breast was delicious.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: Uh somebody can clip that.
10:10
SPEAKER_00: Uh, and the cornbread, which I'm a fiend for.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: I love me some cornbread.
10:14
SPEAKER_00: That was phenomenal as well.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: Potato salad, your typical store-bought potato salad, and the potato chips, not a huge fan of, but they had some distinct Chevetta seasoning on them, so maybe other people will enjoy them a little bit more than I did.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: I do want to try that Southern Junction barbecue.
10:31
SPEAKER_00: That does sound like it's going to be quite delicious, but I I couldn't get to the front of the line in time in order to do so.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: I also moved on, checked out the little mini field that they have in the north end of the end zone.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: If you want to check out a tour that I had throughout the course of the stadium, you can go over to my YouTube channel, uh, head over to videos, and you can find what I I really took in throughout the course of the day uh at High Mark Stadium, whether it be outside, whether it be inside, it was really an enjoyable afternoon and evening.
11:07
SPEAKER_00: And you can check out all those videos at Alex Braski on X or my YouTube channel as well.
11:13
SPEAKER_00: Posted a couple to TikTok, a few to Instagram as well, so make sure to follow those pages too.
11:20
SPEAKER_00: Uh but the minifi, let's get back to that.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: A DJ was playing some music.
11:25
SPEAKER_00: I music, I believe they had DJ Milk on the ones and twos, the famil uh, a bunch of families playing the couple of games that they had.
11:32
SPEAKER_00: There wasn't much there.
11:33
SPEAKER_00: I wonder if there will be more once the preseason, regular season rolls around, but it was only a football toss and a miniature golf area, and then some merchandise tents and uh honestly a tent where they were doing haircuts, which I found a bit interesting.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: But hey, uh it's it's 2026 after all.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: It was a bit windy in that area, so during the winter months, I'm not so sure how much use you'll get out of that area.
11:59
SPEAKER_00: Fans will really be trying to rush from the gates inside into the building, which is a little bit enclosed, as I'm sure you've seen reported throughout the course of the past several months.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: But it's an interesting area of the minifield, but nothing that really struck me.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: I was kind of expecting a little bit more from that.
12:17
SPEAKER_00: And like I said, we'll have to wait for the preseason and regular season to see if they add any amenities out there additionally.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: But finally, it was time to enter the stadium at 5 p.m.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: And boy, when I did, it was quite the sight, especially considering how many years I had spent in the old building.
12:41
SPEAKER_00: To see this new stadium just really caught me in the feels, to be quite honest with you.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: To see a building like that in Buffalo, I know some people have been underwhelmed, and I'll explain my view on that stance a little bit later.
12:56
SPEAKER_00: But my first impression when I walked through, scanned my ticket, made it over to a landing near entry door number five.
13:04
SPEAKER_00: I looked out over the field.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: This video is also on my YouTube and social media.
13:09
SPEAKER_00: It just it's gorgeous.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh a grass field, you got the multicolored seats, not bleachers, running all the way up to the 400 level.
13:18
SPEAKER_00: You got the canopy, which not as big as I I think people were expecting.
13:22
SPEAKER_00: It was initially believed that it was going to cover somewhere around 64% of fans, but it's not even close to that.
13:28
SPEAKER_00: It really only covers the 400 to 300 level.
13:31
SPEAKER_00: So I think people were misguided on that.
13:33
SPEAKER_00: Uh kind of par for the course for the bills a little bit uh overpromising, under delivering.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, it does cover the people way up top very nicely.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: When the rain came in yesterday, uh, I think some people were protected by that.
13:49
SPEAKER_00: So if you do have a chance, go up there, check it out, and let me know what you think about the canopy hanging over the 400 and 300 level.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: But uh aside from that, I I really didn't have many complaints.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: And and we go to John's comment here from earlier while I complain about the scoreboard, it was built to watch the field.
14:10
SPEAKER_00: My only complaint was the side of the size of the video boards, they were a little bit small for me.
14:15
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I wasn't expecting them to be massive.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: Somebody posted under one of my posts on X that the Texans recently installed a new video board, and that thing is massive.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: It's like five sections wide.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: And this board is nowhere even close to that.
14:33
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, the scoreboard portion and the advertisement portions take up more of the board than the video portion.
14:42
SPEAKER_00: So I've had a lot of people in my comments tell me, oh, just watch the game, this, that, and the other thing.
14:49
SPEAKER_00: And I'll talk about that later.
14:51
SPEAKER_00: But that's a big part of the in-stadium viewing experience to be able to look up at that board and and find out what's happening.
15:01
SPEAKER_00: But we'll comment on that a little bit more later.
15:04
SPEAKER_00: The positives vastly outweighed the negatives.
15:08
SPEAKER_00: So I know a lot of people like to come at me for being negative, and I just like to keep it real.
15:14
SPEAKER_00: Uh, a lot of people that talk about the bills, they only have good things to say, and I think quite honestly, that's a load of bullshit.
15:20
SPEAKER_00: Because with an NFL team, there's a lot of ups and downs, and you have to highlight both.
15:25
SPEAKER_00: And with big business, there's also a lot of uh snake in the grass kind of dealings and stuff, as I mentioned earlier, overpromising, under delivering that should be called out at times.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: So, not being over negative, I think the positives, in fact, vastly outweighed the negatives.
15:44
SPEAKER_00: But there were a few things that I found were a little bit disappointing upon entering the stadium on Saturday.
15:52
SPEAKER_00: But another positive, the concourses are cavernous.
15:56
SPEAKER_00: They're they're absolutely huge.
15:58
SPEAKER_00: And we before we get there, we have CB12, Alex, I was there.
16:02
SPEAKER_00: I don't think they were that small.
16:04
SPEAKER_00: Smaller ads would be a little better.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, maybe it was just next to the ads and the scoreboard and in relation, it it made it look a little bit smaller.
16:14
SPEAKER_00: But I I I looked at it from all around the stadium, all levels, and I just wasn't impressed with the video boards, and I I don't think I'm alone on that.
16:24
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think there were a lot of people who agreed with me, both Bills fans and otherwise.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: I think more so from outside the fan base, but at the same time, it's just an observation that I had.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: Not the end of the world, not something that ruined the stadium for me.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, just one of my many takeaways, many more positives than negatives.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: Back to the concourses, just absolutely huge.
16:46
SPEAKER_00: A lot of room for activities, I think as they say in Step Brothers.
16:50
SPEAKER_00: There's no more being packed up like sardines as you move from one section to the other, trying to go to the bathroom, trying to get food and beverage.
16:57
SPEAKER_00: The traffic flows, at least it did yesterday with 51,000 people in the building, and there's not going to be many more in the building for a regular season game, so we'll just have to figure out how that fares once the regular season games go.
17:12
SPEAKER_00: And we've got a Ravens troll in here.
17:15
SPEAKER_00: When did fans go to a game to watch a TV?
17:18
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I'll mention it later, but to watch the replay.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: If you're up in the 300-400 level, you don't know exactly what's going on down in the pile to see if it was a fumble or not, to see if it were a catch.
17:30
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of things that you have to see on the video board throughout the course of a game, but I'll touch on that a little more later on.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: As far as the concourses are concerned, one of the reasons why I think the traffic flows so well, the food and beverage areas, the concessions are tucked away.
17:46
SPEAKER_00: They're not spilling into the concourse, so it doesn't really interfere with the traffic flow as it did in the old stadium.
17:53
SPEAKER_00: So much more easier flow throughout the course of the concourse, uh, and a lot more interesting stuff in the concourses as well.
18:05
SPEAKER_00: Nothing really that stood out.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: Like you're not gonna walk through the general admission concourse and be like, wow, look at that.
18:12
SPEAKER_00: Or wow, look at what's over there.
18:16
SPEAKER_00: You're not gonna be blown away, but there are things that add a little bit of charm to the stadium.
18:22
SPEAKER_00: Uh the broken table monument that's gone viral.
18:25
SPEAKER_00: There's other artwork in honor of the Peace Bridge, there's a Marv Levy mural with one of his quotes on it.
18:32
SPEAKER_00: There's a bunch of other stuff kind of bringing up the flavor of Buffalo and uh the Bills as well.
18:38
SPEAKER_00: So otherwise dull areas of the stadium are kind of brought to life by these different artistic pieces.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: Now, did they cheap out on a few of them?
18:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they did.
18:48
SPEAKER_00: Could they have done a better job by maybe spreading some Bills real memorabilia and history throughout the stadium?
18:56
SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, they they could have done a lot better job with that, to be quite honest with you.
19:00
SPEAKER_00: There's not enough of that.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: It's just kind of flat panel artwork uh against the wall, or the the, in my opinion, kind of cheap-looking broken table monument uh in the concourse.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: So they didn't go all out with that stuff, but at the same time, I'm not sure I expected them to.
19:20
SPEAKER_00: So what is there is better than what was there previously, and I think it's a nice touch and adds a little bit of charm.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: You'll have to let me know what you think uh when you're able to get inside the stadium.
19:31
SPEAKER_00: But uh one of my favorite parts inside the stadium, and and this is really cool, the skyline deck, a great feature.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: You can go up uh 300 level, uh, I believe 300 level, uh, and you can look out onto the field from one side, and then on the other side, you can look out into the parking lots and in the secure perimeter and fan plaza's area or whatever the hell it's called, and you can look all the way into downtown Buffalo.
20:02
SPEAKER_00: There's also a uh one of those binoculars you see at Niagara Falls set up there.
20:07
SPEAKER_00: So if you want a closer look, you can look there.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: But a nice photo opportunity on a clear day.
20:12
SPEAKER_00: I I got a decent video of it you could uh see across.
20:17
SPEAKER_00: Uh I know downtown Buffalo, it's not the Las Vegas strip, but uh it is a nice feature and something that does allow for some open air and uh makes that area at least feel a little bit bigger than it actually is, and and a gathering place within the stadium.
20:35
SPEAKER_00: And I believe up there they also have the legends plaques that they have in the family circle.
20:41
SPEAKER_00: They have those at the Skyline deck as well, so uh honoring those legends up there in addition to outside of the stadium.
20:52
SPEAKER_00: And along with all of those features inside the stadium, there's much improved food.
20:57
SPEAKER_00: I only tried the Chavez chicken this time around.
21:00
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't gonna stuff my face, went out for wings after, and I don't think I'm gonna blow in the establishment.
21:06
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I will by the time the show is over.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: Some of the worst wings I've ever had uh in Buffalo or anywhere, to be quite honest with you.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: Falling apart, rubbery, quite disgusting to be quite honest with you.
21:19
SPEAKER_00: I still ate about ten of them.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: Uh they're chicken wings after all, but not very high quality.
21:26
SPEAKER_00: At a place that has a sterling reputation.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: Well, maybe not sterling, but a quality reputation.
21:33
SPEAKER_00: So I'll digress on that.
21:34
SPEAKER_00: But much improved food.
21:36
SPEAKER_00: I have heard bad things about the wings at the stadium as well.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: I heard those were a little bit undercooked.
21:41
SPEAKER_00: The blue cheese that was put with them kind of got left out in the sun and separated and turned a little bit disgusting.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: But uh still to have chicken wings inside the stadium, maybe they figure that out as time goes, and come winter time, you're not gonna have to worry about things uh getting all hot and stuff in the stadium.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: Got CB commenting again.
22:01
SPEAKER_00: Went to 9-11 last night.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Wings were not as good as people make it out to be.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: I've been there a million times, CB, and I've never had a bad wing from there.
22:08
SPEAKER_00: They're the best wings I've ever had.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: They're consistent.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: It's always a great experience at 9-11 Tavern.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: They're absolutely delicious.
22:18
SPEAKER_00: Along with the wings, they also have new and improved Buffalo style pizza.
22:21
SPEAKER_00: Much thicker, square style, square cut is what I saw.
22:27
SPEAKER_00: Chicken finger subs on the menu as well.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: Beef on Wec, Chicken Parm.
22:31
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure more will be unveiled as the season goes.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: But the food, I was very, very impressed.
22:38
SPEAKER_00: And also the drinks.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: Some fellas enjoying some other stuff.
22:47
SPEAKER_00: So a much wider variety of food and drink options that I think the fans will enjoy as well.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: A ton of leg room in the seats.
22:57
SPEAKER_00: That was a big, big plus.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: Something that I noticed all the way up to the 400 level.
23:03
SPEAKER_00: You'd go up to the 300 level in the old Bill Stadium, and it was you felt like you were going to fall over when you were trying to get inside or in and out of your seat to go to the bathroom.
23:15
SPEAKER_00: Not really that big of a concern here.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: You have much more room to walk and much more room to stretch out, too, if you're just a fan sitting down.
23:24
SPEAKER_00: So uh big, big plus is the ton of legroom that they have in between the seats and the seats in front of you.
23:31
SPEAKER_00: Question from Wayne Solomon: Any food for vegetarian or vegans?
23:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure that I noticed, but they've really turned over every leaf in terms of the food and beverage.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: So I would be surprised if there aren't.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: If anybody can help out Wayne Solomon in the comments, I'll be sure to share their comment.
23:52
SPEAKER_00: Uh, make sure to give him some good info here.
23:55
SPEAKER_00: Or I know that they have a bunch of info on the Bills website.
23:58
SPEAKER_00: If you go there, you search High Mark Stadium, or they actually have their own separate tab.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: I think they might have their own section for the food that you can check out and really explore.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: And you're you're welcome, Wayne.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: Uh, thanks for chiming in and thanks for watching.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: Please like, share, subscribe, comment as well.
24:14
SPEAKER_00: Let's uh just try to liven things up here as we continue to go with this podcast.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: Just started this as I think the fourth episode.
24:22
SPEAKER_00: So uh slowly building the following.
24:25
SPEAKER_00: We've had some comments already, want them to keep coming.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: Uh just improves the show and keeps me engaged, keeps me from droning on for uh an hour straight and keeps you guys engaged as well.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: So the legroom, a big, big plus.
24:41
SPEAKER_00: And also on my way up to the 400 levels, 400 level, excuse me, it was a hike to get up there.
24:48
SPEAKER_00: My calves are a little bit sore today, I'm not gonna lie, from jogging up the steps, but it didn't feel as steep to me.
24:56
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you'd go up to the 300 level at the old high mark stadium, and it just felt like you were looking off a cliff.
25:02
SPEAKER_00: In this case, it didn't feel that way.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: I I didn't get any anxiety, like I was gonna fall to my death, so that was a big plus uh going up to the 400 level.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: There are no bathrooms at the top of the 400 level, whereas at the old high mark stadium, you've had the you had the bathrooms up top or in the lower concourse, there are no bathrooms up top, so you'll have to go up and down uh if you're a frequenter of the bathroom throughout the course of the game.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: But speaking of the bathrooms, much, much upgraded from what they used to be, especially in the men's bathroom.
25:37
SPEAKER_00: No more piss troughs.
25:39
SPEAKER_00: I know a lot of people were very nostalgic about the piss troughs, and I'm all about tradition, but not when it involves catching stray urine in the eye or or on your shirt.
25:50
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's disgusting.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: And and that would happen in the piss troughs.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: And then you'd have uh what was described to me as hog mogging in the piss trough area as well.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: If if you're not sure what that means, ask your son, your nephew, your young neighbor down the street.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: No more hog moging in the in the men's bathrooms, plenty of stalls, they're more spacious.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: Let's keep it clean, though.
26:13
SPEAKER_00: Let's not destroy these bathrooms within the first month.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: Let's let's keep it clean.
26:18
SPEAKER_00: Let's let's keep things intact as we head deeper into the inaugural season at the new high mark stadium.
26:25
SPEAKER_00: And another real huge positive for fans that everyone, I'm sure, will truly enjoy the incredible Wi-Fi service that there is at the new High Mark Stadium.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: I live streamed the entire practice on Saturday.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: There were a few hiccups.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: I had to go down a couple times.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: The app quit out on me, but there's a good feature in YouTube where you reopen the app, you go back to live, and it lets you resume the live stream that you were doing.
26:50
SPEAKER_00: So I was able to do that a couple times, kept it going throughout the practice.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: If you want to check that out, if you missed it, I did my best to keep the camera from shaking.
26:59
SPEAKER_00: I had so many people bitching and complaining about me shaking the camera.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: Uh rather there were a ton of people being grateful and thanking me, and I didn't need the thanks, but I was very appreciative of it.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: I was more so disappointed with the amount of people that were bitching and moaning, but hey, that's kind of par for the course with me.
27:16
SPEAKER_00: Uh, people feel a certain way about me, and uh really all those people can uh go to hell, to be quite honest with you.
27:25
SPEAKER_00: But uh incredible Wi-Fi service inside the stadium is a huge change from where it was before.
27:34
SPEAKER_00: You couldn't even get a phone call out at the old stadium, really within a mile radius sometimes of that old stadium.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: You'd go in, you'd send a message, it didn't send by the time you got within the the the radius, and then by the time you leave, you're you're sending messages that you meant to send two hours ago, three hours ago.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: So uh that shouldn't be the case here.
27:54
SPEAKER_00: Even the press box Wi-Fi at the old stadium was horrible.
27:57
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure that's much improved as well.
27:59
SPEAKER_00: I won't have uh my chance up there uh thanks, uh Bill's PR.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: But I I didn't explore the luxury areas or the 200 level.
28:08
SPEAKER_00: I have I'll have to do that as the season goes on here, uh hoping to get in some of the luxury boxes as well.
28:15
SPEAKER_00: But I couldn't make it into the charge bar either.
28:17
SPEAKER_00: I was under the impression that that would be open to everybody, but it was closed off.
28:20
SPEAKER_00: I was asked for a wristband before trying to get some video in there.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: Did look interesting, though, a little enclosed area, but at the same time open air, so maybe not enclosed, but uh you you have the protection from the elements in there.
28:34
SPEAKER_00: And pre-game they had a band out there playing in front of that charge symbol that you see.
28:39
SPEAKER_00: Uh so an interesting area there.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: That's one of the very few areas that I could see or that I would stumbled across that were really unique in terms of this Bill Stadium and really impressive in the concourses.
28:51
SPEAKER_00: Everything else was pretty basic, but this charge bar area, I'd like to get in there as the time goes.
28:56
SPEAKER_00: As I said, that was uh pretty, pretty interesting stuff, especially when you consider where we came from.
29:03
SPEAKER_00: A hole in the ground across the street, and it was my hole in the ground.
29:06
SPEAKER_00: I I love that place.
29:07
SPEAKER_00: I don't think there was much wrong with it, but I do see why a change may have been needed for the franchise.
29:14
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I would have been happy with that stadium forever, but other fans and the franchise itself, I do understand why I uh why other fans and in the team would would want a new stadium.
29:26
SPEAKER_00: But uh at the end of the day, this stadium is a you have to remember, it's a stadium built in western New York.
29:37
SPEAKER_00: And not only in Western New York, it's not even in Buffalo, it's in a suburb of Buffalo in Orchard Park.
29:44
SPEAKER_00: So it was never going to be some Rolls-Royce, some Bentley, some high-class luxury car that costs millions of dollars.
29:54
SPEAKER_00: It did cost billions, but in this analogy's case, it's a souped-up Range Rover.
30:01
SPEAKER_00: That's what the new High Mark Stadium is.
30:03
SPEAKER_00: A couple hundred thousand dollar car, you're gonna impress your your neighbors, your family members, looks great, much better than what you had before.
30:13
SPEAKER_00: Finally, you made it out of the depths, and you have something brand new.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: Top of the line, Range Rover, and that's fine for Buffalo.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: The rugged winners.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: Uh you're not spending much time in there outside of the season, a few concerts here and there, but it's not going to be a multi-purpose event center year-round.
30:38
SPEAKER_00: So it was never going to be this Taj Mahal, this ultimate palace.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: You have to arrange your expectations accordingly.
30:49
SPEAKER_00: And this is like I said, it's it's it's fine for Buffalo.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: And I think if you really take it with those expectations, you're not going to be disappointed.
31:01
SPEAKER_00: It was never going to be Jerry World.
31:03
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't expecting that.
31:04
SPEAKER_00: I've also heard a lot of people talk about the Vikings Stadium and how that's better.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: But Buffalo is not Minneap Minneapolis, it's not one of these huge cities.
31:14
SPEAKER_00: And like I said, it's not even in Buffalo, the stadium.
31:17
SPEAKER_00: There's 18 Fortune 500 companies in Minneapolis.
31:21
SPEAKER_00: There's one in Buffalo, MT Bank.
31:24
SPEAKER_00: In terms of organizational headquarters.
31:27
SPEAKER_00: So adjust your expectations before you have a chance to visit, and you very likely won't be disappointed, or your disappointment will be quelled to the point where you'll be like, uh, okay, and and you'll be able to move forward.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: I also think with this whole blue collar thing that they've been pushing with the Nickel City jerseys, as Joey Hatch brings up, I'll comment on that in a second.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: I think that also has to do.
31:59
SPEAKER_00: It also has to do with everything with the stadium.
32:06
SPEAKER_00: The stadium is a blue-collar stadium.
32:08
SPEAKER_00: It's not a white-collar stadium, it's not SoFi Stadium.
32:11
SPEAKER_00: Like I said earlier, it's not the Cowboys Stadium.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: This is a stadium built for the Bills, built for Buffalo, and I think it suits it very, very well.
32:24
SPEAKER_00: But a quick message from Joey.
32:26
SPEAKER_00: Does anybody have a different opinion after seeing the Nickel City jerseys yesterday?
32:29
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I do have a different opinion.
32:31
SPEAKER_00: They suck even more than I thought that they did.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: I mean, seeing Josh Allen be forced to trot out in those heinous uniforms, I felt sorry for him.
32:43
SPEAKER_00: He, the Bills specialist, wearing those ugly gray uniforms, just a complete disaster in design, and a lot of fans wearing them throughout the stadium as well, which I was surprised at.
32:55
SPEAKER_00: It's not their fault.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: A lot of fans are just gonna wear whatever the team puts out there.
33:00
SPEAKER_00: And gray isn't a horrible color to wear.
33:05
SPEAKER_00: But in terms of this uniform and the helmet, ugh.
33:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna go too long on it because I've already done my spiel, but just even worse in person.
33:15
SPEAKER_00: That's my new opinion on the Bills, nickel shitty uniforms.
33:21
SPEAKER_00: Alright, midpoint of the show.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: Please like, share, rate, and subscribe to the podcast, and also leave a comment on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.
33:32
SPEAKER_00: I truly appreciate it.
33:32
SPEAKER_00: It helps spread the word about the show and also gets other people involved.
33:38
SPEAKER_00: So please like, share, rate, subscribe to the podcast, the channel here, over on X, over on TikTok, Instagram, Substack as well, Alex Brasky Unfiltered, coming out with articles every single day.
33:53
SPEAKER_00: I'll be observing practice from afar moving forward, but I'll try to read the tea leaves better than most.
34:02
SPEAKER_00: Or better than most are willing to, I should say.
34:06
SPEAKER_00: So be sure to take a minute, like, share, subscribe.
34:12
SPEAKER_00: I'd very much appreciate it.
34:16
SPEAKER_00: But let's get back to the topic at hand.
34:19
SPEAKER_00: The on-field takeaways that I had from Saturday's practice.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: It was another wet practice at Bill's training camp, and there's been far too many of those since their time at training camp started at St.
34:31
SPEAKER_00: John Fisher University.
34:32
SPEAKER_00: It's rained, I think, every single day but one during the team's time suiting up for camp.
34:39
SPEAKER_00: Uh it's just been power for the course, day after day, having to deal with the wet weather, and it's honestly a surprise more players haven't gone down with injury, and we haven't seen more players fumbling.
34:48
SPEAKER_00: And we did see a few mishandled snaps yesterday in the rain, and we have seen some drops, but ball security's been fairly good.
34:56
SPEAKER_00: And that's been impressive amid the rain.
34:59
SPEAKER_00: But during Saturday's practice, a few key injuries for the Bills.
35:02
SPEAKER_00: Connor McGovern, starting center, just got paid this offseason, a lucrative contract that he uh was re-signed to.
35:09
SPEAKER_00: Went down after he was chasing a defender down the sideline after an interception.
35:14
SPEAKER_00: He was injured a few plays before, was able to make his way back, but went out quickly again with a hamstring injury, didn't return.
35:21
SPEAKER_00: It was Cedric Van Pran Granger and Lloyd Cushenberry in to replace him.
35:26
SPEAKER_00: It'll be interesting to see if he's out for the rest of the training camp preseason time.
35:31
SPEAKER_00: Which of those players gets the first opportunity to strut their stuff, Van Prang Granger or Cushenberry?
35:37
SPEAKER_00: That's a low-key positional battle or at least a fight for a roster spot that I was watching entering training camp.
35:43
SPEAKER_00: I had Van Pran Granger winning out, but Cushenberry, the veteran, could have something to say to that, especially if both of them are to get increased reps here with the first team if McGovern is to miss some time.
35:56
SPEAKER_00: It could work in their favor if they're able to impress with the first team, or if they just get blown off the ball by some of the Bills' top defenders, it could really work against them at the same time.
36:05
SPEAKER_00: But beyond McGovern, Ty Johnson also sustained an injury during the practice.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: It also appeared to be a hamstring injury.
36:12
SPEAKER_00: He was running down the sideline, running a route, I believe, against Joe Andreessen, blew a tire, went down in a heap.
36:18
SPEAKER_00: He didn't come back, so a little bit of a concern there for Johnson.
36:22
SPEAKER_00: And he missed the playoffs last year with a lower body injury.
36:25
SPEAKER_00: I want to say ankle.
36:27
SPEAKER_00: He's been a little bit banged up throughout the course of his career, nagging injuries here and there.
36:31
SPEAKER_00: So something to watch.
36:32
SPEAKER_00: A hamstring injury for both of those players.
36:35
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, more concerning for a player at a skill position this early in the season.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: Never good to see those soft tissue injuries.
36:42
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to follow Banged Up Bills, Dr.
36:45
SPEAKER_00: Kyle Trimble.
36:46
SPEAKER_00: He does a great job covering these injuries really on a day-to-day basis.
36:50
SPEAKER_00: Uh, grabbing photos from the Bills, grabbing content from the reporters at practice.
36:56
SPEAKER_00: So Dr.
36:56
SPEAKER_00: Kyle Trimble, banged up bills on Substack and X.
36:59
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to follow him for more information.
37:02
SPEAKER_00: But if Ty Johnson's not able to work his way back in short order, I think the Bills have already made replacement.
37:08
SPEAKER_00: Ian Wheeler, the UFL running back that they were able to pick off the scrap heap this offseason, he's been used plenty in the passing game throughout the course of training camp, showing his speed, which is what I've been most impressed with.
37:21
SPEAKER_00: So I think the Bills do have an option to replace Ty Johnson if they do need to do so.
37:28
SPEAKER_00: So that may not be as quite significant of a disaster as well.
37:34
SPEAKER_00: It's the backup running back, so it's not a disaster, but it might not be as significant with Wheeler able to kind of plug and play there from what I've been able to gather at training camp.
37:44
SPEAKER_00: He's really impressed me.
37:46
SPEAKER_00: More injuries.
37:47
SPEAKER_00: Mitch Wisnowski was out at practice uh for the second day on the sideline.
37:52
SPEAKER_00: That left Tommy Doman to do all the punting and holding for Tyler Bass.
37:56
SPEAKER_00: It was uh a dead heat in terms of the competition between those two for the punting job to start training camp.
38:03
SPEAKER_00: But as time has gone on, I think Doman Jr.
38:05
SPEAKER_00: is going to win that job, uh especially yesterday, after yesterday, doing all the punting and holding for Tyler Bass.
38:12
SPEAKER_00: And Bass going eight for eight on his field goals, albeit they were a little bit closer, I think, than he had in the practice the other day when he went five for seven.
38:22
SPEAKER_00: These came from about 33 to 43 yards from my vantage point, but still made all of his field goals in front of the packed house at the Bills' new stadium.
38:31
SPEAKER_00: Very good rebound for him after a little bit of concern from the masses and a lot of concern from me after that five for seven.
38:39
SPEAKER_00: I just am not I've never been certain on Bass.
38:42
SPEAKER_00: I've never felt comfortable with him as the Bills kicker.
38:44
SPEAKER_00: I think they could do better than him, quite honest with you.
38:48
SPEAKER_00: He's finished with like an 82% field goal percentage his last two full seasons.
38:53
SPEAKER_00: That's not good enough.
38:54
SPEAKER_00: Matt Prater was a 90% field goal kicker last year for the Bills.
38:58
SPEAKER_00: So I think the Bills could do a lot better than Tyler Bass, but still a positive moment for him during the practice yesterday, going eight for eight.
39:05
SPEAKER_00: And he also worked on kickoffs, which I think was the first time he did that during training camp.
39:11
SPEAKER_00: So doing all the motions and uh working through any lingering effects from those hip and groin injuries that he sustained last year.
39:19
SPEAKER_00: Good sign.
39:20
SPEAKER_00: And a good step for Tyler Bass during Saturday's practice.
39:24
SPEAKER_00: Another player out on Saturday, Zayn Durant missed his second straight practice.
39:30
SPEAKER_00: I think he was injured Friday, so maybe he didn't miss the whole practice.
39:35
SPEAKER_00: I'd have to go back and check on that.
39:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'd have to check on that.
39:40
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but uh injury is unknown for a lot of these guys.
39:43
SPEAKER_00: DJ Miller and Magdalena are also out, but Durant is the most concerning of that group.
39:48
SPEAKER_00: He had a good start to training camp, bursting through for a couple of would-be sacks against the Bills' offensive line.
39:54
SPEAKER_00: And fifth round rookie at a position where you don't have a whole lot of quality depth, Zayn Durant could be a piece for the Bills this year that could really develop throughout the course of the season and really help them come playoff time.
40:05
SPEAKER_00: We'll have to follow and monitor his injury as practice heats back up this week.
40:11
SPEAKER_00: But we mentioned the Nichols City jerseys earlier, so I'm not gonna go into them again, but just to say that they forced Josh Allen into them and even he couldn't save them.
40:21
SPEAKER_00: I mean, they were just terrible.
40:24
SPEAKER_00: Uh even with Josh Allen wearing them, he certainly fills the jersey out well, and he's everybody's favorite player, but he he couldn't even save the jerseys.
40:33
SPEAKER_00: Uh but the more the fans wear them, the more the team is gonna keep trotting them out there.
40:38
SPEAKER_00: So uh interesting to see the Nickelde City jerseys in person for the first time.
40:45
SPEAKER_00: And speaking of Josh Allen, a few ups and downs during the course of the practice.
40:51
SPEAKER_00: A few interceptions, one for Cole Bishop against Dalton Kincaid during one-on-ones, and another from Christian Benford that may have been a penalty during team drills, and then Damar Hamlin came up with one later in the practice as well.
41:10
SPEAKER_00: That ball went right through Joshua Palmer's hands, not Palmer's finest hour there.
41:17
SPEAKER_00: He's had a good camp, his Palmer, so not going to beat him up about it, but it was nice to see Damar Hamlin make a play.
41:22
SPEAKER_00: He's not going away.
41:23
SPEAKER_00: He filled in for CJ Gardner Johnson first on the first team when Gardner Johnson was injured a couple of days ago.
41:30
SPEAKER_00: And he's been working through and making some plays.
41:33
SPEAKER_00: So don't count out Damar Hamlin in this Bill's safety room as far as the depth chart is concerned.
41:40
SPEAKER_00: But outside of the interceptions, Allen also had a couple of bombs deep down the field.
41:45
SPEAKER_00: One to DJ Moore.
41:46
SPEAKER_00: That connection just continues to remain on point.
41:50
SPEAKER_00: Not enough superlatives to spout about DJ Moore and Josh Allen and how quality they've been throughout the course of training camp.
41:59
SPEAKER_00: Now, there is some concern that he's been burning the Bills secondary so consistently after a rough year last year, but I'm just going to take it as a positive for DJ Moore at this point until the preseason games begin.
42:12
SPEAKER_00: Another bomb from Josh Allen went to Khalil Shakir.
42:16
SPEAKER_00: He's emerging as a downfield threat in this offense.
42:19
SPEAKER_00: He's starting to connect with Allen at all levels of the field, uh, really being used more as just that typical, prototypical slot receiver as the Bills have used him throughout the past many years, the run after catch guy.
42:32
SPEAKER_00: They're starting to target him down the field, and he made a great sliding catch, beat CJ Gardner Johnson up the seam uh and came away with the grab in the end zone.
42:42
SPEAKER_00: So a great moment for Khalil Shakir that Khalil Shakir there, and he's been a steady contributor throughout training camp.
42:49
SPEAKER_00: So his performance has been impressive.
42:51
SPEAKER_00: And all in all, with Allen, despite the interceptions, no reason to panic.
42:56
SPEAKER_00: He's been great for the majority of training camp.
42:59
SPEAKER_00: Uh just continue to press forward and wait till the regular season rolls around.
43:03
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure he's going to be his typical MVP self.
43:08
SPEAKER_00: Another player who caught my eye during the course of the scrimmage.
43:11
SPEAKER_00: And before I get to that, you're welcome, Adam.
43:14
SPEAKER_00: As Adam says, thanks for filming the scrimmage yesterday.
43:16
SPEAKER_00: Me and my kids watched the whole thing in our living room and it was pretty cool.
43:19
SPEAKER_00: Thought I would get bored after a few minutes, but we watched it all.
43:22
SPEAKER_00: I hope my commentary helped uh spruce things up, Adam.
43:26
SPEAKER_00: I was trying to keep things lively, and during the downtimes, I was trying to walk throughout the stadium.
43:31
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for tuning in, Adam.
43:32
SPEAKER_00: I really do appreciate it, and thank you for the kind words as well.
43:37
SPEAKER_00: But Connie Walker, Can I Walker, I think it might be Canai Walker, really caught my eye again on Saturday.
43:43
SPEAKER_00: A couple of pass breakups.
43:45
SPEAKER_00: Once again, the undrafted free agent.
43:48
SPEAKER_00: The Bills need depth at cornerback.
43:50
SPEAKER_00: There's no secret.
43:51
SPEAKER_00: And Walker is consistently climbing the depth chart day after day.
43:56
SPEAKER_00: Without Harrison yesterday, Walker was in the Second group of cornerbacks during team drills.
44:02
SPEAKER_00: So really stepping it up for an undrafted free agent.
44:05
SPEAKER_00: And if the Bills don't sign anybody before the season starts, I think Walker is going to make this team in a depth role.
44:11
SPEAKER_00: But that's about it for my takeaways from the field from the practice yesterday.
44:20
SPEAKER_00: There were a few other takeaways that I have from over the last week at training camp that I'll touch on shortly in a moment.
44:28
SPEAKER_00: But uh before I exited the stadium area, they had fireworks going.
44:33
SPEAKER_00: That was a nice touch at the end of the practice.
44:36
SPEAKER_00: And they probably wanted people out of the stadium, so they were kind of directing people, oh, you gotta leave the stadium to see the fireworks.
44:42
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure the canopy had something to do with that as well.
44:45
SPEAKER_00: But that was a good way to get people to leave the stadium because there was a ton of people gathered outside to watch those fireworks go up over the old stadium ground.
44:54
SPEAKER_00: So a nice touch and a great night all around.
44:57
SPEAKER_00: A few injuries, the rain wasn't ideal, but a great night inside the new stadium, and I was really, really impressed with what the team had to offer as well.
45:08
SPEAKER_00: But before we look ahead to this week of practices, get to some hate mail at the end of this episode.
45:13
SPEAKER_00: Let's catch up on some of the other action that occurred over the last week of training camp.
45:17
SPEAKER_00: Just kind of an in case you missed it for everybody tuning in that wasn't able to follow the updates on a day-to-day basis.
45:25
SPEAKER_00: We saw the first few fights of training camp.
45:27
SPEAKER_00: Uh Coach Joe Brady said he isn't a huge fan of the fights, but like to see the tenacity.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: There were a few rookies involved, Caleb Elarms or TJ Parker mixing things up.
45:37
SPEAKER_00: So good to see the rookies not afraid to stick their noses in there.
45:41
SPEAKER_00: And Deion Walker also, and we'll get to a comment here, Huffman Elite Training.
45:48
SPEAKER_00: Can I Walker played for my Arkansas Razorbacks last season?
45:51
SPEAKER_00: Woo-Pig Suey Razorbacks.
45:53
SPEAKER_00: Now with my Bills.
45:54
SPEAKER_00: As an Arkansas fan and Bills fan, I love it.
45:58
SPEAKER_00: You gotta love uh Landon Jackson being on the Bills too, another former Arkansas Razorback.
46:03
SPEAKER_00: So two of them there uh that are on the Bills.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: I don't think there's any more, but if there are, please feel free to point them out.
46:12
SPEAKER_00: But as far as Deion Walker is concerned, he missed a couple days of practice.
46:15
SPEAKER_00: He was back uh the past couple days, left elbow injuries, now back with a brace, a sizable wrap on his arm, but moving around pretty well.
46:24
SPEAKER_00: I don't think it's anything to be too concerned with at his position.
46:27
SPEAKER_00: And while CJ Gardner Johnson was injured, I mentioned Damar Hamlin stepped in, and he's firmly in the mix at safety.
46:33
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if Gino Stone has a roster spot locked down.
46:37
SPEAKER_00: We could see Hamlin steal it from him at the end of the day.
46:40
SPEAKER_00: They're not paying Gino Stone that much money, so I don't think it would take too much for them to move on from him and keep Hamlin around, just knowing his vibe in the locker room and uh he can perform on special teams, this, that, and the other thing.
46:53
SPEAKER_00: But as far as CJ Gardner Johnson's concerned, as far as CJ Gardner Johnson is concerned, he he spoke out about his former team and the Bills' week one opponent, the Houston Texans, earlier last week.
47:07
SPEAKER_00: And I I just thought it was a disaster class from Gardner Johnson.
47:11
SPEAKER_00: And I have expressed my worry with him spouting off at the mouth on his live stream constantly, and now he's doing it in front of the media when they're asking him questions and trying to prod him into these answers.
47:24
SPEAKER_00: He went off about how he's pissed at the Texans, and when they see him, they see him.
47:29
SPEAKER_00: Uh you're just giving them added bulletin board material and adding fuel to their fire leading into that week one matchup, which is already daunting by itself.
47:40
SPEAKER_00: You lost to the Texans last year.
47:42
SPEAKER_00: Incredible defense, incredible pass rush.
47:45
SPEAKER_00: You don't need to poke the bear, CJ.
47:47
SPEAKER_00: But hey, they're letting these guys be who they want to be.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: Joe Brady loves himself a looser mentality, not loser, looser mentality.
47:58
SPEAKER_00: So it is what it is, and we're gonna keep seeing this from CJ Gardner Johnson.
48:02
SPEAKER_00: I just wonder if something goes bad during the course of a game if he's going to all of a sudden go off in the post-game press availability, because the Bills have taken the chains off of him.
48:13
SPEAKER_00: They're saying, go ahead, say what you will, as long as it's not in the team training area, as we saw from Joe Brady earlier.
48:20
SPEAKER_00: I think this is, as I've said before, this is headed down a very dangerous road, and it will prove to be detrimental for the team sooner rather than later, unless there's no adversity this year, which I can't imagine there there won't be any.
48:34
SPEAKER_00: But if the fa if the Bills face any adversity, I'm very concerned with how CJ Gardner Johnson is going to kind of disrupt that locker room.
48:43
SPEAKER_00: But getting back to the action throughout the course of this past week, another great connection from Josh Allen and DJ Moore.
48:50
SPEAKER_00: He saw it posted all over social media in between three of the Bills' best defenders, Christian Benford, Cole Bishop, and Maxwell Harrison.
48:59
SPEAKER_00: Moore really does appear to be the real deal.
49:01
SPEAKER_00: There's been some mention that he might be the best wide receiver since Stephon Diggs.
49:05
SPEAKER_00: I said, I think in the last episode that I agree with that sentiment.
49:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh, and there could be some concern for the secondary in terms of his performance, as I mentioned earlier, but I'm not quite ready to go there yet.
49:17
SPEAKER_00: And elsewhere at the wide receiver position, Keon Coleman has remained inconsistent.
49:23
SPEAKER_00: A couple of drops, one over the middle, another down the sideline, and that's just been his MO over the course of these years.
49:31
SPEAKER_00: It's not that he doesn't make a few plays here and there.
49:34
SPEAKER_00: It's his inconsistency and his inability to show up for consistent extended periods.
49:41
SPEAKER_00: And you saw it again pop up during the course of this week of practice, and I don't think he had a bad return of the blue and red, but you didn't see much from him there either, as far as I was concerned.
49:53
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I missed something, but I just haven't seen enough from Coleman throughout the course of training camp that has me confident entering the season that we're going to see anything different from him.
50:03
SPEAKER_00: I hear some reporters saying that they're bullish on his prospects this season.
50:08
SPEAKER_00: I think that's wishful thinking and just living on a prayer.
50:12
SPEAKER_00: There's no substance to go off of these past few weeks that tell you, oh, Keon Coleman's gonna have a big year.
50:19
SPEAKER_00: You're just trying to force something, as the Bills have been trying to force it with Coleman ever since they drafted him in the second round.
50:28
SPEAKER_00: The only player that Coleman has had success against is Maxwell Harrison, which is a concern in and of itself.
50:34
SPEAKER_00: The former first round pick getting beaten by Coleman regularly during one-on-ones, that doesn't seem to bode well for Maxwell Harrison once he's able to work his way back from injury, that is.
50:48
SPEAKER_00: And we have more from Huffman Elite Training.
50:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and if you ever want to tell your story how you became a fan, feel free to sound off in the comments.
50:56
SPEAKER_00: His dad was in the Air Force, raised in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, born in Arkansas, was Huffman Elite Training and uh at Little Rock Air Force Base.
51:06
SPEAKER_00: They moved to Florida when he was nine, so he's been in Florida, but still a Bills fan, and it's good to see you rooting on the team from afar.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: And yes, you are correct, Joey Hatch.
51:18
SPEAKER_00: CJ Gardner Johnson was told by Joe Brady not to go live in the locker room.
51:22
SPEAKER_00: That was one of the first bits of news from training camp, even before it started.
51:27
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but back to the observations.
51:30
SPEAKER_00: Jordan Hancock's starting to come on strong.
51:32
SPEAKER_00: You've heard a lot from him over the past few days.
51:35
SPEAKER_00: He worked through a shoulder injury this offseason, a few pass breakups, interceptions.
51:40
SPEAKER_00: I'm not so sure he has a real chance to jump over anybody in terms of the safety position, but he could be the team's backup nickel cornerback this year behind D.
51:50
SPEAKER_00: Alford.
51:50
SPEAKER_00: And if he continues to produce, it'll be interesting to see where he falls on the depth chart once the team breaks training camp and cuts down their 53-man roster.
52:00
SPEAKER_00: And back to Lannon Jackson is we have another comment here.
52:04
SPEAKER_00: And he's been surging the past few days along with a few other players that the Bills have drafted in recent seasons.
52:13
SPEAKER_00: He's too quick for interior offensive linemen.
52:17
SPEAKER_00: He's big and strong, so he's able to push people around and overpower tackles at times.
52:22
SPEAKER_00: I like this position switch for Landon Jackson.
52:25
SPEAKER_00: I really think it's going to suit him.
52:27
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not high on all these players gaining and losing weight, but one player I am high on is Lannon Jackson, what he can do for this team and how he can transform his game from year one to year two in a different scheme, mind you, playing in the 4-3 last year, the 3-4 this year, really excited what Lannon Jackson could offer the Bills in his second season in Buffalo.
52:52
SPEAKER_00: And finally, a few more rookies to focus on.
52:56
SPEAKER_00: Skylar Bellju, Bowry, a little bit of a mixed bag there.
52:59
SPEAKER_00: Bell has been dealing with some drops.
53:01
SPEAKER_00: Bowery has been coming on and replaced Deion Dawkins during some team drills when Dawkins didn't participate on Friday.
53:08
SPEAKER_00: So a step forward for Bowery as he looks to lock down the swing tackle roll.
53:13
SPEAKER_00: And then finally, uh elsewhere on the offensive line, Osiris Torrents, uh contract extension,$78.4 million through 2030.
53:25
SPEAKER_00: And in my opinion on Torrance, he's a right guard.
53:28
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
53:29
SPEAKER_00: And quite honest with you, he's a mid-right guard at that.
53:33
SPEAKER_00: He's not even protecting Josh Allen's blind side.
53:36
SPEAKER_00: He's an average player, as is proven to be since a stellar first season.
53:41
SPEAKER_00: The past two years, I don't think, have quite been what that first season was, especially this past season, where he did not receive a quality pro football focus, either pass block rating or run block rating, and really struggled in pass blocking much, much more than he had in previous seasons.
54:00
SPEAKER_00: And I know the guard market is expanding, but how many teams are spending money on their right guard and also their center in the same offseason as the Bills have this offseason?
54:12
SPEAKER_00: I think it's absurd the way that Brandon Bean assembles this roster year after year.
54:17
SPEAKER_00: I get it.
54:18
SPEAKER_00: Josh Allen's your best player, but the Bills now paying their right guard, center, left tackle, and right tackle.
54:25
SPEAKER_00: It's looking more and more like this could be Deion Dawkins last year in Buffalo due to that contractual and financial situation on the offensive line.
54:32
SPEAKER_00: But to pay all those players up front, it leaves you bereft of talent elsewhere on the roster.
54:39
SPEAKER_00: And you've seen that rear its ugly head these past few years.
54:42
SPEAKER_00: And that's why the Bills have attacked the wide receiver position so ferociously this offseason with DJ Moore selling that second round pick, drafting Skylar Bell in the fourth round.
54:53
SPEAKER_00: Paying too much to the offensive line and Cyrus Torrance's case, an average offensive lineman at that.
55:02
SPEAKER_00: And on that same note, does every decision have to be about Josh Allen?
55:07
SPEAKER_00: Every time you hear the Bills re-sign somebody, Brandon Bean goes to the microphone and tells everybody how it's all about Josh Allen, surrounding him with the I get it.
55:19
SPEAKER_00: He's the most important player on the team, best player on the team, former MVP.
55:24
SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to building a championship team, there are other things to consider.
55:29
SPEAKER_00: Why is how every signing and how it impacts Josh Allen always the first thought on Brandon Bean's mind?
55:38
SPEAKER_00: It's been a blessing for him.
55:39
SPEAKER_00: Josh Allen has carried this franchise, but it's also been a curse because other areas of the roster have been left neglected, and now you're entering a Super Bowl or bus season praying that the linebacker position works out, the cornerback position works out.
55:58
SPEAKER_00: Finally you hit on some defensive linemen.
56:00
SPEAKER_00: DJ Moore can carry your wide receiver group to another level.
56:04
SPEAKER_00: A lot of question marks, and it's because you spend this money all on the offensive line and on average players at positions that aren't wide receiver, that aren't cornerback.
56:18
SPEAKER_00: So just befuddles me year after year how they take this route, Brandon Bean in the Bills' front office, but this is the life they've chosen, and I don't think it's going anywhere.
56:30
SPEAKER_00: All right, before we get out of here tonight, let's hit up some hate mail.
56:33
SPEAKER_00: Once again, plenty of hate mail to work through on tonight's show.
56:37
SPEAKER_00: We needn't go any further than my post on X about the Bills' new video boards.
56:42
SPEAKER_00: I mentioned it near the top of the show.
56:44
SPEAKER_00: Uh and we had a comment earlier from John Barker asking why I don't like the video boards.
56:51
SPEAKER_00: And then we had a comment from CB12 uh saying that he didn't mind the video boards, and when I called them underwhelming and small, I wasn't trying to trash them, but they're clearly underwhelming and small.
57:10
SPEAKER_00: They are not one of the biggest video boards you'll see throughout a stadium, and quite honestly, I think maybe it was just the way the stadium was set up.
57:18
SPEAKER_00: They looked bigger in the old stadium.
57:19
SPEAKER_00: I'd have to get the dimensions on that.
57:21
SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to say that for a fact, but they looked a little bit bigger in my mind's eye in the old stadium.
57:27
SPEAKER_00: But this from Crystal W, not the most heinous bit of hate mail, but it just doesn't make sense.
57:36
SPEAKER_00: Some of you people that dislike me.
57:38
SPEAKER_00: I I I make a comment about the video boards and say how they're underwhelming and small, and Crystal W's response is quote, so why are you there?
57:47
SPEAKER_00: Unquote.
57:49
SPEAKER_00: Uh to to watch the practice.
57:54
SPEAKER_00: Just because I think the videos are subpar, I I can't be inside the stadium or I should go home?
58:00
SPEAKER_00: I feel like I'm taking crazy pills with some of these people.
58:03
SPEAKER_00: This one was funny too.
58:04
SPEAKER_00: After the underwhelming and small comment, David says, much like your content.
58:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he he could have gone a different route there uh that maybe uh some other people took advantage of on social media, but touche, David, touche.
58:19
SPEAKER_00: Uh I'll I'll give you the uh the point in the score column on that one.
58:24
SPEAKER_00: But this one from Mike quote, oh, you said something negative, breaking news.
58:29
SPEAKER_00: Oh, another another person who thinks that all I say are negative things.
58:32
SPEAKER_00: Feel free to follow the account, pal.
58:36
SPEAKER_00: This is really getting old.
58:37
SPEAKER_00: When did honesty become negativity?
58:40
SPEAKER_00: Must be our political climate.
58:43
SPEAKER_00: Some of you people who feel that way, just absolute clowns, some of you.
58:47
SPEAKER_00: And then we have Tom.
58:49
SPEAKER_00: Speaking of clowns.
58:51
SPEAKER_00: Good.
58:51
SPEAKER_00: Watch the game.
58:52
SPEAKER_00: Alright, tough guy.
58:54
SPEAKER_00: I'll do whatever the hell I want.
58:56
SPEAKER_00: If I want to watch the monitor, I'll watch the monitor.
58:59
SPEAKER_00: Especially if I paid the hundreds of dollars it's costing me to get a ticket.
59:03
SPEAKER_00: So you do what you do, I'll do what I do.
59:06
SPEAKER_00: Then we have Anthony.
59:08
SPEAKER_00: Quote, you're on top of the field watching.
59:11
SPEAKER_00: What do you need a video board for?
59:12
SPEAKER_00: Just watch at home if you need a video board.
59:14
SPEAKER_00: Why are people obsessed with where I watch the game?
59:18
SPEAKER_00: And also, as I said earlier, when did the video board stop being absolutely essential to the in-stadium viewing experience?
59:26
SPEAKER_00: So I'm up in the 300 level, and I'm looking down at the ants on the field, and I'm supposed to know if it was a fumble or not.
59:34
SPEAKER_00: I'm supposed to know if it was a catch.
59:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm supposed to know the holding call and ri I mean, just absolutely ridiculous.
59:44
SPEAKER_00: Like I'm supposed to just ignore the fact that I have one complaint and I just it it doesn't make any sense to me.
1:00:00
SPEAKER_00: The the the video board is important to the viewing experience, and I don't know w where all along the line we lost sight of that, but you need to be able to see replay, and it's also fun for families and stuff to be up on the jumbotron and and and things like that.
1:00:17
SPEAKER_00: So I I don't know when people started hating on the video board, and uh with all this great technology that we have nowadays, now it's we we've gone the other way.
1:00:26
SPEAKER_00: We want to get rid of it.
1:00:27
SPEAKER_00: We we don't want to improve it, make it bigger and better.
1:00:31
SPEAKER_00: Like I said, some of you people make absolutely no sense.
1:00:35
SPEAKER_00: Just uh a lot of people bragging about their perfect eyesight, if you if you ask me.
1:00:42
SPEAKER_00: Just just not right.
1:00:44
SPEAKER_00: Not right.
1:00:46
SPEAKER_00: But that'll do it for the hate mail.
1:00:48
SPEAKER_00: That'll do it for tonight's show.
1:00:49
SPEAKER_00: Training camp will wrap up over the next few weeks.
1:00:51
SPEAKER_00: Moving forward, practices will be closed to the public outside of the August 18 open practice, of course.
1:00:58
SPEAKER_00: Uh, and that means far less information to the outside world from Bill's practice.
1:01:03
SPEAKER_00: We're now at the mercy of those on the beat who are limited in what they can and are willing to publish due to the Gestapo that is Buffalo Bills PR and the unreasonable rules that they put.
1:01:14
SPEAKER_00: You see all these other teams having videos posted of team periods, and they're not afraid of other teams seeing them, but hey, the the Bills know better.
1:01:25
SPEAKER_00: The Bills know better.
1:01:27
SPEAKER_00: So I'll do my best to follow along with the action, and what I'll really be doing is sifting through the bullshit coming out of the practices in order to do my best to tell you what's really going on behind closed doors uh from my point of view, I guess, because a lot of the stuff you get out of these practices, you don't get uh the true look inside once the fans stop going.
1:01:50
SPEAKER_00: So I'll try to keep my ear to the ground and figure out some things behind the scenes and try to learn what's going on at training camp more so than what we're being spoon fed by the team and the media on hand.
1:02:04
SPEAKER_00: But that's gonna do it.
1:02:06
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to follow along throughout the rest of training camp, preseason, and the start of the regular season.
1:02:11
SPEAKER_00: Breaking news, weekly, sometimes daily podcasts, much, much more coverage coming on Alex Brasky Unfiltered.
1:02:18
SPEAKER_00: Both YouTube, Substack.
1:02:20
SPEAKER_00: Uh I'll be posting daily takeaways, more bills coverage on Substack, Alex Brasky Unfiltered.
1:02:26
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to like, share, subscribe to that as well.
1:02:28
SPEAKER_00: Uh, YouTube, Apple, Spotify, other podcast platforms, and like I said, that Substack page.
1:02:36
SPEAKER_00: But thank you for joining me tonight, and and thank you for taking a walk through HighMark Stadium.
1:02:40
SPEAKER_00: It was really enjoyable, and I was really happy I got to step foot inside on the first day that the fans were allowed inside the stadium.
1:02:49
SPEAKER_00: Felt very privileged, and I feel privileged to have you, the listener, viewer, however you're consuming this podcast, continue to tune in.
1:02:57
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for watching.
1:02:58
SPEAKER_00: Have a great night, everyone.
1:03:01
SPEAKER_00: Stay true.