The Bills make their long-awaited return to St. John Fisher

Welcome to the debut edition of the Bills Blast newsletter. Here's what's happening as the Bills get ready to open training camp at St. John Fisher University.

The pandemic prevented western New York’s most popular team from making the trip down the Thruway and it conducted all of its practicing at One Bills Drive in sessions that - with the exception of a few inside Highmark Stadium - were closed to the public.

During their absence from Monroe County, the Bills’ contract with St. John Fisher expired, and there was some doubt whether they would renegotiate a new deal to continue the relationship that was originally fostered in 2000.

Perhaps with the blessing of coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane - both of whom have said on numerous occasions that they like taking the team away to camp - a deal was consummated, at least for 2022, and maybe for beyond.

“I’m looking forward to going to training camp,” McDermott said back in June before the Bills went on vacation. “I love going to St. John Fisher, I love going to Rochester and that area around Rochester. I really think it’s a cool place to be. I think it’s a great place to be that time of year in particular. You have those warmer, hotter days at times which we need to get us in shape and then the cooler nights and I think it’s a great place for our team to come together, I really do.”

An awful lot has happened to the Bills since they last trained at St. John Fisher. Here’s a recap of some of the high points:

➤ Josh Allen became a superstar: When he was last here, Allen was coming off a predictably inconsistent rookie season and there were many questions about whether the team made the right call in drafting him No. 7 overall in 2018.

He was better in 2019 and helped guide the Bills into the playoffs where they inexplicably blew a 16-0 third-quarter lead and lost at Houston, and more questions arose about Allen. And then 2020 happened and Allen had a season for the ages. He backed it up in 2021, and now there is almost no doubt that he has the chance to become the greatest quarterback in team history if this trajectory continues, particularly if he does what Jim Kelly never did and leads the Bills to a Super Bowl title.

➤ Stefon Diggs joined the team: Beane made the big trade to acquire the star receiver in March 2020, so Diggs has never been to Fisher. When last the Bills were here, John Brown and Cole Beasley were the newly-signed big-name free agent wide receivers.

Before Rochesterians get a look at Diggs, he has already caught 230 passes for 2,760 yards and 18 touchdowns, including a 2020 season where he set the franchise records for catches (127) and yards (1,535), totals which led the league, something no Bills receiver had ever done.

➤ Beasley hadn’t caught a regular-season pass: The smallish wideout was a fan favorite in the last camp here, shortly after he signed a four-year free agent deal, and there were big expectations that he would be a player who could really help Allen make strides, and that proved to be the case.

Beasley was outstanding during his three seasons with the team as he caught 231 passes for 2,438 yards and 11 TDs. Make no mistake - now that he has been released, Allen is going to miss him and it will be on replacements such as Isaiah McKenzie, Jamison Crowder and Tavon Austin to become the trusted target operating from the slot.

➤ Jerry Hughes said goodbye to Buffalo: He was the longest tenured Bill, having come to the team in a 2013 trade from the Colts, and he spent seven summers at Fisher. But in the offseason, the Bills moved on from the edge rusher who turns 34 in August.

The Texas native signed with Houston and he left Buffalo with 53 sacks which puts him fourth on the team’s all-time list. His place was taken by Von Miller who is probably heading to the Hall of Fame when he decides to call it quits.

➤ The roster has been revamped: There are only 23 players left from the roster the Bills brought to Fisher in 2019, and that includes Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips who were with the team then, left for two years, and returned this season. Among the draft picks that Rochester fans have yet to see at Fisher are A.J. Epenesa, Zack Moss, Gabriel Davis, Tyler Bass, Dane Jackson, Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham, Spencer Brown, Kaiir Elam, James Cook, Terrel Bernard, Khalil Shakir, and Matt Araiza.

➤ Brian Daboll left the team: The offensive coordinator who helped Allen and the Bills’ offense reach unprecedented levels bolted to become the head coach of the New York Giants. Ken Dorsey, who has been Allen’s QB coach since 2019, is now running the offense, and there will be a lot of attention focused on Dorsey as he tries to build on what Daboll created in Buffalo. Allen, for one, thinks everything will be fine.

➤ A return to relevance: In the summer of 2019, the Bills had appeared in just one playoff game since making Fisher their summer home. That was in in 2017, McDermott’s first year, and thanks to Andy Dalton, it was a bit fluky as the Bills snuck in through the back door, not that anyone was complaining.

While they were away from Rochester, they won their first AFC East division crown since 1995, won back-to-back titles for the first time since 1988-91, and played in their first AFC Championship Game since the 1993 season.

Although the Kansas City Chiefs have broken their hearts in back-to-back postseasons, the Bills are considered by many as the Super Bowl favorite in 2022.

Yes, times have certainly changed and a lot has happened since that day in August 2019 when the Bills packed up their truck and left Fisher for what turned out to be a three-year absence.

Here's the training camp schedule

For those who don’t already have a ticket, it appears you’re out of luck because the Bills announced that all sessions are already sold out. I’ve never heard of this happening before, and I’m somewhat skeptical regarding how many tickets were made available to the general public.

If you were able to procure tickets amid all the frustration and confusion caused by the mobile app requirement, there is no parking at the university. Parking is available at Pittsford Mendon and Sutherland high schools and a shuttle bus service will be provided to campus.

Here is the schedule, which is subject to change:

Sunday, July 24, 9:45 a.m.

Monday, July 25, 9:45 a.m.

Wednesday, July 27, 9:45 a.m.

Friday, July 29, 9:45 a.m.

Saturday, July 30, 9:45 a.m.

Monday, Aug. 1, 9:45 a.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 2, 9:45 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 4, 9:45 a.m.

Friday, Aug. 5, 5:30 (Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park).

Sunday, Aug. 7, 11:45 a.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 9:45 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 11, 9:45 a.m.

Buffalo Bills birthday bio: Mark Kelso

The man who wore the over-sized helmet that made him look like Gazoo from Flintstones fame turns 59 on Saturday, and I would consider Kelso one of the more unlikely success stories in Bills history.

When Kelso played between 1986 and 1993, it was an era in the NFL when many teams employed big, hard-hitting hammers at the safety position, players like Ronnie Lott, Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith. Even the Bills’ own Leonard Smith.

True, those guys were strong safeties, but still, even as a free safety, you needed to be physical and Kelso was a 180-pounder who often looked overmatched when he tried to tackle. However, he usually got it done, and he also made 30 interceptions during his eight seasons, and helped the Bills win six AFC East division titles and four AFC championships.

“Maybe Mark didn't always get to do a lot of things people wanted him to do, but he played our defense exactly the way it was asked of him," general manager John Butler said the day Kelso was released in March 1994. “When everyone wanted to second guess, all these people who have never had a jockstrap on who know all the answers, this guy was out there performing at the highest level. How do we get all these wins and play in these world championship games? You have a bunch of Mark Kelsos. And people will realize that in time.”

Coach Marv Levy added, “He is an all-time Buffalo Bill and our team and the city of Buffalo will miss him more than most people could imagine. It has been an honor for me to be his coach."

Kelso remained in Western New York after he retired from football, became a teacher and eventually found his way into the Bills’ broadcast booth with John Murphy from 2006 to 2019.

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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: The Bills make their long-awaited return to St. John Fisher