Buffalo Bills are excited to practice in the Carolina heat
By Avery Duncan
The Buffalo Bills don’t play too many of their games in the heat, so they are going to practice in it.
The Buffalo Bills have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL. The cold falls of Western New York are often an ailment for teams coming to visit and play the Bills. But, with that comes a challenge for the team up North: adjusting to the heat during road games.
The Bills might’ve found their answer to acclimating to the heat, as in training camp, they’ll be traveling South to the Carolinas. In preparation for a Carolina Panthers vs. Bills pre-season game bout, the team will practice on August 13th and 14th with the Panthers at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Bills general manager Brandon Beane is looking forward to adjusting to the heat; as he told BuffaloBills.com:
"I think change of scenery is a benefit. — Sometimes we play some September games that are hot. It can be quite humid in New Jersey when we play there in Week 1 and 2. It usually is hotter there than here in terms of humidity."
Beane noted the humidity in New Jersey for the Bills’ first two weeks of games — against the Jets and Giants — as a reason why to adapt to the heat. After the first two games, the Bills won’t be faced with many warm games, as they will play in Buffalo for the next two weeks. After, they’ll be in Tennessee, which may produce a toasty atmosphere, depending on their off-and-on October weather.
After their matchup with the Titans, the Bills will play two more games down South. First, against the Dolphins in Miami during mid-November, then the Dallas Cowboys to close out the same month. Both may not produce the same heat as the team will face in mid-August in South Carolina.
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Practicing in the heat may have been a selling point to come down to South Carolina, but it’s not the only reason why. Before landing in Buffalo, Beane spent 19 years with the Panthers. Head coach Sean McDermott spent six. In addition, defenders Star Lotulelei and Dean Marlowe started their career in Carolina.