Mango

They all also have the financial means to “not move on”. If I watched my coworker lose an arm in a machine, I’d like to take a week or more off but I couldn’t afford it. NFL players can. These aren’t first responders, they didn’t sign up to watch their friend lie their dead die 9 minutes. If they want to take 7 days off they have the means to do so.

I get the sense from Burrows interview today that they’ll side with the Bills. Per Burrow they have guys in the locker room that don’t want to play this week vs. the Ravens. They may be in lock step where the Bills don’t have to forfeit and they tell the league, “we’re not playing, find another way.” Both coaches already did this to the league on Monday..

McD and Taylor forced the leagues hand once already. I support the team in doing what they feel is right in this moment. Playing or not. Let the league fine the Bills if that’s the road they choose to go.

Burrow mentioned today that there are guys on the team who don’t want to play this week. Guys who don’t even know Damar. That’s the temperature of the league right now. I’m not advocating canceling anything. But it’s something the people pounding the table for the entire league to reshuffle everything to get the Bills/Bengals game in should spend some time with. I can’t begin to wrap my head around what’s going on in the Buffalo locker room.

It sounds like the Bills are in the drivers seat, or are at least a serious part of the conversation on what to do. I think if the Bills want to play. Make it happen. If they don’t, nobody owes anybody anything. I think it’s telling that Burrow said guys are split on playing this week. That’s the temperature of the players, which is sobering.

This has been my talking point. If they play they play. If they don’t they don’t. I’m glad Buffalo is in the drivers seat for any decisions by the league.

But that isn’t abnormal. Teams rest players in the final week all the time.

This makes some sense. But they may need to vacate the BAL game for BAL since they play CIN this week. That’s quite the rabbit hole at that point. I am pleased that it doesn’t sound like the league is trying to do everything. The major effects are the top 3 seeds.

Here is my thing. Everybody that was in control of their own destiny is in control. If KC wins, they get the one seed. Winner of BAL/CIN wins the division. Patriots are still in the drivers seat. Nobody lost control of their playoff appearance due to this game. Some teams lost their ability to stay alive, but still need a number of other things to go their way. That is fine with me. The Bills lost their control. But they suffered tragedy. It happens, and ultimately if playing this is the worst of it for them, that is fine.

Taylor and McD have cemented their tenures in CIN/BUF for as long as they want to be there.

Not a doctor, so I am basically just guessing/hoping. Hoping that since his breathing/O2 has improved they are letting his body decide when to start to bring him off ventilation and cooling. Maybe hoping his respiration can return to normal before waking him up?

I have a thought on this. In this scenario the Bills should keep the 2 seed with the contingency that if they meet in the playoffs this year the Bengals are owed home field due to the missed game. OK... Good for Favre...

I mean, the bolded is silly at best. Most of us have likely been around when a parent, grandparent, etc. died. But this experience likely has little empathy from the standard population. We shouldn't be saying what players should and should not want to do in this scenario. They may very well want to, and that is cool with me. They might be fired up. AWESOME! But they might not be, and that is OK too. SoCal Deek: Hey Josh, do you want to play the Bengals game again? Josh Allen: Not, really. SoCal Deek: Well you should!

I have lost a lot of energy about this season. I hope the team is OK, just as humans. Surely I will root for them but with little expectation. I am in favor of whatever the Bills want to do going forward. If they are able to get up and bring all of their "We are doing this for Damar" energy. I will do the same. If they want to cash in their chips, I will be right their with them. I am vehemently against playing the Bengals game over for the sake of playing it over and ranking the lower seeds.

1 minute left on the clock.

I think there is some confusion from two camps. One side is saying the Bills have to play this game because of seeding for other teams. The Bills don't have to do anything. Taylor and McDermott proved that to the league the other night. I don't agree with making two teams play who don't want to. Which we don't actually know one way or another. But what I think a good portion of the board is saying isn't that the Bills should not play the game. Rather if both the Bills/Bengals feels compelled to replay that game they should. If they don't the league is capable of issuing losses, ties, etc. without rescheduling the entirety of the playoffs.

Looks like Taylor took the initiative to close the game out for the Bills. Classy move.

It is certainly unprecedented in the NFL. Damar Hamlin died on the field, and laid there dead for 9 minutes. That is an important distinction to make. I don't mean to diminish KE's journey or injury. It certainly was and is a major situation. I am not arguing which is worse, rather this is just something totally different. This is a better conversation for another thread, but I thought that was important. I will bow out of derailing the talk about the Pats game.

I mean, my dice thing was clearly a joke. Moving an entire league is a behemoth task first of all. Most fair to who? Maybe the Steelers? Not the Bills or Bengals who will play a meaningful football game while the entire league sits at home for 7 days. Im suggesting that the way the standings are today remain the same. How is that not the absolute most fair? When the McDaniels calls to complain about this, the league can tell him without an ounce of remorse, “a guy died on the field. We’re not doing this.” Im not asking for a league mandated loss. I’m saying if the team doesn’t want to replay the game and wants to move on. I get the sense that’s the case but I could be wrong.

So I think as dumb as this post is you’re on to something. As long as the Bills handle business in NE (Big If), nothing will change the fact that they have more conference wins and the head to head.

Especially early on. Like you show up traffic court and the line is around the block. You know you’re gonna be there for 4-5 hours minimum. You first get in line…bam….over with.

Just tell them if they don’t they’re nothing but a buncha yellow bellied cowards.

I feel like this is much too soon to be having this conversation. As a team, coaching staff, and fan base they were as supportive as one possibly could be. I can’t imagine partaking in a conversation about this while Tee Higgins has been at the hospital for 24 hours. they’re service at 8:55 tonight outside the hospital the same time Hamlin went down. Or the Bengals fans who went right to the hospital to show support for one of ours. I really dislike this.

Thank you for sharing this.

This is by far my least favorite. Take the loss. Move on. Let the league and the team start to put the trauma behind them. Reshuffle the whole league, to have them be the only story line in the country. For two teams already in as high seeds. It will be nonstop talk about Hamlin. If the locker room wants this sure. But it doesn’t “feel” like they do. And my pulse on the city is that they don't want this either. It just provides so little value. Also, KC has like an 80% chance of losing one of their wins. This definitely favors CIN and BUF. By a wide margin.