What if the Bills refuse to play the Patriots?

[ArtVandalay]

So Josh Allen plays the day after his grandmother died.

 

Many other athletes, like Brett Favre played a day after his dad died. 

 

Redskins played 2 days after Sean Taylor died. 

 

The league pushed pause for 1 weekend then resumed after 9/11 attacks.

 

The Bruins played 2 days after the marathon bombing.

 

...but the Bills need 2 weeks off for a teammate that suffered a medical emergency and is alive recovering in the hospital??

 

This is going too far.

 

Feel terrible for Hamlin and wish him a full recovery but spending weeks wallowing in self-pity is not healthy nor appropriate. Awful things happen in the course of life, things we wish never came upon us but that is not for us to decide, all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

[HOUSE]

21 minutes ago, TH3 said:

Think about what you just wrote …..how often does “discussed in the media” actually equate to “a real possibility”

 

lol

Did you open the link? SHAME ON YOU !!

[Scott7975]

15 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

And if they give the Bills an L, then what? If the Bills said, "we don't wanna play the playoffs either". Is the NFL supposed to say "that's OK, we will hand pick a team in one week to take your place"? This team has worked too hard, they know what they are facing, they know they have to move on

 

No they continue to give the Bills an "L" for forfeit until they decide to play.  If they forfeit even week one of the playoffs then thats the case.  There are answers and ways to do anything.  You might not like them but there are.  There is no "have to" do anything.

[zow2]

2 minutes ago, ArtVandalay said:

So Josh Allen plays the day after his grandmother died.

 

Many other athletes, like Brett Favre played a day after his dad died. 

 

Redskins played 2 days after Sean Taylor died. 

 

The league pushed pause for 1 weekend then resumed after 9/11 attacks.

 

The Bruins played 2 days after the marathon bombing.

 

...but the Bills need 2 weeks off for a teammate that suffered a medical emergency and is alive recovering in the hospital??

 

This is going too far.

 

Feel terrible for Hamlin and wish him a full recovery but spending weeks wallowing in self-pity is not healthy nor appropriate. Awful things happen in the course of life, things we wish never came upon us but that is not for us to decide, all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

 

I think the big differences are that the Bills players actually watched their teammate and friend heart stop in person, right there during their jobs. and it was very traumatic, definitely extremely traumatic for some of the guys.  We know how we all felt just sitting on our couches not knowing any of those guys.  Plus you have the event happen in a stand alone prime time game for the world to see.  And we now live in a social media world where a big event like this is magnified times a billion…and mental health is more important and more publicized than ever.

[Buffalo03]

4 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

 

No they continue to give the Bills an "L" for forfeit until they decide to play.  If they forfeit even week one of the playoffs then thats the case.  There are answers and ways to do anything.  You might not like them but there are.  There is no "have to" do anything.

I'm surprised so many people are just willing overlook everything this team has fought through this season and all the adversity they have faced to just throw it all away over this. The Team is not gonna wanna do that. Nor should they

[WotAGuy]

2 minutes ago, zow2 said:

 

I think the big differences are that the Bills players actually watched their teammate and friend heart stop in person, right there during their jobs. and it was very traumatic, definitely extremely traumatic for some of the guys.  We know how we all felt just sitting on our couches not knowing any of those guys.  Plus you have the event happen in a stand alone prime time game for the world to see.  And we now live in a social media world where a big event like this is magnified times a billion…and mental health is more important and more publicized than ever.

That’s all fine and good but @ArtVandalay says don’t be a puuuuusaaay

[UKBillFan]

9 minutes ago, ArtVandalay said:

So Josh Allen plays the day after his grandmother died.

 

Many other athletes, like Brett Favre played a day after his dad died. 

 

Redskins played 2 days after Sean Taylor died. 

 

The league pushed pause for 1 weekend then resumed after 9/11 attacks.

 

The Bruins played 2 days after the marathon bombing.

 

...but the Bills need 2 weeks off for a teammate that suffered a medical emergency and is alive recovering in the hospital??

 

This is going too far.

 

Feel terrible for Hamlin and wish him a full recovery but spending weeks wallowing in self-pity is not healthy nor appropriate. Awful things happen in the course of life, things we wish never came upon us but that is not for us to decide, all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

And it is for the players and coaching staff to decide. Not for any of us to decide for them.

[Scott7975]

5 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

I'm surprised so many people are just willing overlook everything this team has fought through this season and all the adversity they have faced to just throw it all away over this. The Team is not gonna wanna do that. Nor should they

 

Maybe they will and maybe they wont.  Thats not for you to decide how they deal with it.  Its for the people involved that Hamlin was like family to ,to decide.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Scott7975

[Buffalo03]

50 minutes ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

 

Read earlier in the thread and you'll see me saying that the Bills are going to play the game and that the NFL can't tolerate the franchise not doing it.  But it's the players who have the actual power here even if the team gets punished.

No ***** they have the power. That's never been up for debate but deep down they know they have to play. That's the point I've been trying to say this whole time

[UKBillFan]

1 minute ago, Buffalo03 said:

No ***** they have the power. That's never been up for debate but deep down they know they have to play. That's the point I've been trying to say this whole time

I think the Bills will play the Patriots. Will it be a full roster of available players? That I have doubts about.

[ArtVandalay]

8 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

That’s all fine and good but @ArtVandalay says don’t be a puuuuusaaay

At no point in anything I said could that remotely be a reasonable takeaway. It's a childish strawman.

[Buffalo03]

5 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

 

Maybe they will and maybe they wont.  Thats not for you to decide how they deal with it.  Its for the people involved that Hamlin was like family to ,to decide.

I never said it was up to me to decide

[Neo]

2 minutes ago, zow2 said:

 

I think the big differences are that the Bills players actually watched their teammate and friend heart stop in person, right there during their jobs. and it was very traumatic, definitely extremely traumatic for some of the guys.  We know how we all felt just sitting on our couches not knowing any of those guys.  Plus you have the event happen in a stand alone prime time game for the world to see.  And we now live in a social media world where a big event like this is magnified times a billion…and mental health is more important and more publicized than ever.

Every incident is different.   No two are the same.   I don’t think that truism is relevant to the post you quoted..    The relevant difference, instead, lies in the expectations each of us have in terms of dealing with overwhelming adversity and carrying on.

 

I expect a team of adult professionals to perform.   I composed that sentence deliberately to be unequivocal and not leave room for the lowering of expectations in light of obstacle or tragedy.   I can do this while at the same time feeling the overwhelming human emotions cited to lower expectations in light of adversity.   There are few moments in our long lives where being a human being is more rewarding than when we are pressing on, or watching others do the same.   birth to death, this is a struggle.   Some are greater than others.   Here’s to the people who say “I played a week later.”   Doing so honors Hamlin and doesn’t disrespect him.

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, Fan in San Diego said:

What if we play Cinci on Sunday instead of the Bellicheats? Isn't the Pats game a meaingless game anyways?

 

It's meaningful to a bunch of team's playoff hopes and seedings I believe.

[Milanos Milano]

1 hour ago, WotAGuy said:

Why can’t they?  What exactly is the driving force behind forcing them to play?  Other than “they have to”?

Because nearly everyone in existence does it. Our jobs expect us back within reasonable times, nobody is on bereavement. If people need time to console themselves, they can take personal time off and let the players that want to play, play. 

If you are in a fox hole and your comrade get’s blown up, you don’t sit in the corner of the trench and curl into a fetal position. Life demands us to keep moving forward, otherwise we de-evolve. 

[Neo]

14 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

That’s all fine and good but @ArtVandalay says don’t be a puuuuusaaay

Well, he sort of said that.   Not as colorfully as you, perhaps.   Now, no one loves colorful language more than me, but I’ll set it aside.   What he said, when I read his post, is that life in general and the sport in particular has examples of teams that suffered adversity and got to work quickly.

[WotAGuy]

4 minutes ago, Neo said:

Well, he sort of said that.   Not as colorfully as you, perhaps.   Now, no one loves colorful language more than me, but I’ll set it aside.   What he said, when I read his post, is that life in general and the sport in particular has examples of teams that suffered adversity and got to work quickly.

You talk real purdy. 

[UKBillFan]

2 minutes ago, IronMaidenBills said:

Because nearly everyone in existence does it. Our jobs expect us back within reasonable times, nobody is on bereavement. If people need time to console themselves, they can take personal time off and let the players that want to play, play. 

If you are in a fox hole and your comrade get’s blown up, you don’t sit in the corner of the trench and curl into a fetal position. Life demands us to keep moving forward, otherwise we de-evolve. 

I wish people would stop comparing NFL players to emergency workers or members of the armed forces. Massive credit to all who serve, but it comes with a completely different expectation to what is normal and abnormal. Sitting on backsides saying THEY MUST PLAY is hardly the kind of ‘support’ I expected from the majority of Bills fans considering what happened on Monday night. It feels akin to telling the players and coaching staff to man up and stop grizzling.

[Milanos Milano]

6 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

I wish people would stop comparing NFL players to emergency workers or members of the armed forces. Massive credit to all who serve, but it comes with a completely different expectation to what is normal and abnormal. Sitting on backsides saying THEY MUST PLAY is hardly the kind of ‘support’ I expected from the majority of Bills fans considering what happened on Monday night. It feels akin to telling the players and coaching staff to man up and stop grizzling.

NFL players play a violent game, they know the deal. I’ve literally seen accidents as a standard civilian (I’m not medical) where dead bodies are hanging out of a vehicle. It sucks, and I always wish their loved ones the best, but life goes on. You clean up the mess, and you would never know anything every happened. They must play or forfeit. You can’t hold the rest of the league back because you are scared to move forward. There are hundreds of sponsors, hundreds of workers that are dependent on game play (otherwise they can’t support their families). It’s not that we are heartless or we don’t care, many people care, but life doesn’t stop for anyone. 

Edited January 5, 2023 by IronMaidenBills

[Scott7975]

17 minutes ago, Buffalo03 said:

I never said it was up to me to decide

 

Yet you are trying to decide for them by saying "they have to play the game" and "the team is not going to want to throw that away."  How do you know what the players want to do?  You don't.