Elephant in the room. Damar Hamlin

[BillsfaninSB]

I hate the you can only dress 48 rule.  Let them all dress.  I know the rule is to try and create a level playing field so no one has an advantage by having an extra player or two due to less injuries but allow them to bring up a PS player.  Give everyone an opportunity to play.  I think less injuries would occur if Damar could take a few reps to let others rest.  Especially in garbage time if the game is a blowout. 

[Goin Breakdown]

2 things we never miss out on opportunity. Critiquing our Bills and calling each other stupid for it. 

[JaCrispy]

9 minutes ago, JohninMinn. said:

More to life and football then a feel good story. Glad he’s ok but if he can’t play why waste a roster spot?

I have said, for a while now, that he was not a very good player, and that he probably should have been cut after training camp…

 

Given his sensitive situation, though, I understand why the team might have felt obligated to keep him on the roster…Can you imagine the PR nightmare for cutting a guy that literally died for your team?

[Bangarang]

Of all the things to be critical about you chose this? Stupid

[BuffBillsForLife]

Damar is in fact not very good.  But if you're going to carry a guy on the 53 just because of optics having him be your 4th safety isn't bad.

[gobills1212]

31 minutes ago, JohninMinn. said:

More to life and football then a feel good story. Glad he’s ok but if he can’t play why waste a roster spot?

This post doubles as both silly and an insight to the posters football acumen.  Respectfully, I feel like if this was a genuine question, people would have been much more likely to provide a genuine answer if it wasnt tinged as a slight at the front office.

Edited October 27, 2023 by gobills1212

[Beck Water]

36 minutes ago, JohninMinn. said:

More to life and football then a feel good story. Glad he’s ok but if he can’t play why waste a roster spot?

 

What the ***** did I just read?  There is no elephant.

 

Damar Hamlin is a backup safety.  He was a backup safety last season, and started/developed into decent after Micah Hyde was injured.  This season, he's behind Jordan Poyer and Taylor Rapp (who did start on a Superbowl team...) on the depth chart, so he's 3rd up instead of 2nd up.  Cam Lewis is active on game days, not because he's really a better safety than Hamlin, but because he 's the primary backup for nickel corner as well as a backup at CB and safety - for depth, versatility gives a guy an edge for a game-day hat.

 

If Hamlin couldn't play, he wouldn't have a roster spot and they would have kept one of the safeties they cut - Jared Madden, or Dean Marlowe, or Zayne Anderson OR signed someone else.

 

Edited October 27, 2023 by Beck Water

[stinky finger]

33 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Hes a backup safety.  You realize there are backups at every position right?  They are on the roster but hopefully they never see the field.

Cut everyone but the starting 22!

Besides a healthy rotation of D linemen, a McD staple, I mostly agree. 

[Logic]

This isn't rocket science.

The Bills have five safeties on their roster.

Hyde and Poyer start. Rapp plays in three-safety sets and is next man up likely at both safety positions. Cam Lewis, the fourth safety, is a standout special teams player and provides positional versatility that Hamlin doesn't offer.

Hamlin is a pure free safety. He doesn't play nickel corner like Cam Lewis. He's not as good a special teamer as Lewis. Ergo, he will be inactive most of the year unless injuries hit at safety.

This happens across the league. Not every player gets to be active every week. Why aren't you asking if Alec Anderson or Germain Ifehdi deserve to be on the team?

[stinky finger]

10 minutes ago, JaCrispy said:

I have said, for a while now, that he was not a very good player, and that he probably should have been cut after training camp…

 

Given his sensitive situation, though, I understand why the team might have felt obligated to keep him on the roster…Can you imagine the PR nightmare for cutting a guy that literally died for your team?

Wait - what?

 

He died for our team?

[muppy]

OP assumes the Bills kept Damar Hamlin for optics not football ability alone. That he didn't earn his spot

 

I think that is an insulting take to Damar AND the Bills to be honest. IT"S A BUSINESS. 

 

and the Bills are not in the business of keeping inferior talent. 

 

**failure gong***

[Beast]

Are you calling Damar Hamlin an elephant?

Edited October 27, 2023 by Beast

[juno999]

57 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

A bunch of sissies. Cut it to 11, and go full iron man!

So I'm guessing Diggs is the punter but who kicks?

[I'm Spartacus]

1 hour ago, hellofellowbillsfans said:

i swear we have the angriest fan base known to man. i think people just sit around all day and pick different random things to be angry at

Can everyone get off their soapbox about piSsed off fans and posts?! To me it was a legitimate question about a roster spot. Yes, it's a touchy subject but c'mon. Every anti Bills post (to some), doesn't have to be over scrutinized and abusive to the poster does it?

30 minutes ago, muppy said:

OP assumes the Bills kept Damar Hamlin for optics not football ability alone. That he didn't earn his spot

 

I think that is an insulting take to Damar AND the Bills to be honest. IT"S A BUSINESS. 

 

and the Bills are not in the business of keeping inferior talent. 

 

**failure gong***

I think that is a bad take on the OP

[hellofellowbillsfans]

6 minutes ago, I'm Spartacus said:

Can everyone get off their soapbox about piSsed off fans and posts?! To me it was a legitimate question about a roster spot. Yes, it's a touchy subject but c'mon. Every anti Bills post (to some), doesn't have to be over scrutinized and abusive to the poster does it?

I think that is a bad take on the OP

LOL that my response is "abusive" to the OP

[BuffaloBillyG]

So, let's fire Alec Anderson into the sun as well. Hoser hasn't been active all season. 

[mbossman2]

Ever heard of "doing the right thing"?

 

To be a vested NFL player, you need to have 3 credited seasons. So far he has 2. 

 

Keeping him on the roster gets to be a fully vested NFL player which has certain bennies, among the biggest is health insurance. 

 

Think this isn't important? 

 

If you are a player who has 2 offers that are basically the same and one team is a class act and takes care of it players and the other team kicks players  to the curb to free up a roster spot for....reasons. Which team are you going to sign with? 

 

Players talk. They know the good organizations from the meh organizations from the bad organizations. Players want to get paid yes but they also have a need to not feel like a piece of meat who will get thrown out like yesterday's garbage. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

25 minutes ago, I'm Spartacus said:

Can everyone get off their soapbox about piSsed off fans and posts?! To me it was a legitimate question about a roster spot. Yes, it's a touchy subject but c'mon. Every anti Bills post (to some), doesn't have to be over scrutinized and abusive to the poster does it?

I think that is a bad take on the OP

So, it's ok for posters to over scrutinize the Bills...but not ok to over scrutinize posters opinions on the over scrutinization? 

[zow2]

I like Damar, I just don't think he can cover worth a lick.  But I would not be in favor of releasing him.  He's a good man, it would be bad PR, bad mojo, bad everything. Allow him to be a backup, get vested in whatever he needs to for NFL insurance reasons, and maybe he can suit up again sometime this season.

[BBFL]

Speaking of your feel good story about Damar, a fish fan who is an extreme bettor and I had a conversation at work the other day as to potential “Comeback Player of the Year” award which he was going to bet on. He mentioned Damar is odds on favorite to win the award and believes he should have no shot at it if he doesn’t play. I begged to differ. Apparently that’s Bills fan bias. 
 

Whilst I don’t think he will play, unless we lose both safeties this year as Rapp will likely fill in, he still just came back from literally dying on a football field 10 months ago.

That, at least to me, is one incredible comeback in a physical sport.