Buffalo Safety-Damar Hamlin is awake and **Bills at Bengals** Game has been Canceled (1 Viewer)

[psychobillies]

FWIW - Schefter reported this morning of chit-chat in NFL offices of this game having "bad mojo" and nobody seems to be advocating for a scenario to get this one played.

Bad MoJo? That's what a multi billion dollar corporation is going with? How bizarre.

Sorry we had some options, but our logistics team had some bad feelings about some magical powers affecting the game.

 

[Dizzy]

FWIW - Schefter reported this morning of chit-chat in NFL offices of this game having "bad mojo" and nobody seems to be advocating for a scenario to get this one played.

Bad MoJo? That's what a multi billion dollar corporation is going with? How bizarre.

Sorry we had some options, but our logistics team had some bad feelings about some magical powers affecting the game.

Nobody is "going with" anything... Schefter just reporting general feelings and jib-jab. No reason to jump into the "literally" pool here.

Maybe nobody wants any part of a game that constantly reminds them that a player is on life-support. Imagine the awkward silence every time Tee Higgins touches the ball.

 

[psychobillies]

FWIW - Schefter reported this morning of chit-chat in NFL offices of this game having "bad mojo" and nobody seems to be advocating for a scenario to get this one played.

Bad MoJo? That's what a multi billion dollar corporation is going with? How bizarre.

Sorry we had some options, but our logistics team had some bad feelings about some magical powers affecting the game.

Nobody is "going with" anything... Schefter just reporting general feelings and jib-jab. No reason to jump into the "literally" pool here.

Maybe nobody wants any part of a game that constantly reminds them that a player is on life-support. Imagine the awkward silence every time Tee Higgins touches the ball.

Why would there be awkward silence? Everyone expects that he will touch the ball. There will be intentional reminders of this before, during and after every game played. Every team will probably be wearing #3 patches, having moments of prayer or whatever specifically to remind them of this event. Cancelling because of mojo is just weird. If that's not what's happening, then great. I'm only responding to Shefter's report.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

If I were the Bills I would rather just forfeit Bengals game, forfeit Pats game. Strap up to host Baltimore with essentially 3.5 weeks off.

On the other hand, hard no to this. I'm okay with treating the Bengals game as a bizarre, once-in-a-generation one-off, but there's no good reason not to play week 18.

Agreed. All signs are that the young man's vitals are good. His teammates are still gonna be in bad places mentally but life does go on. They do have a job. Their next game is vs the Patriots and there should be no changes to that. If some players are still not ready to play that is certainly understandable and they should be made inactive. The game is a 3 hour distraction. Even if the poor young man takes a turn for the worst at some point the games need to go on and even Sunday is not too soon. People return to work after the death of a loved one all the time. I did after my daughter died. It absolutely sucks and I cried in the office several times but life does have to go on.

Thanks for sharing
Sorry we had any misunderstandings earlier
I lost my mom when I was 21, she was 46-cancer and I still had to show up to work, it's an awful feeling
I understand your POV and I'm sorry for the loss of your daughter, that had to be devastating

 

[massraider]

It would be nice to see some massive donations to his toy drive from these NFL owners

 

[SoBeDad]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

 

[jm192]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

 

[BobbyLayne]

It would be nice to see some massive donations to his toy drive from these NFL owners

@nfl Twitter account has #3 “pray for Damar” as their current logo

$5.5M match / 32 = $171,875

could probably find that in the couch cushions

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

I remember reading a great column years ago (might have been Richard Cohen) talking about how everyone always says the guy who died "would have wanted us to do X", and how X was invariably the thing they wanted to do anyway.

That said, when it comes to athletes it's probably true that they would want the games to go on

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Im surprised NFL hasnt made any declarations about the game beyond this week yet.

I'm kind of surprised, but not really. The league flew by the seat of its pants a couple of times during the pandemic, and I get the feeling that they're trying to do the same thing here. In other words, get through week 18, see how things shake out, and then decide what to do with Bills-Bengals after seeing what the full implications are. That's a ludicrous way of handling it it, but if they wanted to make an announcement, they could have easily done so yesterday and here we are.

My guess: They're hoping for more definitive news on Hamlin's condition. Specifically, they're hoping for good news. They don't want to announce everything's back to normal and then he takes a turn for the worse and passes away Sunday morning a couple hours before kickoff and they get attacked for being ghoulish and unfeeling. You know how when a guy has a major injury in-game and then gives the thumbs up as he's being wheeled off, which gives us all permission to get back to the game? They're waiting/hoping for the metaphorical equivalent of that.

Not defending that conduct, just saying that's how they may be thinking. But at some point I think they have to make the announcement. As I've said, conservative institutions like the NFL abhor uncertainty, and they're creating a lot of it by postponing the decision.

 

[The Duff Man]

Adding a playoff team turns tragedy into profit so I can totally see them doing that.

 

[jobarules]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

 

[Warhogs]

I get that this game was a match-up where both teams can be impacted by playoff seating but I wonder if both teams would rather have it cancelled and just go play the final week of the season. Asking these two playoff teams to cram this game in may do more harm to them than dropping from #2 to #3 in the playoff standings. I feel if the game is played you have to push out the playoff schedule to allow appropriate rest and recovery.

 

[Anarchy99]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

It could be weeks or months before doctors know the trajectory of Hamlin's recovery. At this point, there really shouldn't be a tie-in to his prognosis and the rest of the NFL season. They should be separated by now. I believe it was @BassNBrew many pages ago that asked whether the Bills would want this weekend's game postponed too if Hamlin was still in critical condition. Everyone is hoping for the best, but the league has games to play. BUF is only having a team meeting and a walkthrough today . . . not a full practice. At a certain point, the Bills are going to have to get on the field and play a game.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

As you get older, and you become more psychologically aware of how short life is, the idea that people are supposed to lock themselves in a dark room and put their life on hold as a normal response to tragedy becomes hard to take seriously. Spouses seem to always want the other spouse to go on with their life if they outlive them. If that holds for spouses, then it certainly holds for friends, coworkers, and acquaintances.

I assume that all of us have had coworkers die suddenly and unexpectedly. Everybody shows up for work at 8:00 am. You're sad and do a lot of reminiscing, but life goes on. That's a good model that we should keep.

 

[SoBeDad]

It would be nice to see some massive donations to his toy drive from these NFL owners

@nfl Twitter account has #3 “pray for Damar” as their current logo

$5.5M match / 32 = $171,875

could probably find that in the couch cushions

Brady with 10k. Kraft with 18,003 - 18 meaning life or luck for many Jews, and 3 for Hamlin. Pocket change, but a nice gesture.

Now over $6,000,00. The family says they will announce in time how the funds will be spent. I'm thinking toys like computers for deprived children. Maybe a high quality early education center. The family has options.

https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1610477513725169666?s=20&t=dvhhdyZsyFp95mDlU43wJg

 

[IvanKaramazov]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

It could be weeks or months before doctors know the trajectory of Hamlin's recovery. At this point, there really shouldn't be a tie-in to his prognosis and the rest of the NFL season. They should be separated by now. I believe it was @BassNBrew many pages ago that asked whether the Bills would want this weekend's game postponed too if Hamlin was still in critical condition. Everyone is hoping for the best, but the league has games to play. BUF is only having a team meeting and a walkthrough today . . . not a full practice. At a certain point, the Bills are going to have to get on the field and play a game.

Strongly agree. It's one thing for people to be traumatized by something that they just saw happen right in front of them literally just then. After you get past the initial shock, this is just life. Players and other 20-somethings are killed in car accidents, murdered, drowned, drop dead from heart attacks, etc. from time to time. All of these things are tragic, but we all rightly understand that we move on.

I know the Bills have turned off media access for the time being, which strikes me as completely fine and appropriate. But they should absolutely be installing a game plan.

 

[belljr]

Read reports that he had a positive improvement this morning.

 

[jm192]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

It could be weeks or months before doctors know the trajectory of Hamlin's recovery. At this point, there really shouldn't be a tie-in to his prognosis and the rest of the NFL season. They should be separated by now. I believe it was @BassNBrew many pages ago that asked whether the Bills would want this weekend's game postponed too if Hamlin was still in critical condition. Everyone is hoping for the best, but the league has games to play. BUF is only having a team meeting and a walkthrough today . . . not a full practice. At a certain point, the Bills are going to have to get on the field and play a game.

Typically the question is whether or not there's an anoxic brain injury. They'll have an idea of that within the 1st 72 hours or so.

To the larger point, you're right. The league will have to go on, and the Bills need to be ready to play Sunday.

 

[barackdhouse]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

As you get older, and you become more psychologically aware of how short life is, the idea that people are supposed to lock themselves in a dark room and put their life on hold as a normal response to tragedy becomes hard to take seriously. Spouses seem to always want the other spouse to go on with their life if they outlive them. If that holds for spouses, then it certainly holds for friends, coworkers, and acquaintances.

I assume that all of us have had coworkers die suddenly and unexpectedly. Everybody shows up for work at 8:00 am. You're sad and do a lot of reminiscing, but life goes on. That's a good model that we should keep.

My ten cents (and I haven't been reading this thread until here but choosing to jump in anyway).

I've lost both my parents, all my grandparents, a very close cousin committed suicide when we were teenagers, a couple of friends have done so as well, I've lost a couple friends to drunk drivers, and I've dug a couple different holes in the ground for a couple of beloved pets of ours.

Everybody deals with grief differently, but in my humble experiences, the pain or stress of it is twofold. The first is the obvious emotional emptiness and loss, but the second, and in some cases more difficult, is the harsh reality of the logistics involved when these things happen.

Life does actually go on regardless of where you're at in your grief. Phone calls need to be made and taken. Decisions have to be made. The sun rises and you must eat food and do normal routine things. That may sound trivial but if you've been devastated by a big loss it becomes crucial to navigate this stuff.

Anyway, not trying to make it about me but my point is that you don't actually get the choice to ignore the realities and logistics of the day. And that can be more difficult than the loss itself (at moments). These guys are gonna have to play this weekend.

But I can't imagine holding it against any of them if they didn't feel up to it. It's a no win scenario for everybody.

All that said, latest reports are positive that Hamlin may turn it around. Sure hope so. I'm not here to get into anything. Just adding my perspective as someone that has lived through tons of trauma and death, it not only is ok to talk about things like payouts and boxscores, but it is necessary. And shouldn't be thought of as insensitive. And in the real NFL world the Bills players and staff will have to come to grips with this harsh reality.

 

[GroveDiesel]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

It could be weeks or months before doctors know the trajectory of Hamlin's recovery. At this point, there really shouldn't be a tie-in to his prognosis and the rest of the NFL season. They should be separated by now. I believe it was @BassNBrew many pages ago that asked whether the Bills would want this weekend's game postponed too if Hamlin was still in critical condition. Everyone is hoping for the best, but the league has games to play. BUF is only having a team meeting and a walkthrough today . . . not a full practice. At a certain point, the Bills are going to have to get on the field and play a game.

Strongly agree. It's one thing for people to be traumatized by something that they just saw happen right in front of them literally just then. After you get past the initial shock, this is just life. Players and other 20-somethings are killed in car accidents, murdered, drowned, drop dead from heart attacks, etc. from time to time. All of these things are tragic, but we all rightly understand that we move on.

I know the Bills have turned off media access for the time being, which strikes me as completely fine and appropriate. But they should absolutely be installing a game plan.

They were reported to be doing a walkthrough practice today in preparation for the Patriots game.

 

[The Duff Man]

Everyone knows the Bills are playing as scheduled on Sunday right?

 

[Rubi]

Haven't read every post here so I apologize if this was mentioned before. Kudos to the individuals who were the first to get to Mr. Hamlin when he went down. Any trainers,team medical staff,independent medical people,emt's. From what I understand they got his heart beating after it had stopped and continued whatever treatment they could provide on the spot until he was driven away in the ambulance. I'm not sure they have been given the props they deserve.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Everyone knows the Bills are playing as scheduled on Sunday right?

Seems obvious, but I've seen quite a few fans at TBD argue for forfeiting this game. Or at least saying that they would be okay with forfeiting it. Needless to say, I am not on board with that at all.

Edit: It might be tempting to write that off as a bunch of stupid fans on a message board, but then there's Troy Vincent who is not a stupid fan.

 

[Anarchy99]

Everyone knows the Bills are playing as scheduled on Sunday right?

Seems obvious, but I've seen quite a few fans at TBD argue for forfeiting this game. Or at least saying that they would be okay with forfeiting it. Needless to say, I am not on board with that at all.

Edit: It might be tempting to write that off as a bunch of stupid fans on a message board, but then there's Troy Vincent who is not a stupid fan.

Here in the Boston region, the media keeps saying the game is still scheduled but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s a sure thing. Even some members of the national media are suggesting there is some level of uncertainty on whether the BUF-NE game will go on as scheduled.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Everyone knows the Bills are playing as scheduled on Sunday right?

Seems obvious, but I've seen quite a few fans at TBD argue for forfeiting this game. Or at least saying that they would be okay with forfeiting it. Needless to say, I am not on board with that at all.

Edit: It might be tempting to write that off as a bunch of stupid fans on a message board, but then there's Troy Vincent who is not a stupid fan.

Here in the Boston region, the media keeps saying the game is still scheduled but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s a sure thing. Even some members of the national media are suggesting there is some level of uncertainty on whether the BUF-NE game will go on as scheduled.

I guess it's not enough for Bills and Bengals to have their schedules messed up. We need to get the Patriots and Dolphins involved in this cluster too apparently.

Edit: Sorry Jets fans -- maybe next year!

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Everyone knows the Bills are playing as scheduled on Sunday right?

Seems obvious, but I've seen quite a few fans at TBD argue for forfeiting this game. Or at least saying that they would be okay with forfeiting it. Needless to say, I am not on board with that at all.

Edit: It might be tempting to write that off as a bunch of stupid fans on a message board, but then there's Troy Vincent who is not a stupid fan.

Here in the Boston region, the media keeps saying the game is still scheduled but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s a sure thing. Even some members of the national media are suggesting there is some level of uncertainty on whether the BUF-NE game will go on as scheduled.

Say what now?

If any of this is true and not just media haters of the NFL trying to disrupt things
But if this is in fact true, that is going to open up a whole new conversation of mental wellness in the NFL
Good, Bad, For or Against, that is simply not something most are going to want to believe
I have serious doubts this would truly happen but I can see them allowing the idea/thought to float in the media, especially by those that would welcome chaos here as the Playoffs start

Different scenario but Miami lost a well loved well respected family man with young children and a beautiful wife, Jason Jenkins was our Senior Vice President, 47 years old
Heartbreaking loss for anyone involved and those who knew him which was most of the team apparently, happened right as the season was starting

Mike McDaniel Reacts To Dolphins' Heartbreaking Front Office Loss

The Miami Dolphins suffered a tragic loss this weekend with the death of senior vice president Jason Jenkins. Jenkins, who had worked with the organization

thespun.com

 

[Anarchy99]

Everyone knows the Bills are playing as scheduled on Sunday right?

Seems obvious, but I've seen quite a few fans at TBD argue for forfeiting this game. Or at least saying that they would be okay with forfeiting it. Needless to say, I am not on board with that at all.

Edit: It might be tempting to write that off as a bunch of stupid fans on a message board, but then there's Troy Vincent who is not a stupid fan.

Here in the Boston region, the media keeps saying the game is still scheduled but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s a sure thing. Even some members of the national media are suggesting there is some level of uncertainty on whether the BUF-NE game will go on as scheduled.

Say what now?

If any of this is true and not just media haters of the NFL trying to disrupt things
But if this is in fact true, that is going to open up a whole new conversation of mental wellness in the NFL
Good, Bad, For or Against, that is simply not something most are going to want to believe
I have serious doubts this would truly happen but I can see them allowing the idea/thought some real air in the media, especially by those that would welcome chaos here as the Playoffs start

Different scenario but Miami lost a well loved well respected family man with young children and a beautiful wife, Jason Jenkins was our Senior Vice President, 47 years old
Heartbreaking loss for anyone involved and those who knew him which was most of the team apparently, happened right as the season was starting

Mike McDaniel Reacts To Dolphins' Heartbreaking Front Office Loss

The Miami Dolphins suffered a tragic loss this weekend with the death of senior vice president Jason Jenkins. Jenkins, who had worked with the organization

thespun.com

Don't know if you clicked on the link to the tweet I responded to, but it was a ProFootballTalk tweet saying "NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent doesn't rule out the possibility of postponing Patriots-Bills game on Sunday. He said the overall well-being of the Buffalo players and coaches will guide the league's decision-making process."

 

[amnesiac]

maybe i'm cynical, but my guess is that any talk of postponing games this weekend is just lip service by the NFL to appear "sensitive."

Friday there will be a statement released that the games are going on as scheduled stating something to the effect of "This is what the teams involved decided was best to move forward."

 

[Miro Z]

Troy Vincent is not really a decision maker, despite his title. His job as a former player is to say stuff that resonates with the players and not to be a Park Avenue suit. His pronouncements should not be taken as gospel truth.

 

[Terminalxylem]

It would be nice to see some massive donations to his toy drive from these NFL owners

Also would be great if fantasy football proceeds were forfeited to the charity. Since there’s no “fair” solution anyway, at least some kids can benefit.

 

[Bozeman Bruiser]

What's the big deal moving the playoffs out one week? You would just have one week before the Super Bowl instead of two.

The only thing that would be affected would be the Peyton Manning Fun Fest in Vegas (formerly known as the Pro Bowl). Instead of having the weekend to themselves for media coverage they would share the stage with the Conference Championship games. For the teams participating in the Super Bowl and the media, the travel and events of Super Week never started until Monday of that week anyways.

Currently there is only one game with a designated date and time after this Sunday, the Super Bowl. Nobody knows when or where each playoff game will take place, no tickets have been sold, every stadium already has those dates blocked out in case their team makes a Super Bowl run.

Logistically there are very few hurdles to pushing the playoffs back a week other than maybe TV contracts/scheduling.

All that being said, replaying the Bills-Bengals game week 19 would only have consequences for the Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, and Ravens I believe. Depending how week 18 goes it could not even affect the #1 seed and bye, only who gets the 2/3/4/5 seeds. Scheduling and playing a make up game week 19 might actually be more logistically (and emotionally) challenging than postponing the playoffs a week.

Unless the Bills decide that playing that game is important, I predict the NFL just cancels it and goes with winning % to sort out seeding for the AFC.

 

[Bozeman Bruiser]

Also would be great if fantasy football proceeds were forfeited to the charity. Since there’s no “fair” solution anyway, at least some kids can benefit.

I scrolled through the top donors on the GoFundMe page last night and there were quite a few "xxxx league" donations of $1000-$1200, which sounds about right for a $100 x 12 team league.

 

[Terminalxylem]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

It could be weeks or months before doctors know the trajectory of Hamlin's recovery. At this point, there really shouldn't be a tie-in to his prognosis and the rest of the NFL season. They should be separated by now. I believe it was @BassNBrew many pages ago that asked whether the Bills would want this weekend's game postponed too if Hamlin was still in critical condition. Everyone is hoping for the best, but the league has games to play. BUF is only having a team meeting and a walkthrough today . . . not a full practice. At a certain point, the Bills are going to have to get on the field and play a game.

It really shouldn’t take that long. Assuming he’s comatose, there are prognostic clues/tests at 72 hours which can help predict his likelihood of meaningful recovery. Those get pushed back a couple days if he’s been placed on a hypothermia protocol. Sedation for ventilation may also impact the timeline. Regardless, we should have some idea by the weekend.

The lack of information thus far may purely be in the name of privacy, of course. But if this goes on longer than a few more days, I’d assume his trajectory is poor.

 

[renesauz]

Some updates from ESPN reporter Coley Harvey this morning:

-Hamlin still in ICU sedated and in critical condition

-Cleared up miscommunication and said that Hamlin was only revived the one time at the stadium and didn’t have to be revived again at the hospital

-Per Jordon (Damar’s friend and one of his reps) and Damar’s family, doctors overnight got promising readings that they had been hoping to see by this morning. Jordon couldn’t go into specifics, but progress appears to be made.

I'm reading lung damage from the resuscitations

"Hamlin's uncle Dorrian Glenn said: 'Right now there's just trying to get him to breathe better. Right now he's on a ventilator just to help with the breathing."

Don't read too much into this as it was relayed from a non medical person. It's hardly surprising he's still on a ventilator. Once we place someone on one, we are very conservative in general to take it back out...generally looking for strong signs of neuro recovery and a proven ability to breathe without support.

 

[renesauz]

I'm reading lung damage from the resuscitations

What is the link for that?

Not my favorite sports source Joe but here you go

Damar Hamlin's family reveal Bills player has suffered 'lung damage'

Damar Hamlin's family representative has revealed that the Buffalo Bills player made 'progress' in intensive care overnight, and doctors took 'promising readings' on his health.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Again....not particularly meaningful to those who understand how these things typically go.

 

[renesauz]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

It could be weeks or months before doctors know the trajectory of Hamlin's recovery. At this point, there really shouldn't be a tie-in to his prognosis and the rest of the NFL season. They should be separated by now. I believe it was @BassNBrew many pages ago that asked whether the Bills would want this weekend's game postponed too if Hamlin was still in critical condition. Everyone is hoping for the best, but the league has games to play. BUF is only having a team meeting and a walkthrough today . . . not a full practice. At a certain point, the Bills are going to have to get on the field and play a game.

It really shouldn’t take that long. Assuming he’s comatose, there are prognostic clues/tests at 72 hours which can help predict his likelihood of meaningful recovery. Those get pushed back a couple days if he’s been placed on a hypothermia protocol. Sedation for ventilation may also impact the timeline. Regardless, we should have some idea by the weekend.

The lack of information thus far may purely be in the name of privacy, of course. But if this goes on longer than a few more days, I’d assume his trajectory is poor.

concur. His nurses and immediate doctors probably have a very good idea, but most providers are slow to provide definitive prognostications until they are sure. They'll say things like, "these things are good signs but we aren't sure yet" or....."we're waiting and hoping to see these things happen soon". Not many will say...."this is a terrible sign, prepare for the worst"

 

[renesauz]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

Problem is....he's not currently ok, and there's a significantly non-zero chance that he won't be ok. It's very common for folks to have long lasting and sometimes significant debilitations after something like this. Life with severe brain damage is still on the table.

 

[renesauz]

In situations similar to this, which is a unique situation, there's usually someone saying "he would want everyone to carry on with their lives." I don't expect to hear that from the family given that Hamlin is fighting for his life. But I bet if Hamlin could communicate right now, he would say "play ball."

1000%.

I think people want to know he's ok before getting back on the field.

That could take awhile though

It could be weeks or months before doctors know the trajectory of Hamlin's recovery. At this point, there really shouldn't be a tie-in to his prognosis and the rest of the NFL season. They should be separated by now. I believe it was @BassNBrew many pages ago that asked whether the Bills would want this weekend's game postponed too if Hamlin was still in critical condition. Everyone is hoping for the best, but the league has games to play. BUF is only having a team meeting and a walkthrough today . . . not a full practice. At a certain point, the Bills are going to have to get on the field and play a game.

No completely true...Doctors will have a terrific idea before the weekend. Whether or not family ACCEPTS that is a different story if the news isn't so great. Families often struggle mightily to accept that their loved one will never again be right or normal again.

 

[belljr]

Taylor put the 5 minute thing to rest. Said there was no direction and the referees did a great job just stepping back to let teams process

 

[pokin]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

 

[skinsrule05]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

That's ridiculous:
1. There is no way they would leave a game to be decided by ping pong balls. Either they play, or they don't
2. Can you imagine the flack the NFL would get if they decided to base decisions on Vegas gambling lines?

 

[Anarchy99]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

I coached football for years. Anything that decides the winner other than on the field of play is a non-starter. Coin toss, ping pong balls, etc. doesn’t cut it for me. Same thing with winning percentage. Just play out the game. It should not be that traumatic by this point.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

Sounds risky

 

[pokin]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

That's ridiculous:
1. There is no way they would leave a game to be decided by ping pong balls. Either they play, or they don't
2. Can you imagine the flack the NFL would get if they decided to base decisions on Vegas gambling lines?

1. A coin toss is one of the tie breakers to determine division winners and seeding
2. Not that it matters but I imagine the betting websites use win probability to set the live betting lines. My apologies. I should have said win probability instead of “betting websites”.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

Bills fan. Cool with that. I'd just do a coin toss, but I'm not going to sweat 50-50 vs. 57-43. That's better than trying to replay the game.

 

[babydemon90]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

There is 0 percent chance of that happening.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I coached football for years. Anything that decides the winner other than on the field of play is a non-starter. Coin toss, ping pong balls, etc. doesn’t cut it for me. Same thing with winning percentage. Just play out the game. It should not be that traumatic by this point.

Well, then we should have played the game out on Monday night. Before we all hit the pause button, we should have looked ahead to consider how this might play out. The easiest and best scenario is a coin flip. If that's unacceptable, then play the game as scheduled. If that's not acceptable, live with the coin flip. Pick one.

 

[Anarchy99]

I coached football for years. Anything that decides the winner other than on the field of play is a non-starter. Coin toss, ping pong balls, etc. doesn’t cut it for me. Same thing with winning percentage. Just play out the game. It should not be that traumatic by this point.

Well, then we should have played the game out on Monday night. Before we all hit the pause button, we should have looked ahead to consider how this might play out. The easiest and best scenario is a coin flip. If that's unacceptable, then play the game as scheduled. If that's not acceptable, live with the coin flip. Pick one.

Both coaches (and the league and the NFLPA) agreed that the players on the field on Monday night were too upset and distracted to play a meaningful game of football. They also concluded there would be a higher chance of additional injuries due to a lack of focus and concentration. That’s why they didn’t finish the game. There shouldn’t be residual grief to prevent either team from playing football at this point.

People can’t make that big of a deal should they change the playoff schedule. No one knows who plays whom, where, and what times. No one has reservations that have to be changed. The only ones with a gripe would be the TV networks, and the league will probably give them an incentive to agree to move the dates.

IMO, pushing the first three rounds of the playoffs back a week is not that big a deal. Play BUF and CIN, have legit playoffs seeds with everyone having played the same number of games, and move onto the post season.

 

[pokin]

Can’t remember if I saw this idea on this thread or on the bengals forum I go to but to me it seems to be the most fair and least disruptive. Admittedly I’m a bengals fan and was at the game so may be blinded by my bias but would love to hear your thoughts.

According to the betting websites, at that point in the game the bengals had a 57% chance to win. Get 100 ping pong balls, 57 in orange and 43 in blue. Mix them up and pick one. That team is the winner and the other is the loser. Game is decided with no schedule interruptions, taking into account what had happened up to that point in the game, and with as little screwing over of all teams as possible. Everyone still has a chance at all seeds, ravens still have a chance at the north division, kc doesn’t get an unfair advantage nor screwed out of a possible 1 seed. Buffalo still gets a chance at the 1 seed and a chance to keep the 2 even if they lose this weekend. The bengals get a chance at the 1 or the 2 seed and even have a shot to end up as the wildcard. All of those things are exactly as they would have been if one of the two teams won Monday night. With no pushing back the playoffs or making teams play on short rest or getting an extra bye.

Thoughts?

There is 0 percent chance of that happening.

Agreed. Still think it’s the best overall solution.