I did not see the play live, but I started getting texts during the CPR. I got home asap to see the situation with Damar Hamlin.
Apparently, the CPR stabilized him then and there on the field. That was very good news. While he is still in critical condition, we can all be grateful to the staff that revived him and hope for the best in his recovery.
Putting our hearts aside for a moment, the NFL now has a gigantic mess to untangle. It’s unrealistic to think that this game will just be forgotten. There are too many ramifications to 30 other franchises for the NFL to ignore the scheduling nightmare it now faces. At some point (probably going on now behind the scenes) they will need to rule on the schedule.
When Tua was out cold and violently convulsing on the turf in this same Bengal Stadium, and while he was being carefully loaded into the ambulance, the NFL basically told the Dolphins to “Put your substitute in there. It’s third down.” At no time in NFL history was there any precedent for a team to walk away from the game to gather their emotions and get the backups ready to resume the game another day.
The Bills were obviously worried about the health of their friend, just as the Dolphins were worried about Tua. And just as the Jets were devastated when Dennis Byrd was paralyzed on the field. Violent, worrisome, heartbreaking injuries are part of the game, and Hamlin will be remembered perhaps as the most devastating of all. Let’s hope he pulls through and this has a happy ending.
The NFL will eventually figure this out. There are too many theories out there to speculate. I’ve heard everything from making the Bills forfeit the game to resuming the game this Sunday and postponing the other games until Jan 15. Who knows what the NFL will decide.
No matter what, it sets a very interesting precedent moving forward…What type of injury will make it acceptable to cancel a game? A devastating concussion or a paralyzed player or a stopped heart or a Joe Thiesman bone gashing through his leg? The NFL has some decisions to consider.
Yes, Crazy implications for the NFL schedule going fwd.
On a serious note, I have not seen the play, i am hoping for full Hamlin recovery, but it was a very severe heart event.
On a joking note, I am half-expecting to see this headline “NFL cancels season, awards Super Bowl 57 ring to Tom Brady”
The NFL has now officially said that the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week and that the rest of the Week 18 Schedule will proceed as normal. The logistical nightmare not only continues, but the league has made it worse.
Yes very bizarre situation every football player said this is different as broken bones concussions etc…are one thing but this is possibly death. No way they can play it this week. Best solution if you want to keep status quo is to play week 18 as normal push the playoffs back one week and get that game in beforehand. Teams like Miami would welcome an extra week off if they happen to get in. Either way I hope that Hamlin is ok very sad to see that.
With the injury to Hamlin, the media has finally taken a break from scrutinizing the Dolphins and the handling of Tua’s concussion. No matter how many tests Tua passes, and no matter how strictly the Dolphins obey every protocol, the criticism has been unrelenting. Now the media can focus on something else for a few days as Hamlin recovers.
Yet the media didn’t say jack shit about Pickett playing for the steelers after two concussions. Too many hypocrites out there plus massive hate for Tua. Still not sure why that is maybe a bama thing?
I didn’t see the details, but I guess Nick Foles was quivering and convulsing after a hard hit last Sunday. The rest of the Colts played on and fought for their injured friend. I don’t know if the NFL gave them the opportunity to walk away and postpone the game, but a serious head/neck injury like that would certainly affect the Colts’ mindset and make them play distracted while thinking of their friend, like the Dolphins did when Tua was rushed away in an ambulance.
“Too many hypocrites out there plus massive hate for Tua. Still not sure why that is maybe a bama thing?”
Nah FLYERFINFAN… the media probably didn’t wanna assume that they wouldn’t be attacked like those policemen who thought that when that rightwing mob of STORM TROOPERS did when they stormed the Capitol Building in WA DC for Trump in Jan 2021.
Regarding the re-scheduling, I’m trying to think of what they can do to make it fair for ALL teams, and with the playoffs scheduled for the following weekend (Wild-Cards and division winners)
I’m just not coming up with any scenario that would work. Anyone have any ideas ?
I just get the feeling that the fins will get screwed – somehow, someway – it ALWAYS happens and we all know this. The well-known doormats of the league await their appointed punishment – yet again.
Somehow, some way, I think AJ is onto something and the Dolphins will have some disadvantage foisted upon them.
The bottom line is we still have to beat the Jets with our 3rd-string QB and with a defense that is reeling and not making stops when we need them most. Then we need the Bills to beat the Pats. Will the Bills even care about this game? Or will Mr. Hamlin be on their minds and they play unfocused? Bill Belichik will take advantage of every distraction.
Also…I was reading that the Chiefs are now screwed (slightly), because if the Bills-Bengals game were completed, thn KC would already know if they have to win to achieve #1 seed, or could they play for a tie. Ties are uncommon, but late into overtime and you have the ball…knowing you can take a knee to earn the yourself a bye? I’d settle for a tie 100% of the time.
Speaking of which…If the Pats lose earlier than our game ends, and we’re in OT vs. the Jets, then we can play for the tie. but only if we see that NEP have already lost.
I’m not worried about the Bills not winning. They’ll be more rested and they will want to win for their injured warrior. What I’m worried about is us beating the Jets. Let’s be honest. The Jets have been the most impressive team in our division this year. I for sure thought they’d have only a 3-4 win season.
The Jets WERE impressive in October, just like the Dolphins. Since then, we are both cellar-dwellars. Dolphins won 3 lost 3 won 5 lost 5. How about another 5-game win streak now to end out the season.
I still think we are better off with Teddy on Sunday if he can grip a ball. I think we’re better off with Tua if he clears protocol. Like the depth chart says, Skylar Thompson is the third option. BUT….it makes me sad to see unknown QBs like we just saw in San Fran vs. the Raiders. I’m too lazy too look up their names, but both of them put up 30+ points against good defenses. Sooooo many backup QBs come in and take over a game (or a season). We can never find one. 🙁 The kid in Baltimore who took over for an injured Lamar Jackson is not outstanding, but he has his team in the playoffs. Teddy couldn’t even beat a 7-8 team and instead threw the ball right to them for a pick 6.
We have a history of horrible backup qbs. I really miss Matt Moore.
Saw a report that the NFL is in contact with the Bills to gauge their mindset about playing the Bengals makeup game or about even playing this weekend. It’s an unprecedented situation where a team doesn’t have to play if their minds and hearts are thinking about an injured teammate.
This may work.
https://twitter.com/ThePoniExpress/status/1610741678486192161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1610741678486192161%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=
Interesting that the AFC teams would get a Bye week in that scenario
From what I’m reading, they are leaning toward canceling the game and just using winning percentage for playoff seedings. This is inherently unfair to the Bengals, who (as of now) are alive for the #1 or #2 seed. But if the game is cancelled, they will be stuck at #3. Tough spot for the Bengals. The media and public perception will roast them alive if they say anything along the lines of “This is unfair. ” The public will say that the Bengals don’t care about Damar Hamlin.
Agreed. They are also talking about neutral site playoff games how the hell is that fair to the fans? All of this BS because they want a bye week before the bowl? Now if Buffalo or Cinci say we don’t want to play then they forfeit I’m fine with that. But to screw other teams makes no sense. Forfeit or play in week 19 simple solution.
We all know whatever they decide it will screw the Fins so it doesn’t matter from our end…
It sounded heartless at first…but now that 3 days have gone by, there’s a lot more chatter out there among fans of the 31 other teams, essentially saying, “I know it was a scary injury, but why were the Bills simply allowed to say, ‘We are too distracted and don’t want to play.'” A lot of fans, not even Dolphin fans, are leaving comments like “Tua got knocked out cold and was rushed into an ambulance, but the Dolphins played on.” Or “Nick Foles was laid out and convulsing in seizures on the field, but the Colts stayed.” This leads to fan arguments I’m seeing now, about heart attacks vs. concussions vs. paralysis, etc. What type of injury is serious enough for the NFL to allow a team to walk away mid-game?
This whole thing would’ve been avoidable if the NFL made the game resume on Tuesday. What happened was horrible, but it’s a risk the players take. They get paid great money and injuries are a part of the game. Unless there was a major disaster like a mass shooting in the stadium, the game should’ve resumed within 24 hours. The league is just showing favoritism the way they are handling things.
I think the league wasn’t prepared for the emotional and serious nature of the incident. Everyone kept saying that they’ve never seen a person technically die on the field. Most of the time a guys strapped up and taken away and they play on thinking in their minds the guys hurt but ok. If he was fine soon after I bet they would have played the game Tue or Wed but it would have looked bad in todays culture. Either way they can fix this very easily. Ask each team if they want to play don’t baby them with the bad juju or karma BS I’m hearing from Shefter. If one says forfeit then move on. If they both say let’s play then week 19 it is. Move the stinking bye week before the bowl and all is well that’s why it’s there to begin with as a buffer for situations such as this so pull the trigger!
Yes, they either have to forfeit or play the game week 19. I don’t like the idea of a tie as that would be punishing Cincinnati. As a Dolphins fan this game is pretty much meaningless to me. However it has an effect on the seeding. As a NFL fan the game has to eventually be played. Now if it don’t have any impact then I could see it being canceled, but unfortunately that’s not the case.
It was clearly a serious injury, but the bottom line is that the Bills (apparently) refused to take the field when the NFL told them to start warming up to resume the game. The Bengals then had a choice: Go warm up and wait for the Bills to forfeit, or do the p.c. thing and show unity with the Bills. I’m no doctor, but I believe poor Hamlin would be in the hospital right now if the Bills took the field or not.
So I think the NFL is hoping for this over the weekend.
The Chiefs win and go to 14-3.
The Bills lose to the Pats and go to 12-4.
A couple of things here….if the Bills go on to make up the Bengal game later, the best they can do is 13-4. KC is 14-3 and #1 seed. So the league can essentially cancel the Bills-Bengals game and say “Phew! the Patriots beat the Bills, so the Bengals-Bills game is not as important.”
That scenario (with the Pats winning) takes the heat off the NFL, plus it gets the Pats back into the playoffs (which the NFL wants) and it keeps the Dolphins out of the playoffs (again something the NFL wants). I wouldn’t be surprised to see some horribly bad calls this weekend to “help” the Patriots win and make the Bills-Bengals game moot.
That being said, the Bengals would get screwed in that scenario, but I don’t think the NFL cares about them too much in all of this.
The game should have never been canceled. Since it was….. in my opinion, it was. So what more do they need to do. Both teams and the NFL agreed to cancel the game. shouldn’t be any talk of a make up game. They all forfeited over a hurt player. Ok, move on. As for the Dolphins, when was the last time we won a game? We arnt going to win against the Jets, we don’t even know how to win at the moment. It would honestly just be cruel to the fans for them to win because we’re going to get smoked game one of the playoffs.
Yeah, it’s becoming more and more evident that the NFL let the Bills get away with skipping a road game vs. the AFC Champions who already had the lead and was driving the ball toward more points. A devastating injury to your friend certainly affects your psyche, but you move past it and resume. The Bengals are screwed more than the Chiefs in looking at the stats and everything. They were poised to host the AFC Championship, but now they have to settle for a coin flip or a neutral site…all because the Bills walked out in the middle of a game and the NFL said “okay.”
I get the game being called as a guy looked dead on the field. Many players said it was too much to take to resume play. ..but they could have resumed by Wednesday or played week 19. If either team declined these options then they forfeit and at least you have a winner. Now you get coin flips??? Cinci was fucked royally!