What if the Bills refuse to play the Patriots?

[WotAGuy]

  On 1/4/2023 at 10:55 PM, Beast said:

So, what do you then tell the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, 2 teams fighting to make the playoffs? 
 

“Too bad, fellas! The Bills forfeited. The Patriots are in! Now go out there and risk injury for one more week just to keep us entertained!”

 

Hell, the whole league should just pack it in and see you next season. Maybe.

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Dolphins are toast anyway, even if Teddy can play. Steelers still need to beat Browns as well. It sucks that the Bills’ decision on how to move forward impacts so many other teams.  I do think the Bills will go to any length to try and play, but honestly how much focus can they have if they do?

[Locomark]

I think it may not be decided until the day before and it will depend on what the team knows about Damar. I assume Sean will let the players decide. I think the league has already probably given them a Saturday time to decide so they can announce it on the night game. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Locomark

[Walking Tall]

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:00 PM, WotAGuy said:

Dolphins are toast anyway, even if Teddy can play. Steelers still need to beat Browns as well. It sucks that the Bills’ decision on how to move forward impacts so many other teams.  I do think the Bills will go to any length to try and play, but honestly how much focus can they have if they do?

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Oh bull####. 
 

The Bills played the Redskins right after Sean Taylor was murdered.

 

I’m sorry. The Bills probably will have a difficult time focusing but, like it or not, they have a job to do and a league depending on them to do it.

 

[Airseven]

  On 1/4/2023 at 10:44 PM, TH3 said:

This thread marks the official “run out of things to speculate about” point…

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The Sunday fan experience thread was made afterwards.

[Augie]

  On 1/4/2023 at 10:57 PM, D. L. Hot-Flamethrower said:

The chance of the Bills not playing is 0%- mark it down.

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Damar would want them to play, and Damar would want them to play well and win. 

[PrimeTime101]

Look, now that my sarcastic comment is out of the way... no one really cares what the Bills decide to do because Ultimately, it's their decision to put a product on the field or not. There is so much involved in a decision like this though... contracts, Player Association Notification (Agreement), possible fines and so on.

 

Do we really think that we care about what the Phins might think if this happens? IF we have no chance of keeping the first seed, I would rather mess up Miami anyhow... NE is an easy out in the playoffs. 

 

Bottom line? I with an extremely high percent feel the Bills WILL Play Sunday. 

[HOUSE]

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:08 PM, PrimeTime101 said:

Look, now that my sarcastic comment is out of the way... no one really cares what the Bills decide to do because Ultimately, it's their decision to put a product on the field or not. There is so much involved in a decision like this though... contracts, Player Association Notification (Agreement), possible fines and so on.

 

Do we really think that we care about what the Phins might think if this happens? IF we have no chance of keeping the first seed, I would rather mess up Miami anyhow... NE is an easy out in the playoffs. 

 

Bottom line? I with an extremely high percent feel the Bills WILL Play Sunday. 

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I would say no better then 50/50

[Walking Tall]

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:08 PM, PrimeTime101 said:

Look, now that my sarcastic comment is out of the way... no one really cares what the Bills decide to do because Ultimately, it's their decision to put a product on the field or not. There is so much involved in a decision like this though... contracts, Player Association Notification (Agreement), possible fines and so on.

 

Do we really think that we care about what the Phins might think if this happens? IF we have no chance of keeping the first seed, I would rather mess up Miami anyhow... NE is an easy out in the playoffs. 

 

Bottom line? I with an extremely high percent feel the Bills WILL Play Sunday. 

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Yeah, I do care what Miami, Pittsburgh and any other team it effects thinks. In fact, a whole LOT of people care what they think.

 

Funny, but I bet you are praising Miami for lighting their stadium up in Bills colors, aren’t you?

[The 9 Isles]

Most people have had traumatic incidents in their lives, you can’t turn the whole world into a safe space. 
 

You can’t just put life on hold indefinitely due to a random and completely unique incident. 
 

If the fans and the players are so distraught and this is just so unbearable then the whole NFL should fold and eliminate any risk whatsoever no matter how minuscule the odds, to save people from ever going through this again. 
 

I may sound insensitive but this is the real world and crappy things happen everyday, we can’t just succumb to being melancholy and scared. 
 

I hope and pray that Damar pulls out of this and makes a complete recovery but stopping games form be played won’t help him recover any sooner or more completely. 
 

[Buddo]

Positive news about Damar, and the game will go ahead, imho. 
 

But they need that sooner, rather than later.

 

And it has to be with proper medical confirmation.

 

I’ve no idea what to expect if the game goes ahead (under the above circumstances), but I see that as being the best chance for it to be played even remotely competitively.

 

I’m not saying anything about if it should do, just what I think is a ‘sort of best case scenario’ for the NFL.

[Motorin']

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:13 PM, Beast said:

Yeah, I do care what Miami, Pittsburgh and any other team it effects thinks. In fact, a whole LOT of people care what they think.

 

Funny, but I bet you are praising Miami for lighting their stadium up in Bills colors, aren’t you?

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What does Miami and Pittsburgh think? The owners, players and Head Coaches? 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

  On 1/4/2023 at 10:05 PM, PonyBoy said:

What if the Patriots refuse to play too as a display of solidarity for player safety? The NFL has looked bad this year(Tua & more). 

Would be quite a statement. 🤔

 

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Belichick would fine the crap out of them!

[Walking Tall]

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:15 PM, Motorin' said:

 

What does Miami and Pittsburgh think? The owners, players and Head Coaches? 

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What they should be thinking is why risk injuries to our players in a game that means nothing to us if Buffalo is allowed to forfeit.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

I'll say this - if there are individuals on the team who feel they can't play, the team should honor their wishes.  Dane Jackson springs to mind as someone who is not only very close to Damar but who suffered a frightening injury earlier himself.

 

But the whole team not playing the game?  Man, I just think that's a pandora's box of consequences.  Competition for the postseason IS the game. 

 

Between players and coaches the NFL is comprised of like 3,000 guys.  The chances of something awful happening to one of those people over the course of the season is really really high.  The world can be unkind. 

[Buffalo ill]

  On 1/4/2023 at 10:08 PM, JDubya76 said:

Then I will watch something else on Sunday. Football is just a kids game played by elite athletes. Life and well-being is way more important than a kids game.

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Kids aren't on multi million dollar contracts for a multi billion dollar company.  

 

The situation is terrible but unless the owners decide they want to dissolve the league, the show (corporation) must go on (continue to fulfill contracts and generate money).

[Walking Tall]

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:15 PM, Buddo said:

Positive news about Damar, and the game will go ahead, imho. 
 

But they need that sooner, rather than later.

 

And it has to be with proper medical confirmation.

 

I’ve no idea what to expect if the game goes ahead (under the above circumstances), but I see that as being the best chance for it to be played even remotely competitively.

 

I’m not saying anything about if it should do, just what I think is a ‘sort of best case scenario’ for the NFL.

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The Redskins took the field in 2017 FIVE DAYS after Sean Taylor was murdered and lost on a last second FG to the Bills.

 

I don’t think that there will ever be an opportune time for the Bills to take the field. 

Edited January 4, 2023 by Beast

[SoCal Deek]

  On 1/4/2023 at 10:05 PM, PonyBoy said:

What if the Patriots refuse to play too as a display of solidarity for player safety? The NFL has looked bad this year(Tua & more). 

Would be quite a statement. 🤔

 

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How does this incident have anything to do with some larger player safety discussion? What protocols were missed or overlooked? 

[Kiva]

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:14 PM, The 9 Isles said:

Most people have had traumatic incidents in their lives, you can’t turn the whole world into a safe space. 
 

You can’t just put life on hold indefinitely due to a random and completely unique incident. 
 

If the fans and the players are so distraught and this is just so unbearable then the whole NFL should fold and eliminate any risk whatsoever no matter how minuscule the odds, to save people from ever going through this again. 
 

I may sound insensitive but this is the real world and crappy things happen everyday, we can’t just succumb to being melancholy and scared. 
 

I hope and pray that Damar pulls out of this and makes a complete recovery but stopping games from be played won’t help him recover any sooner or more completely. 
 

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This type of behavior must be a byproduct of the pandemic. 

[Motorin']

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:19 PM, Beast said:

What they should be thinking is why risk injuries to our players in a game that means nothing to us if Buffalo is allowed to forfeit.

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But the Bills should be forced to risk injury if they aren't prepared to play? 

 

 

[Buddo]

  On 1/4/2023 at 11:15 PM, Motorin' said:

 

What does Miami and Pittsburgh think? The owners, players and Head Coaches? 

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Don’t know about the rest of them, but Mike Tomlin knows Damar on a personal level, and I think is keenly interested in a positive outcome for him.

 The Steelers also have some close ties to Pitt, and if there was to be a team that wasn’t too bothered about how, or if the Bills play the Pats, it would most likely be them.