Elephant in the room. Damar Hamlin

[Warcodered]

8 minutes ago, BBFL said:

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. 

I can definitely see both the argument for and against there, on the one hand he isn't exactly a standout player this year, which to be fair wasn't who he was anyway, on the other hand even being a depth player is a hell of a thing after you know dying on the field last year.

 

Is there even any major competition for it?

Edited October 27, 2023 by Warcodered

[frostbitmic]

Two injuries to our Safety group and he could be starting, as would any back up.

 

I also didn't see where any of the other Safeties brought in for preseason beat Hamlin out for the job.

[BBFL]

14 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

I can definitely see both the argument for and against there, on the one hand he isn't exactly a standout player this year, which to be fair wasn't who he was anyway, on the other hand even being a depth player is a hell of a thing after you know dying on the field last year.

 

Is there even any major competition for it?

If the Hamlin tragedy never happened you’d have to presume Tua, Stamford or Breece Hall. Presuming they finish the season….

[streetkings01]

2 hours 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

Soon they’ll be complaining about Josh’s long hair…..damn hippy!

[Peace Frog]

2 hours 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

I'm sick of people calling our fanbase 'angry'.  We're not angry, we're as impatient as we are unhappy.  See the difference?  

[Don Otreply]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

Are you calling Damar Hamlin an elephant?

Fat shaming is so bourgeois, 

[WotAGuy]

1 hour ago, muppy said:

 

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

 

 

Not according to 95% of the content on TSW. 🤣

[Virgil]

2 hours ago, Warcodered said:

Do people not understand what depth is?

 

I've been told 2" is pretty good depth.  Right?

[Dick_Cheney]

He's not good and it would be terrible optics to release him mid season. I do not think he will be on our roster next year.

[muppy]

1 minute ago, WotAGuy said:

Not according to 95% of the content on TSW. 🤣

and therein lies the rub. I mean as far as Damar Hamlin is concerned he didn't know himself if he would make the roster. He has his clothing business as well as huge endowment fund to administer after football for starters. He was going to be fine either way.

 

But for the Bills to keep him rostered for optics? I'm just not buying it.

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 hours ago, stlbills13 said:

He isn't good and he doesn't play. What's the problem?

Replace him with someone else that's better and isn't good and doesn't play!

 

😆 

[Johnnycage46]

2 hours 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!

 

Starting 11...they should play both ways...back to junior high days baby!

[HalftimeAdjustment]

2 hours ago, Mango said:

 

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

 

This will never work without a specialist at Long Snapper.

[I'm Spartacus]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

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

Yes

[Mango]

21 minutes ago, HalftimeAdjustment said:

 

This will never work without a specialist at Long Snapper.

Oh well OK then, mister “halftime adjustment” seems to be very anti adjustment.

You’re not welcome on my pretend 11 person NFL team. 

[billsfan89]

It's not a "waste" of a roster spot. He is a backup safety on a team that has two older safeties. Rapp is the primary backup (and I think Rapp plays ST as well) at both safety spots and Lewis is a better Special Teams player. We saw that when Poyer went down they activated Demar to be the primary backup and backfill the ST unit where he is a decent player. 

 

He is a backup role player that can start in a pinch and is a willing special teams player. That's pretty good for a 4th/5th safety. Not sure where else the Bills could get better value from if he were cut?

[dwight in philly]

3 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

America is an angry place, its what’s in vogue nowadays, 😂 🍸🚬

Seriously , totally agree , i got on this over 10 years ago, when i moved from Buffalo, lots of vitriol and even worse , lots of predictable "open mike"  quip comments.. 

[Don Otreply]

21 minutes ago, dwight in philly said:

Seriously , totally agree , i got on this over 10 years ago, when i moved from Buffalo, lots of vitriol and even worse , lots of predictable "open mike"  quip comments.. 

yup, 

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

 

I've been told 2" is pretty good depth. 

 

"That's what she said"?

[pennstate10]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

He is the 4th best safety on the roster. They only have 3 up on a gameday. 

It seems the Bills have him at 5th best. 
Hyde, Poyer, rapp, Lewis, Hamlin. 

[billsbackto81]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

He is the 4th best safety on the roster. They only have 3 up on a gameday. 

Exactly!

He's not a DT/DE or WR which see quite a bit of rotation during a game. Hyde and Poyer play at minimum 90% of the snaps. Rapp picks up whatever is left. Damar is injury insurance, nothing more.

[GunnerBill]

18 minutes ago, pennstate10 said:

It seems the Bills have him at 5th best. 
Hyde, Poyer, rapp, Lewis, Hamlin. 

 

Possibly. I think Lewis just gives them more gameday flex and more special teams ability. When Poyer missed a game they could have suited up Elam, treated Lewis as the 3rd safety and kept Hamlin sitting but they didn't.

[WhoTom]

4 hours ago, stinky finger said:

Wait - what?

 

He died for our team?

 

And minutes later, he was resurrected. You see why they keep him on the roster?

 

😉

 

 

[ProcessTruster]

4 hours ago, mrags said:

They couldn’t cut him this season even if they wanted to. After what happened last year it’s almost impossible to not look like a bunch of jerks if you cut him. But yes, he’s pretty much not that good. Probably worthy of a backup before the injury, but post injury he’s been hesitant and not very good at all. My opinion, he will get a shot to make this team next season but will not make it on the roster by the end of pre season. Maybe he makes it to the practice squad but that’s about it. 

yes.  he was the 3rd team safety who played only bc the two guys ahead of him went down.  Decent player, but was behind two other players.  People forget these simple facts. 

 

Basically, fans are dumb, don't know the history, don't do the research, generally don't know what the h ll they are posting about 

[Matt_In_NH]

5 hours ago, Warcodered said:

Do people not understand what depth is?

Obviously not. 

[Punching Bag]

5 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

Apparently that he isn’t the second coming of Ronnie Lott

 

Do you think he has a chance of staring in one of those car commercials with safeties (i.e. Troy Polamalu) for Hyundai?

[dpberr]

I don't understand the *persistently* inactive players that are part of the 40-man roster like Alec Anderson and Germain Ifedi.  I understand that they make a salary and are part of the team, but you'd think they'd like a chance to actually play in football games, if not for the Bills, someone else.  

[Buffalo716]

2 minutes ago, dpberr said:

I don't understand the *persistently* inactive players that are part of the 40-man roster like Alec Anderson and Germain Ifedi.  I understand that they make a salary and are part of the team, but you'd think they'd like a chance to actually play in football games, if not for the Bills, someone else.  

Every single team has guys on the active roster who are inactive every week

 

It's nothing new

[dpberr]

Just now, Buffalo716 said:

Every single team has guys on the active roster who are inactive every week

 

It's nothing new

I know, but why do it?  Why the same guys week after week?

[Buffalo716]

2 minutes ago, dpberr said:

I know, but why do it?  Why the same guys week after week?

Because they're not going to deactivate the 23rd best person on the team for the 50th

 

Those last six seven spots are fully depth

[Ya Digg?]

5 minutes ago, dpberr said:

I know, but why do it?  Why the same guys week after week?

Who are you making inactive so those guys can be active? 
it’s not modified sports, there aren’t rules that say every guy has to play 

[Mister Defense]

As the preseason progressed and stories about Hamlin continued to spread, I just thought this was a very unique situation and the Bills had determined that they could not cut Hamlin this year, no matter how he performed.

 

I think that will be the case for the remainder of the season.

 

I agree with that overall, as it is such a unique situation and there has been so much local and national attention on what happened and then his recovery.

[Starr Almighty]

6 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

America is an angry place, its what’s in vogue nowadays, 😂 🍸🚬

[LifeLongBillsFan]

7 hours 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!

He is never going to play 

[Pasaluki]

1 hour ago, LifeLongBillsFan said:

He is never going to play 

They played him in preseason this year actually.

[jlgarsh]

7 hours ago, BBFL said:

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. 

He dressed for a game and had a special teams tackle too I think. I know that day the crowd was fired up seeing him. He’s also a great teammate from what everyone says. Why cut him when you know he can play in a pinch? When Hyde and Poyer were out last year, he made some plays and was decent. 

[chongli]

Will be active for the game next week at Cincinnati? Will there be pressure to activate him?

[SCBills]

3 hours ago, dpberr said:

I know, but why do it?  Why the same guys week after week?

Ifedi signed here knowing this is his role. 
 

Anderson is happy to have a 53 man roster spot because he’s getting paid and being developed for down the line. 
 

If we cut Hamlin, does he get signed for someone else’s 53?  Maybe, maybe not.  I’m sure he’s happy to be here right now. 
 

None of them should be active over anyone currently Gameday active. 
 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by SCBills

[Shemp]

Anyone who has had his heart stop on the field should never be on an NFL roster again. Too risky.

[Beck Water]

8 hours ago, Logic said:

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?

 

Can’t argue with this Logic!

 

In fact, when Poyer was “Out” one game, Rapp started and Hamlin was active (so that they had 2 safeties active)

 

Minor nit, I’m not sure the Bills consider Hamlin a “pure free safety”.  In fact if I’m not mistaken he took more of a strong safety role? Or at least sometimes played strong safety, when Hyde was out.  But he *is* a pure safety at this point, while Lewis can play CB and nickel as well as safety.