NFL: Bills-Bengals postponement impact on schedule discussion (UPD: Game cancelled)

[misterchainsaw]

On New Year's Eve afternoon a baggage handler at a small airport in Alabama was sucked into a jet engine and turned into thousands of little specks of organic matter in a matter of seconds. The airport stopped operations for a few hours but resumed service later that evening. It's a small airport where not a ton of people work, no doubt people who knew the deceased woman were expected to pick up the slack and continue work the same day.

That's pretty normal for industrial accidents.

And I highly doubt those who witnessed it first hand were back at work for at minimum, days.

(and if they were forced, f*** that airport.)

 

[daver]

There really isn't an easy answer here. You could delay the playoffs a week but then the Bye teams are off for three weeks.

Asking the Bengals or the Bills to play on the Thursday following Week 18 then on Monday I guess is the best scenario. I thought both of them would be guaranteed to be playing a home playoff game but the Bengals would drop down to #5 seed at least.

Maybe move Bill/Pats and Ravens/Bengals to Saturday then Bengals/Bills could play on Wednesday.

 

[misterchainsaw]

Patriots radio has opined that they don't think the Patriots-Bills game will get played by Sunday, so any talk of moving it up is a bit of putting the cart before the horse. A lot of this absolutely depends on Hamlin's condition when he's removed from the induced coma for sure.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Go back and watch the footage of last night, and then say his condition isn't relevant as millions of people, including thousands of people in the stadium and both teams on the field thought they just watched somebody die. Employees with first-hand account don't just to 'back to business.' Unless you're Amazon.

I saw the Christian Eriksen event unfold during the Euro in summer 2021, and I watched the rest of the game. I also watched games the next day and so forth. Heck I remember seeing Ayrton Senna's crash in 1994 and the race continued, which I watched.

Heck, about 12 years ago I saw a co-worker collapse and have a seizure with the dude convulsing on the ground with eyes rolled back, the dude hit his head on the way down so there was blood. We called emergency services and the dude was taken to hospital. None of us knew the cause of the incident, none of us knew the guy's status. I had been talking to that dude a few minutes earlier as he was in the same room and we had the same job. After the ambulance left, we were told to go back to work. And we did until the shift was over. I found out a few days later the guy was probably going to be OK, but honestly I don't think it would have mattered either way.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Any company worth a damn would absolutely give employees in the area who were first hand witnesses and affected and close friends time off.

And the NFL isn't exactly just another company. Their players lives are very public, and not to mention this was not just a medical emergency on the job, but a medical emergency caused by the job - where the ultimate fate of the player is not yet known.

It is impossible to play football with your mind not 100% on the game. It is begging for more injuries - perhaps not as catastrophic as what we saw Monday, but certainly not "safe" - even by the normal standards of the NFL - by any means.

Funny, the Stars managed to play the night after Peverley collapsed with cardiac arrest on the bench, the Celtics finished the game that Reggie Lewis dropped of a heart attack in..,

And no, companies dont do that. An employee gets hurt or dies and life goes on. They don't shut down to mourn

 

[misterchainsaw]

]
Funny, the Stars managed to play the night after Peverley collapsed with cardiac arrest on the bench, the Celtics finished the game that Reggie Lewis dropped of a heart attack in..,

And no, companies dont do that. An employee gets hurt or dies and life goes on. They don't shut down to mourn

You're kidding yourself if you don't think a close proximity co-worker who witnessed the accident and was close to the victim wouldn't be put on short term leave.

The difference here was that in all of those cases, as well as Eriksen (and Richard Zednik/Malarchuk/Peverly), there was knowledge (or, in Lewis' case, belief) before the player left that he was going to be ok in the long term. Eriksen was responsive and awake. The seriousness of Lewis' condition was never known until much later, when he died from it in a pickup game. This is the first time in my memory that a player left the arena still unconcious, needing assistence to breathe, and where his long term prognosis is completely unknown the next day.

 

[Halladay]

There is a week in between the conference games and the Super Bowl. The playoffs (at least on the AFC side) could be pushed back.

 

[Blitzkrug]

I wouldn't be surprised if they just don't delay the start of the playoffs.

Sounds nuts until you realize they do have an extra week they can burn because of the gap between the conference championships and Super Bowl.

 

[Pens1566]

Pushing it out of possibility this week makes it more likely it never takes place. Too many moving parts involving other teams, the overall schedule, venues, etc. The NFLPA is going to really love the idea of playing late season or playoff games on drastically reduced timelines. And there's no way they change the playoff schedule to use the bye week in between conference finals and the SB.

 

[daver]

Pushing it out of possibility this week makes it more likely it never takes place. Too many moving parts involving other teams, the overall schedule, venues, etc. The NFLPA is going to really love the idea of playing late season or playoff games on drastically reduced timelines. And there's no way they change the playoff schedule to use the bye week in between conference finals and the SB.

So what is the result of the game then. A tie? That give the Bengals the division and puts KC in the driver's seat for the #1 seed.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

I am a pretty emotional guy and I find it difficult in general, despite being a rather left-brained, technical-minded person, to completely suppress emotions.

Maybe it's the Italian side because Italians never met an emotion they didn't overshare. I don't know. But I would have found it impossible to play a sport for at least a few days, if not many more, if i were a player on either of these teams.

Things changed for me once I became a father. You see things differently.

 

[misterchainsaw]

So what is the result of the game then. A tie? That give the Bengals the division and puts KC in the driver's seat for the #1 seed.

It would be a no contest if it isn't played. Bills-Bengals would only play 16 games while everyone else played 17. Everything would go by winning percentages. But yes, in function it would be the same as a tie in this case.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Well aren't you a tough guy.


You're kidding yourself if you don't think a close proximity co-worker who witnessed the accident and was close to the victim wouldn't be put on short term leave.

The difference here was that in all of those cases, as well as Eriksen (and Richard Zednik/Malarchuk/Peverly), there was knowledge (or, in Lewis' case, belief) before the player left that he was going to be ok in the long term. Eriksen was responsive and awake. The seriousness of Lewis' condition was never known until much later, when he died from it in a pickup game. This is the first time in my memory that a player left the arena still unconcious, needing assistence to breathe, and where his long term prognosis is completely unknown the next day.

Zednik was brutal and that outcome was unknown , but you make a valid point and so does " the more you know" There are countless examples of horrific accidents where it had to be delt with after the event was final. As a fan of the Isle of man TT its actually common and if you dont focus your next. Its the lay of the land so to speak. Truth is there just isn't a perfect way to deal with this and everyone is different and take different paths to recovery . Im of the opinion its best to baby step it and get the players bact to a practice field and goof off for a while and throw the ball around , Put the bid fellas wide and have them drop some passes and maybe have a laugh.In other words dont get stuck in that dark place that is worry and dred.
IDK is this makes sense im not really good at putting thoughts to a written word.

 

[misterchainsaw]

Zednik was brutal and that outcome was unknown , but you make a valid point and so does " the more you know" There are countless examples of horrific accidents where it had to be delt with after the event was final. As a fan of the Isle of man TT its actually common and if you dont focus your next. Its the lay of the land so to speak. Truth is there just isn't a perfect way to deal with this and everyone is different and take different paths to recovery . Im of the opinion its best to baby step it and get the players bact to a practice field and goof off for a while and throw the ball around , Put the bid fellas wide and have them drop some passes and maybe have a laugh.In other words dont get stuck in that dark place that is worry and dred.
IDK is this makes sense im not really good at putting thoughts to a written word.

It was announced to the crowd (and players) that Zednik was in stable condition and his life was not in danger before that game resumed.

And to be clear, it's not socialpathic to be able to go back to work in the aftermath of an accident to a co-worker/friend - whether as part of a "get back to normal" attempt or something else. But it is to expect everyone else to be able to function the same way you do.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Simplest scenario would be;

Week 18 continues as normal, that means basically everyone but the Bills, Bengals and Ravens will know what they're doing for the wild card round.

Bills/Bengals is the lone game in a newly made week 19. Play it sunday, monday, whenever ESPN feels is best since they're the broadcaster of the game.

playoffs start on the 21st as opposed to the 14th.

 

[DoyleG]

Been announced that the game won't be resumed this week.

 

[Satan'sIsland81]

I know most will disagree with me I am sure, but I honestly think some of the talk and reactions today are beyond the point of over the top extreme. I wish this guy the best. By all accounts he seems like a good person so I hope for him to be okay like any other good person in the world who might have had a heart attack yesterday. But listening to sports talk today and watching news and sports stations, people talking that the whole NFL season should be canceled and that nobody should talk about anything else sports related now and that we should cancel any commentators who even mentioned the importance of last night's game from a football standpoint. It is just absurd.

Any job I have ever been at or know anybody who has had a job knows that if even your parent or sibling or spouse or child DIES you get 3-5 bereavement/funeral days. THREE TO FIVE DAYS! This stuff happens to people all over the world every hour of the day. The world does not suddenly just stop.

Last month, we actually witnessed at my job two feet in front of me, a customer have a heart attack, pass out and his head hit the floor. His head was bleeding and he was unconscious for 10-15 minutes while paramedics performed CPR and even used the paddles on his chest in front of all of us. It shook all of us up, but our job did not close and we all went back to work a few minutes later. Two weeks later the man came back to our job and took photos with us and thanked us for acting so quickly to save his life.

The point is the world suddenly did not just stop. My father was in the hospital with serious heart problems and underwent three procedures a few months ago. My best friend's father was in the hospital with a heart scare over Christmas. And there are thousands of others out there with the same situation. Nobody was raising millions of dollars for us or telling our jobs to shut down for the year.

 

[TheAngryHank]

It was announced to the crowd (and players) that Zednik was in stable condition and his life was not in danger before that game resumed.

And to be clear, it's not socialpathic to be able to go back to work in the aftermath of an accident to a co-worker/friend - whether as part of a "get back to normal" attempt or something else. But it is to expect everyone else to be able to function the same way you do.

it's the greyest of grey areas , I'm of the opinion its not good to dwell on tragity..I understand it was less than 24 hours after this happend so it might be best if we all breath. its to easy to assume someone is a hartless prick or wuss for having thoughts on this subject.

 

[Troy McClure]

I know most will disagree with me I am sure, but I honestly think some of the talk and reactions today are beyond the point of over the top extreme. I wish this guy the best. By all accounts he seems like a good person so I hope for him to be okay like any other good person in the world who might have had a heart attack yesterday. But listening to sports talk today and watching news and sports stations, people talking that the whole NFL season should be canceled and that nobody should talk about anything else sports related now and that we should cancel any commentators who even mentioned the importance of last night's game from a football standpoint. It is just absurd.

Any job I have ever been at or know anybody who has had a job knows that if even your parent or sibling or spouse or child DIES you get 3-5 bereavement/funeral days. THREE TO FIVE DAYS! This stuff happens to people all over the world every hour of the day. The world does not suddenly just stop.

Last month, we actually witnessed at my job two feet in front of me, a customer have a heart attack, pass out and his head hit the floor. His head was bleeding and he was unconscious for 10-15 minutes while paramedics performed CPR and even used the paddles on his chest in front of all of us. It shook all of us up, but our job did not close and we all went back to work a few minutes later. Two weeks later the man came back to our job and took photos with us and thanked us for acting so quickly to save his life.

The point is the world suddenly did not just stop. My father was in the hospital with serious heart problems and underwent three procedures a few months ago. My best friend's father was in the hospital with a heart scare over Christmas. And there are thousands of others out there with the same situation. Nobody was raising millions of dollars for us or telling our jobs to shut down for the year.

The league didn’t stop. Every other game is going to be played. Not one person has suggested pausing the season or other games.

The challenge here is the season is almost over. The Super Bowl date is set. The NFL has very limited options when it comes to moving and making up games this late in the season.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Offseason is already 6 months. Don’t see why they can’t push the start of the playoffs back a week. Teams will be so much fresher and the quality of football should be even better.

If there is a bye week between Championship games and the SB, make up the time then.

 

[Troy McClure]

Offseason is already 6 months. Don’t see why they can’t push the start of the playoffs back a week. Teams will be so much fresher and the quality of football should be even better.

They can’t move the Super Bowl.

 

[Satan'sIsland81]

The league didn’t stop. Every other game is going to be played. Not one person has suggested pausing the season or other games.

The challenge here is the season is almost over. The Super Bowl date is set. The NFL has very limited options when it comes to moving and making up games this late in the season.

Have you been reading social media today or listening to radio sports talk or watching TV news stations. I have seen many many people saying the NFL should shutdown until Hamlin is known to be okay or cancel the whole season. Not to mention some saying the Bills will not play their game this weekend. It is ridiculous. Then they should forfeit. Sorry but that is the truth.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

They can’t move the Super Bowl.

Then use the bye week before the super bowl to make up the time. Game wouldn’t even need to be moved.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

If Hamlin progresses and gets to a more stable point, pushing the playoffs back and having Bengals-Bills in a 'Week 19' makes the most sense to me.

If he doesn't get better though, all bets are off the table imo.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

I know most will disagree with me I am sure, but I honestly think some of the talk and reactions today are beyond the point of over the top extreme. I wish this guy the best. By all accounts he seems like a good person so I hope for him to be okay like any other good person in the world who might have had a heart attack yesterday. But listening to sports talk today and watching news and sports stations, people talking that the whole NFL season should be canceled and that nobody should talk about anything else sports related now and that we should cancel any commentators who even mentioned the importance of last night's game from a football standpoint. It is just absurd.

Any job I have ever been at or know anybody who has had a job knows that if even your parent or sibling or spouse or child DIES you get 3-5 bereavement/funeral days. THREE TO FIVE DAYS! This stuff happens to people all over the world every hour of the day. The world does not suddenly just stop.

Last month, we actually witnessed at my job two feet in front of me, a customer have a heart attack, pass out and his head hit the floor. His head was bleeding and he was unconscious for 10-15 minutes while paramedics performed CPR and even used the paddles on his chest in front of all of us. It shook all of us up, but our job did not close and we all went back to work a few minutes later. Two weeks later the man came back to our job and took photos with us and thanked us for acting so quickly to save his life.

The point is the world suddenly did not just stop. My father was in the hospital with serious heart problems and underwent three procedures a few months ago. My best friend's father was in the hospital with a heart scare over Christmas. And there are thousands of others out there with the same situation. Nobody was raising millions of dollars for us or telling our jobs to shut down for the year.

This is all totally fair.

I can tell you that in my current position, if I were to suffer a terrible loss like that I'd go on unpaid leave.

Maybe it is because of my comparatively privileged position, but unless I was forced to work for my family to survive, I'd take some time to recover emotionally.