What would you like to happen?

[Sled21]

(01-03-2023, 09:35 AM)TheCincinnatiKid Wrote: Nobody is saying 'penalise the Bengals'. The two people who've mentioned it in this thread (of which I'm one), said about offering the Bills the W as a nice gesture. I don't think the Bills would take it even if we did so. I also don't think we 'have' to do that.

Nobody thinks the Bengals are somehow at fault in this awful scenario. Pretty much everyone has been nothing but complimentary of how this has been handled, particularly by both franchises.

Which penalizes the Bengals......

Sets the Bengals up as the villains.....

Maybe I read those sentences wrong.

[Nepa]

I would like the Bengals to be admired by the sports fan everywhere, for putting sportsmanship above victories, than be hated for pushing for a solution that benefits the Bengals. So, a resounding no on declaring the Bengals the victor based on being ahead at the time of the postponement.

[THE PISTONS]

(01-03-2023, 09:39 AM)Nepa Wrote: I would like the Bengals to be admired by the sports fan everywhere, for putting sportsmanship above victories, than be hated for pushing for a solution that benefits the Bengals. So, a resounding no on declaring the Bengals the victor based on being ahead at the time of the postponement.

Yeah I don't think there's any way the Bengals get a win.

[Waite Hoyt]

I would like Damar Hamlin to have a full recovery. Whatever happens beyond that I have little interest in at this point.

[motoarch]

I don't care.

I just hope this kid is okay.

[PDub80]

The question is: What would we like to have happen?....

#1: #3 is A-ok and able to live a full functioning, normal life after being taken off of life support.

This happened in the NHL back in the 90s where a guy took a puck to the chest, got up, stumbled, and the collapsed. Literally looked identical woth the exception of the hockey player fell forward. He went on the play 12 more seasons.... obviously... OBVIOUSLY... in this cause of injury: Human > Hockey puck. In this sport OBVIOUSLY Football has more chance for this type of collision (size, speed, force, angles) than hockey. Point is, the hockey player ended up perfectly fine and had a hell of a career. Video is on youtube if you want to compare.


^ This type of impact happens in car accidents as well when people's chest hits the steering wheel, airbag, dash, etc. at high impact at the wrong time and angle. Perfect storm kind of freak injury.


- Since the question is about the game itself... which is a reasonable question, IMO, because life and the NFL will go on....

#2: Game should be decided that the Bengals get the win. Read on as to why....

I don't see any other reasonable outcome that makes sense. Is it unfair to the Bills? No. Absolutely not. Game couldn't be continued from their side and there is no timeline to pick the game up where it left off that can make sense.

Assuming Hamlin lives, the league WILL play this week. It WILL go on. That's a fact. There are competitive scenarios that have to be considered, regardless of what happened to Hamlin. That's just how it is. The game was stopped when it was stopped: Bengals ahead with the ball in Bills territory when injury occured and the Bills couldn't continue.

- Bills have (understandably) left Cincinnati and there is no way they can just come back in a reasonable time to play the game without extreme disruption to the last week of the season, which would ripple effect into playoffs, etc. Is it safe to have these two teams go back out at this stage? Or better to just transition into next week? I say the latter. Will the Bills be "The Bills", or just there because they have to be? That's not a good look, either, and could lead to more injury if the teams cannot give it their all.

If this were before bye-weeks or with then it would be doable. In this instance, I just cannot get on board with how they do it safely and effectively. The Bills players psychologically need to see their teammate is going to be ok (or not). The Bengals players need to psychologically process what has happened and that takes time. The players around the league need some sort of closure, before they continue without risk of injury or just going through the motions.

Terrible situation, obviously.

[TheCincinnatiKid]

(01-03-2023, 09:38 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Which penalizes the Bengals......

Sets the Bengals up as the villains.....

Maybe I read those sentences wrong.

Yes, by statistical definition it penalises the Bengals on the standings, but neither me or Nepa are suggesting this to 'penalise' the Bengals. I'm suggesting this just as an olive branch idea. Sometimes you just do something because it's nice, not for gain or for care on how it'll impact you. It would be incredibly well revered and probably remembered for a long time if the Bengals did something like that.

But as also said, I don't think the Bengals 'have' to do the above, nor do I think it'll look bad or anything if we don't. I don't think the Bills or the NFL would accept us forfeiting the game either. I think we'll just be supportive and will accept either a no-contest or a replay. Which is also a completely fine way for the Bengals to act on this matter too.

I do think it would look quite bad if we accept being given the win because we were 7-3 up after 9 minutes of the game though, we definitely shouldn't accept that. But if the NFL decided that, we also might not have much of a choice, I'm not sure. I think that's what Nepa was referring to about the Bengals 'being set up as the villains', but happy to be corrected.

[Sled21]

(01-03-2023, 09:39 AM)Nepa Wrote: I would like the Bengals to be admired by the sports fan everywhere, for putting sportsmanship above victories, than be hated for pushing for a solution that benefits the Bengals. So, a resounding no on declaring the Bengals the victor based on being ahead at the time of the postponement.

You're conflating two different issues. The Bills player will be ok or he won't. Nothing the teams or league do from this point on has any effect on that issue. That said, there is no "sportsmanship" in taking a loss to be "admired." You that willing to give up a Super Bowl run at this particular point in time when it comes to the Bengals window of opportunity? Nobody is going to "hate" the Bengals for not just taking a loss, which is evidently what you want them to do. 

[SunsetBengal]

(01-03-2023, 08:52 AM)Browns Town Bengal Wrote: Or a no contest.  As if the game never happened.  That might be the only way they can solve this with no teams looking like the victim or villain.  

That's not the point.  It was a competitive event, someone was supposed to win, someone was supposed to lose.  The game should be picked back up where it left off, and if one team wishes not to continue, they forfeit.

Some might feel like I'm just being an old curmudgeon, but it wasn't all that long ago that Ryan Shazier had his neck broken, laid on the field for 45 minutes, and they STILL finished the game.  Football is a dangerous sport with inherent physical risks that every man who plays the game is made fully aware of, prior to snapping on that chin strap.  I feel terrible for the player and his family, but life still must go on.

[Nepa]

(01-03-2023, 09:54 AM)Sled21 Wrote: You're conflating two different issues. The Bills player will be ok or he won't. Nothing the teams or league do from this point on has any effect on that issue. That said, there is no "sportsmanship" in taking a loss to be "admired." You that willing to give up a Super Bowl run at this particular point in time when it comes to the Bengals window of opportunity? Nobody is going to "hate" the Bengals for not just taking a loss, which is evidently what you want them to do. 

Absolute nonsense. The Bengals would not be giving up a Super Bowl run. They are in the playoffs and they can win whether the home team or the away team. They beat the Ravens and they are the 3rd seed at worse. No one is advocating a solution where the Bengals give up a Super Bowl run. Just advocating demonstrating good sportsmanship, which is something severely lacking to see these days.

[Cat-Man]

(01-03-2023, 09:29 AM)Sled21 Wrote: The only way I see for them to safely replay this game, since the Bills evidently returned to Buffalo, is to play the regularly scheduled games this coming weekend, then postpone the playoffs for a week while this game is the only game the following weekend.  That means the Bengals/Bills get one week less than the rest of playoff teams to rest and prepare, but that's about as fair a scenario as I can come up with. Of course that sets up all kinds of scheduling issues with stadiums and events cities may already have planned.

I thought of this possibility also, and I think it makes the most sense.  I don't think neither team should play again until this coming weekend.  Don't rush it.  Give it time for things to play out, Hamlin's condition to improve and give the teams time to get their minds right. 

Postponing the playoffs could be feasible because no one knows when they play and who they are playing yet anyway.  The issue becomes the Super Bowl.  That cannot be pushed.  That's a set date that millions of fans, organizers, networks, sponsors and advertisers have planned for a year (or more).   Unless they eliminate the extra week between the Conference Championship games and the SB.  The NFL has done that 7 times.  The last time was 2003 Bucs vs Raiders.

[Sled21]

(01-03-2023, 10:00 AM)Nepa Wrote: Absolute nonsense. The Bengals would not be giving up a Super Bowl run. They are in the playoffs and they can win whether the home team or the away team. They beat the Ravens and they are the 3rd seed at worse. No one is advocating a solution where the Bengals give up a Super Bowl run. Just advocating demonstrating good sportsmanship, which is something severely lacking to see these days.

Naw, you're just advocating giving up seeding and home games on the run..... for nothing but some warped sense of wanting to be admired. 

[Bengalbug]

(01-03-2023, 09:23 AM)QueenCity Wrote: Gotcha - so in this scenario Bengals still lose a potential extra homegame and chance at #1 seed. 

It is what it is... hope they get good news on Hamlin and figure out a way to play the game.

Yea.

Hope for a full recover, obviously.

From a football standpoint.

Move bills bengals to this week. Push back all the playoffs a week, and have no week off before Super Bowl.

Pats/bills and bengals ravens on WC weekend.

That’s all that you can do.

[XenoMorph]

(01-03-2023, 07:40 AM)Brownshoe Wrote: Trying to get away from all the bad news about last night... What would you like to happen with the game against the Bills? Personally I hope they play tonight, and have both the Bills and Bengals play next monday night against their opponents. I really don't know what else they can do, other than make the game a tie (which, obviously wouldn't be good for the Bengals).

Considering there is absolutely no good solution for player safety and finishing the Game  I think they should write this up as a TIE.

Both teams are in the playoffs and only playing for Seed (while important not important enough to risk more injuries on a shorter week right before the playoffs)






Outside of the implications for this game   I think we start to see Younger athelete's walking away from the game at a higher pace

[Sled21]

(01-03-2023, 10:07 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: Considering there is absolutely no good solution for player safety and finishing the Game  I think they should write this up as a TIE.

Both teams are in the playoffs and only playing for Seed (while important not important enough to risk more injuries on a shorter week right before the playoffs)






Outside of the implications for this game   I think we start to see Younger athelete's walking away from the game at a higher pace

Bengals were playing for the Division Championship

[XenoMorph]

(01-03-2023, 10:10 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Bengals were playing for the Division Championship

But are locked into the playoffs.  (and ravens lost so a Tie if that's the way it goes still gives us the Title i believe.   even if we lose to the ravens (would have to check that))

And still can be next week.    I know the game is very important.... And outside of Football and Seed aspects...       I'm sure there is a lot of money out there in limbo from gambling.

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-03-2023, 08:30 AM)TheCincinnatiKid Wrote: Agree with this. If I'm the Bengals, I'd offer the Bills the W just as a nice gesture. It's relatively meaningless to them right now, but it would just show support. Whether they'd accept it or not, calling the game for them would just be a nice thing to do, and would be well regarded for a long time.

As for what the League should do.... The result is meaningless now. Just declare the game a tie or void, and let the teams have closure from the logistics of the game. 

Although it is not meaningless for the Bengals, especially if the Raiders (who looked good against the 49ers) could beat KC.  That would essentially give Cincy the #1 seed with a win against Buffalo and Baltimore.

However, I wonder if there could be an instance where the league (I read the rule and Goodell can pretty much do anything, he has that power...c'mon steeler fan, earn that $40 million per year) would allow the Bengals to forfeit the game to the Bills (who would still have to beat NE to get the 1 seed) and the Bengals would be all but stuck in the 3 seed.  But say the agreement is that the Bills, by accepting the win, say that if the Bengals and Bills meet in the AFC Championship, it would be played in Cincinnati.

Now, Cincy would still have to win on the road at KC (again) most likely, but the ability to host the AFC championship at home would be a nice carrot.  

Before everyone craps on it, remember, Goodell can do whatever he chooses.  It is pretty black and white that he can do anything.  

[Rubekahn29]

(01-03-2023, 09:32 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Giving Cincinnati the loss is an asinine idea. If anybody would take a loss (they shouldn't) it would have to be Buffalo. It was their player who was hurt and they were behind on the scoreboard. 

Yep but I understand why they wouldn’t like that as there was still way too much time left to call game.

Give both Ws and let week 18 decide the 1st seed.

[PDub80]

(01-03-2023, 10:07 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: Considering there is absolutely no good solution for player safety and finishing the Game  I think they should write this up as a TIE.

Both teams are in the playoffs and only playing for Seed (while important not important enough to risk more injuries on a shorter week right before the playoffs)






Outside of the implications for this game   I think we start to see Younger athelete's walking away from the game at a higher pace

Disclaimer: Assuming the guy is ok. 100% #1, 2, 3, 4, 5 priority.

But this is professional sports and the league will continue. If it were any other kind of collegiant or amature league, 100% it's a no contest or a tie or is made up whenever they can fit it in.

But this is professional. My issue with the tie is that if, in any sport, a team or participant cannot continue due to injury the game is ruled in favor of the team or participant who can.... regardless of the score.

Bills had a catastrophic injury and could not continue.


The only way a tie makes sense and I would understand is if the Bengals agreed to or demanded it and the NFL abided by that wish. I would NOT have an issue if that's what the Bengals did.

- BTW, I was at the game.... Lost in this is how absolutely awesome the Benagals came out. Never seen them just manhandle people like that on offense. Every single play the Bengals were laying wood. All of them. Hurst set the tone early and on the Higgins pla, Higgins layed into the guy.... not maliciously, but agressively delivering the hit for more yards. Bengals were going to give the Bills an absolute thrashing. On every play the Bills defensive pllayers were falling backwards.

On defense, they were flying to the ball and fighting hard from the start. I don't think the Bills were prepared or expected a game like that.

^ I bring this up because I hope this doesn't change their mentality for the simple sake of getting injured themselves. Hamlin kind of came up and either stopped or slowed down and got blasted by Higgins. 100% NOT DIRTY.... But he did not seem ready to deliver a blow himself seemed to expect the bigger Higgins, who had all the momentum, to just dive or fall down. That is a dangerous way to play a contact sport!

[Atomic Orange]

Tie or have a field goal contest or just flip a coin.