post game Bills @ Bengals - The Aftermath - Week #17 '22 [Say a Prayer for Damar Hamlin Please] [Back in Buffalo!] [Fully Cleared, Working out with the team!] [Full Go at Training Camp] [Played Today!] [Made the 2023 Team!] [Playing Today!] Comeback POTY

[Sig1Hunter]

46 minutes ago, Ann said:

This is the original article that PFT referenced in @Spartacus' post above.


 

</snip>

 

While NFL officials insisted that they never intended to restart the Bills-Bengals game, the accounts of coaches, players, union officials and team executives tell another story: Postponing the game was a ground-up decision.

 

"The league did not cancel the game," the team official said. "The Bills and the Bengals canceled the game."

 

</snip>
 

That final decision might have belonged to Goodell, but the first instinct not to play came on the field in Cincinnati.

 

"The ambulance left the field ... and it was crystal clear from everyone's perspective that we could not play," the top team official said. Aponte was speaking nonstop to NFL executives in New York and coaches and officials at the game. "The only chaos was coming ... from the command center."

</snip>
 

The team official placed blame for the league's vacillation squarely on Vincent."

 

The league screws this s--- up because Troy Vincent screws this stuff up," the official said. "That's the wrong person in the wrong position at the absolute wrong time. ... He wants to be the hero, but he will never take accountability. That's him to a T."

 

</snip>

 

An hour after Hamlin fell, with the game still not officially postponed, some team officials were confused why NFL executives were delaying the inevitable. Multiple ideas and contingencies were floated from New York, two people with knowledge said, including the idea that the Bills would stay overnight in Cincinnati. That was "almost instantly shot down," a source said.

 

"We felt confusion and nonsense more than pressure," the team official said. "They were still discussing things. In our mind there was nothing to be discussed. ... If they would have said, 'If you leave you're forfeiting the game,' we're still leaving."

 

</snip>

 

At roughly 9:10 p.m. -- 15 minutes after Hamlin fell -- DeMaurice Smith, the leader of the players' union, said he called Goodell. "I was on the phone with Roger immediately," Smith said, "and once I realized just how serious it was, made it clear that I believe that the game should be postponed."

 

At 9:14 p.m., Taylor crossed the field to talk with referees and McDermott, who covered his mouth as he spoke. "I said to Shawn Smith, 'Hey, we're gonna need some time here,'" McDermott said.

 

At that moment, on the ESPN broadcast, play-by-play announcer Joe Buck told viewers: "They're going to try to continue to play this game."

 

Multiple firsthand sources told ESPN that it was a senior NFL rules analyst inside the NFL command center who conveyed the plan to resume play to John Parry, an officiating expert working in the ESPN broadcast booth.

 

What Buck had relayed to more than 23 million TV viewers came from Parry, who had an open line of communication with the NFL rules analyst in the command center. Four times during the stoppage, Buck told viewers that the game would continue, saying one time it was an NFL decision.

 

The broadcast simultaneously showed Bills WR Stefon Diggs trying to rally his teammates and Bengals QB Joe Burrow throwing passes to warm up.

 

"People were saying we were going to play again," Burrow said. "It was just a lot of chaos, a lot of emotions, a lot of people saying different things. We really didn't know what was going on at that point."

 

</snip>

 

At 9:16 p.m., as cameras showed referees huddled with the coaches, Buck told the national TV audience: "They've been given five minutes to quote-unquote get ready to go back to playing. That's the word we get from the league and the word we get from down on the field, but nobody's moving."

 

Also about the same time, ESPN Deportes' Spanish-language play-by-play team, relying on the same information, reported that the teams were operating on a five-minute warmup before resuming play.

 

"The league is telling us that they've given five minutes to warm up again and that the match will begin," Eduardo Varela told the audience.

 

Immediately after their huddle with officials, both teams' coaches sent the players to their locker rooms, and the referee told fans in the stadium that the game was being "temporarily suspended."

 

</snip>

 

In a statement after Vincent's initial comments, ESPN disputed Vincent's denials, saying, "There was constant communication in real time between ESPN and league and game officials. As a result of that, we reported what we were told in the moment and immediately updated fans as new information was learned. This was an unprecedented, rapidly-evolving circumstance. All night long, we refrained from speculation."

 

Parry declined to comment to ESPN beyond saying, "The ESPN statement was accurate."

 

Last week, McCarthy said the NFL rules analyst in the command center was "adamant that at no time did he say anything related to a five-minute warmup period to John Parry. ... John is just plain wrong."

 

"We stand by Troy Vincent's comments and strongly refute this characterization," McCarthy said.

 

Buck told ESPN that what he conveyed to a national audience came from Parry, who was in constant communications with the league office.

 

In an interview, Buck said he was "surprised" to hear Vincent had said that the information about the intended resumption of the game did not come from the league office.

 

"If what I said on national TV with the eyes of the world watching was wrong in the view of the league, I would have been corrected -- immediately," Buck said. "And I was not."

 

Four separate times in a span of 45 minutes, Buck indicated that the game would resume.

 

No one from the league ever asked for a retraction. "We were on the air for another 40 minutes and no one corrected the idea that the game would resume," Buck said. "No one."

 

</snip>
 

Lots of interesting info in there. The most interesting piece, to me, is that these retired referees aka “rules analysts” are actually league mouthpieces in the broadcast booth.

[Spartacus]

54 minutes ago, Ann said:

This is the original article that PFT referenced in @Spartacus' post above.


 

</snip>

 

While NFL officials insisted that they never intended to restart the Bills-Bengals game, the accounts of coaches, players, union officials and team executives tell another story: Postponing the game was a ground-up decision.

 

"The league did not cancel the game," the team official said. "The Bills and the Bengals canceled the game."

 

</snip>
 

That final decision might have belonged to Goodell, but the first instinct not to play came on the field in Cincinnati.

 

"The ambulance left the field ... and it was crystal clear from everyone's perspective that we could not play," the top team official said. Aponte was speaking nonstop to NFL executives in New York and coaches and officials at the game. "The only chaos was coming ... from the command center."

</snip>
 

The team official placed blame for the league's vacillation squarely on Vincent."

 

The league screws this s--- up because Troy Vincent screws this stuff up," the official said. "That's the wrong person in the wrong position at the absolute wrong time. ... He wants to be the hero, but he will never take accountability. That's him to a T."

 

</snip>

 

An hour after Hamlin fell, with the game still not officially postponed, some team officials were confused why NFL executives were delaying the inevitable. Multiple ideas and contingencies were floated from New York, two people with knowledge said, including the idea that the Bills would stay overnight in Cincinnati. That was "almost instantly shot down," a source said.

 

"We felt confusion and nonsense more than pressure," the team official said. "They were still discussing things. In our mind there was nothing to be discussed. ... If they would have said, 'If you leave you're forfeiting the game,' we're still leaving."

 

</snip>

 

At roughly 9:10 p.m. -- 15 minutes after Hamlin fell -- DeMaurice Smith, the leader of the players' union, said he called Goodell. "I was on the phone with Roger immediately," Smith said, "and once I realized just how serious it was, made it clear that I believe that the game should be postponed."

 

At 9:14 p.m., Taylor crossed the field to talk with referees and McDermott, who covered his mouth as he spoke. "I said to Shawn Smith, 'Hey, we're gonna need some time here,'" McDermott said.

 

At that moment, on the ESPN broadcast, play-by-play announcer Joe Buck told viewers: "They're going to try to continue to play this game."

 

Multiple firsthand sources told ESPN that it was a senior NFL rules analyst inside the NFL command center who conveyed the plan to resume play to John Parry, an officiating expert working in the ESPN broadcast booth.

 

What Buck had relayed to more than 23 million TV viewers came from Parry, who had an open line of communication with the NFL rules analyst in the command center. Four times during the stoppage, Buck told viewers that the game would continue, saying one time it was an NFL decision.

 

The broadcast simultaneously showed Bills WR Stefon Diggs trying to rally his teammates and Bengals QB Joe Burrow throwing passes to warm up.

 

"People were saying we were going to play again," Burrow said. "It was just a lot of chaos, a lot of emotions, a lot of people saying different things. We really didn't know what was going on at that point."

 

</snip>

 

At 9:16 p.m., as cameras showed referees huddled with the coaches, Buck told the national TV audience: "They've been given five minutes to quote-unquote get ready to go back to playing. That's the word we get from the league and the word we get from down on the field, but nobody's moving."

 

Also about the same time, ESPN Deportes' Spanish-language play-by-play team, relying on the same information, reported that the teams were operating on a five-minute warmup before resuming play.

 

"The league is telling us that they've given five minutes to warm up again and that the match will begin," Eduardo Varela told the audience.

 

Immediately after their huddle with officials, both teams' coaches sent the players to their locker rooms, and the referee told fans in the stadium that the game was being "temporarily suspended."

 

</snip>

 

In a statement after Vincent's initial comments, ESPN disputed Vincent's denials, saying, "There was constant communication in real time between ESPN and league and game officials. As a result of that, we reported what we were told in the moment and immediately updated fans as new information was learned. This was an unprecedented, rapidly-evolving circumstance. All night long, we refrained from speculation."

 

Parry declined to comment to ESPN beyond saying, "The ESPN statement was accurate."

 

Last week, McCarthy said the NFL rules analyst in the command center was "adamant that at no time did he say anything related to a five-minute warmup period to John Parry. ... John is just plain wrong."

 

"We stand by Troy Vincent's comments and strongly refute this characterization," McCarthy said.

 

Buck told ESPN that what he conveyed to a national audience came from Parry, who was in constant communications with the league office.

 

In an interview, Buck said he was "surprised" to hear Vincent had said that the information about the intended resumption of the game did not come from the league office.

 

"If what I said on national TV with the eyes of the world watching was wrong in the view of the league, I would have been corrected -- immediately," Buck said. "And I was not."

 

Four separate times in a span of 45 minutes, Buck indicated that the game would resume.

 

No one from the league ever asked for a retraction. "We were on the air for another 40 minutes and no one corrected the idea that the game would resume," Buck said. "No one."

 

</snip>
 

this article makes it clear the high level exec is from the Bills.

As tight as the front office is, it was Beane or authorized by Beane.

 

Since the Bills were the only team leaving town, not hard to figure out it would be sourced back.

 

we'll see what the ramifications will be for calling out Troy Vincent (and Goodell).

[Ann]

The Graffiti Bridge. On an old railroad overpass used by the CSX Transportation Company, off 17th Ave in Pensacola, Florida. This is local for me:

[Jabba The Hutt]

17 hours ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

I'm guessing flew.  6.5 hour drive time, probably in medical transportation, vs. an hour's medical flight.  

 

But maybe his lungs still aren't up to altitude.  So I could be wrong.

 

17 hours ago, Foxx said:

That was my concern. Being on a ventilator, not sure his lungs were up for the pressurization differences just yet.

Helicopter 🚁?

[Jabba The Hutt]

34 minutes ago, Spartacus said:

this article makes it clear the high level exec is from the Bills.

As tight as the front office is, it was Beane or authorized by Beane.

 

Since the Bills were the only team leaving town, not hard to figure out it would be sourced back.

 

we'll see what the ramifications will be for calling out Troy Vincent (and Goodell).

Blame and take it out on the Bengals...

[Alaska Darin]

1 hour ago, Jabba The Hutt said:

 

Helicopter 🚁?

The Cincinnati doctors said he flew.  One of them accompanied him.

[Jabba The Hutt]

1 minute ago, Alaska Darin said:

The Cincinnati doctors said he flew.  One of them accompanied him.

Maybe it's just me then but I consider a Helicopter flight even though they usually use the term lifted in reference to them and med transports/evacs. 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

2 hours ago, Ann said:

This is the original article that PFT referenced in @Spartacus' post above.


 

</snip>

 

While NFL officials insisted that they never intended to restart the Bills-Bengals game, the accounts of coaches, players, union officials and team executives tell another story: Postponing the game was a ground-up decision.

 

"The league did not cancel the game," the team official said. "The Bills and the Bengals canceled the game."

 

</snip>
 

That final decision might have belonged to Goodell, but the first instinct not to play came on the field in Cincinnati.

 

"The ambulance left the field ... and it was crystal clear from everyone's perspective that we could not play," the top team official said. Aponte was speaking nonstop to NFL executives in New York and coaches and officials at the game. "The only chaos was coming ... from the command center."

</snip>
 

The team official placed blame for the league's vacillation squarely on Vincent."

 

The league screws this s--- up because Troy Vincent screws this stuff up," the official said. "That's the wrong person in the wrong position at the absolute wrong time. ... He wants to be the hero, but he will never take accountability. That's him to a T."

 

</snip>

 

An hour after Hamlin fell, with the game still not officially postponed, some team officials were confused why NFL executives were delaying the inevitable. Multiple ideas and contingencies were floated from New York, two people with knowledge said, including the idea that the Bills would stay overnight in Cincinnati. That was "almost instantly shot down," a source said.

 

"We felt confusion and nonsense more than pressure," the team official said. "They were still discussing things. In our mind there was nothing to be discussed. ... If they would have said, 'If you leave you're forfeiting the game,' we're still leaving."

 

</snip>

 

At roughly 9:10 p.m. -- 15 minutes after Hamlin fell -- DeMaurice Smith, the leader of the players' union, said he called Goodell. "I was on the phone with Roger immediately," Smith said, "and once I realized just how serious it was, made it clear that I believe that the game should be postponed."

 

At 9:14 p.m., Taylor crossed the field to talk with referees and McDermott, who covered his mouth as he spoke. "I said to Shawn Smith, 'Hey, we're gonna need some time here,'" McDermott said.

 

At that moment, on the ESPN broadcast, play-by-play announcer Joe Buck told viewers: "They're going to try to continue to play this game."

 

Multiple firsthand sources told ESPN that it was a senior NFL rules analyst inside the NFL command center who conveyed the plan to resume play to John Parry, an officiating expert working in the ESPN broadcast booth.

 

What Buck had relayed to more than 23 million TV viewers came from Parry, who had an open line of communication with the NFL rules analyst in the command center. Four times during the stoppage, Buck told viewers that the game would continue, saying one time it was an NFL decision.

 

The broadcast simultaneously showed Bills WR Stefon Diggs trying to rally his teammates and Bengals QB Joe Burrow throwing passes to warm up.

 

"People were saying we were going to play again," Burrow said. "It was just a lot of chaos, a lot of emotions, a lot of people saying different things. We really didn't know what was going on at that point."

 

</snip>

 

At 9:16 p.m., as cameras showed referees huddled with the coaches, Buck told the national TV audience: "They've been given five minutes to quote-unquote get ready to go back to playing. That's the word we get from the league and the word we get from down on the field, but nobody's moving."

 

Also about the same time, ESPN Deportes' Spanish-language play-by-play team, relying on the same information, reported that the teams were operating on a five-minute warmup before resuming play.

 

"The league is telling us that they've given five minutes to warm up again and that the match will begin," Eduardo Varela told the audience.

 

Immediately after their huddle with officials, both teams' coaches sent the players to their locker rooms, and the referee told fans in the stadium that the game was being "temporarily suspended."

 

</snip>

 

In a statement after Vincent's initial comments, ESPN disputed Vincent's denials, saying, "There was constant communication in real time between ESPN and league and game officials. As a result of that, we reported what we were told in the moment and immediately updated fans as new information was learned. This was an unprecedented, rapidly-evolving circumstance. All night long, we refrained from speculation."

 

Parry declined to comment to ESPN beyond saying, "The ESPN statement was accurate."

 

Last week, McCarthy said the NFL rules analyst in the command center was "adamant that at no time did he say anything related to a five-minute warmup period to John Parry. ... John is just plain wrong."

 

"We stand by Troy Vincent's comments and strongly refute this characterization," McCarthy said.

 

Buck told ESPN that what he conveyed to a national audience came from Parry, who was in constant communications with the league office.

 

In an interview, Buck said he was "surprised" to hear Vincent had said that the information about the intended resumption of the game did not come from the league office.

 

"If what I said on national TV with the eyes of the world watching was wrong in the view of the league, I would have been corrected -- immediately," Buck said. "And I was not."

 

Four separate times in a span of 45 minutes, Buck indicated that the game would resume.

 

No one from the league ever asked for a retraction. "We were on the air for another 40 minutes and no one corrected the idea that the game would resume," Buck said. "No one."

 

</snip>
 

 

That's pretty much exactly what I thought: Buck was quoting the official rules, communicated to him via the officiating officials in the league, who didn't understand the seriousness.  The league front office dithered, without info on the seriousness.  People on-site knew what they wanted, understanding the seriousness.  It took 30-45 minutes to get everyone talking to each other and on the same page.

 

That's a common dynamic in an unforeseen crisis.  And I still don't blame Buck.

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

4 minutes ago, Jabba The Hutt said:

Maybe it's just me then but I consider a Helicopter flight even though they usually use the term lifted in reference to them and med transports/evacs. 

 

It's about 400 miles from Cinci to Buffalo.  That's tight for a civilian helicopter.  So probably a private or charter flight.

[Uncle Joe]

5 hours ago, Sig1Hunter said:

Side note: when Parry was explaining the rules while Damar was down (or shortly thereafter, i cant remember) he referred to Damar as “the player” which still sticks in my craw as cold and robotic. Ive also never been a big fan of the guy. 

When I was stuck in the wilderness for 24 hours I was referred to as the subject on the radio.
When Search & Rescue initially showed up I introduced myself as "the subject".

[Ann]

...

[Ann]

Not sure why this was in Congress, but it is nice he was recognized:
 

 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

6 hours ago, Sig1Hunter said:

Side note: when Parry was explaining the rules while Damar was down (or shortly thereafter, i cant remember) he referred to Damar as “the player” which still sticks in my craw as cold and robotic. Ive also never been a big fan of the guy. 

 

Personally...I'd do that, to make sure in speaking that the rules were distinct from the person they're being applied to.  

 

Some of you have seen me do it on the political side, referring to "The President" when discussing the office vs. "Obama/Trump/Biden" when discussing how dense they are.

[Nanker]

34 minutes ago, Ann said:

Not sure why this was in Congress, but it is nice he was recognized:
 

 

To quote our former vice president biden, “This is a big &#%$ing deal!”

[Ann]

From the Bills:

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

 

[Jabba The Hutt]

7 hours ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

It's about 400 miles from Cinci to Buffalo.  That's tight for a civilian helicopter.  So probably a private or charter flight.

Most likely

[Jabba The Hutt]

1 hour ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

Damn it Joe Burrow...You aren't as sexy as Joshy, Sherbert, T-Law, Minshew II, or even Purdy but you are starting to make me tingle

[Ninety-4]

7 hours ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

It's about 400 miles from Cinci to Buffalo.  That's tight for a civilian helicopter.  So probably a private or charter flight.

Yes and they're slow.  

[Ann]