ORCHARD PARK, NY | On the eve of the start of the playoffs, Damar Hamlin’s locker in the Bills locker room remains unoccupied, of course, except for his personal effects, then a few packages and gifts waiting for him. No possible doubt, however, because its presence is palpable.
In Buffalo and around Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, posters adorned with the number 3 and the message “Love for Damar” still abound.
In such a tight-knit community gathered around his team ahead of their playoff game against the Dolphins on Sunday, a disturbing incident like Hamlin’s experienced touched the hearts of the community.
Less weight
The effect is multiplied in the dressing room of the Bills, who shared Hamlin’s daily life for several months before he had to fight to foil the Grim Reaper’s plans.
Earlier this week, Hamlin was discharged from hospital in Cincinnati and then Buffalo to return home. His teammates were able to offload a huge weight before starting the playoffs.
“It’s a good feeling to know that Damar is back home with his parents. Now, as his father often told us, it’s time to do our job,” said head coach Sean McDermott at a press conference.
“D-Ham is at home, we can now work without stress. All our energies are now on the game,” said blocker Dion Dawkins.
light atmosphere
Last Sunday, in the last game of the regular season against the Patriots, Nyheim Hines shook the stadium when he returned the initial kickoff for a touchdown, before doing it again in the third quarter.
When “Le Journal” went to see him at his locker on Friday, the hero of the moment did not hide that it was night and day in terms of the atmosphere within the team for the past few days.
“It really helped us to have good news again this week. All this burden leaves us more and more knowing that he becomes himself again, ”smiled the former Colts.
“When we came back from Cincinnati it was so heavy. Before being here, I was in the locker room of a team that missed the playoffs at the last moment or of a team that was knocked out in the playoffs and I have never experienced such silence. We are super motivated to know Damar healthy and at home,” he added.
Transported by emotion
Now that all of Hamlin’s wishes have been granted, the Bills believe the wave of emotions experienced could carry the team.
“From the outside, people don’t realize that before being players, we are humans. Emotion and momentum can win us a lot of games,” Hines said.
This season, the city of Buffalo took it for its cold. Long before the Hamlin case, the community was marked by racially motivated killing. At the end of December, a snowstorm in the region also resulted in at least 39 deaths.
“If any team has been tried and tested this season, it’s ours,” noted safety Dean Marlowe.
“It shows the whole character of our organization, from top to bottom. We play for each other and we don’t want to let each other down.”
The Bills have never won the Super Bowl and haven’t played in the big game since the 1993 season. That’s a balm that would soothe many wounds.
Josh Allen prudent
Early favorites to win the Super Bowl, the Bills have done nothing to lower expectations this season, posting a record of 13 wins and three losses. Expectations at Buffalo haven’t been so high since the early 1990s, the franchise’s heyday. Quarterback Josh Allen is keeping a cool head despite everything. “You can’t be distracted by external expectations. As a team, internally, we know what our objectives are and they are still accessible in front of us. It all starts against the Dolphins. Of course the Super Bowl is our ultimate goal, but right now our only goal is Sunday at 1 p.m.
Matt Milano honored
During the Bills’ practice, the players who have earned a place among the NFL’s all-star teams were revealed. Bills linebacker Matt Milano found himself in the First Constellation for the first time. You should have seen the happiness in the faces of the players when they returned to the locker room and learned of the news. With loud cries of “Lanooooooooo”, several marched to his locker to congratulate him. Defensive end AJ Epenesa even played the joke, imploring him to autograph his jersey. There are playful locker rooms and there is the Bills locker room. This team seems particularly united.
Third duel against the Dolphins
Like a date…
Since the Bills and Dolphins are division rivals, they have already crossed paths twice this season, splitting game honors. This third one-off duel will determine who advances to the next elimination round, and blocker Dion Dawkins used the context to draw a colorful comparison between rivalry and… dating. “When you find yourself on a date with someone for the third time, you should know what he or she likes. This is the step where you have to know if this person prefers to drink a Lemon Drop or a Shirley Temple. This will be our third “date”, you see? I hope we can bring them home, ”he said, in an analogy just explicit enough.
