Damar Hamlin to start week 1 as Bills prepare to open against Cardinals

hi everyone welcome to believe in bills Adam B and S mayorana of the Rochester democrat and chronicle is uh on location with us one Bills Drive where they've wrapped up the uh first regular season Wednesday practice and S how you doing out there what's the vibe I am good beautiful beautiful day out here uh we've just wrapped up four Podium visits with the bills so that was a good start to the week uh I'm looking at the uh mowers out here in the grass field so you might hear that in the background as they're coming right at me right now but all good out here Adam ready to go I think you know I've I've been on the air with you a lot through the years I suspect you'll remain unfazed by all of it yeah as he goes by right there but I am on phed yes he turned all right so a lot of topics to hit today uh 2024 season finally set to get going Sunday at home against the Arizona Cardinals but I think not only in a football sense far beyond football in a in a human sense I mean we were both in Cincinnati uh that night when Demar Hamlin collapsed on the field Cardiac Arrest um for him to come back and actually be named a starter for week one and there are reasons behind that but just take the football out of it for just a second I was so moved by that uh when that news became official yeah I I was a little surprised because it was probably five or six minutes into mcdermitt's press conference and somebody asked about Mike Edwards because we all kind of assume that he's back to practice and we thought that he would you know he would be the starting safety next to Taylor rra and so he answered the question about Mike Edwards and then somebody had the foresight to say so who's starting and he said dear Hamlin and I was like wow that was a little bit of a surprise to me um even though Hamlin has been playing with the first team for a lot of the summer because obviously Edwards and Bishop were out but he had his own hamstring inj injury so he had missed some time too so I just kind of made the Assumption they were going to go with the veteran Mike Adams the guy they signed in free agency and you know he's has he's had about about a week and a half I guess to get ready for this but no Demar Hamlin's the guy and yeah you're right Adam this is a great it's a great story everybody knows about his you know his incident and the comeback that he's made it's been quite a journey last year he got into I think it was seven games counting the playoff but he didn't really play any on defense it was very little mostly special teams and you know he's going into his fourth year Adam and I really wasn't expecting a whole lot from Hamlin I I thought he would be the fourth safety who would only play special teams if he was even active and here he's gonna start week one against the Cardinals pretty cool yeah absolutely I mean I just the the human aspect of that story and as a translates to football the the way he dealt with his recovery the good he did in terms of raising CPR awareness and the need for aeds and that sort of thing off of the field the way he was able to get himself back into a playing mode last year and to kind of stick with it um and you know kind of the grit and determination that he's shown in overcoming just the most what seemed to be the most impossible of situations to be back onto the field so I you know second guessing him he's proven that it's not a good thing to do what he's capable of and I think as we translate now to a football aspect of this conversation I mean there's a lot of speculation that yeah look they they're vulnerable at the safety position there's no question especially given who they're moving on from but I do think it is important to note that prior to that night in Cincinnati I mean Demar Hamlin does have starting experience in the National Football League he does I think he I think he started I want to say 11 games in in 22 because michah Hyde was out since I think he got hurt and weak too and he was done for the year so he had plenty that was his second season in the league and he had plenty of Runway to get used to that defense and he became you know a pretty good player for them he held it down and then you know the the unfortunate incident in Cincinnati completely derailed his career you know last year obviously it was a great story that he was able to get back um he got back for the OTAs in fact um slowly but surely through training camp he built himself up but we all knew that he wasn't going to play much last year hyen puyer were still locked in Taylor rap was on the team he was going to be in a very very secondary role and that's exactly what happened so this year you know again it seemed like it was a similar track for him but he's also had the year now it's been what 18 months actually more than that seven 19 months since the incident so he's had plenty of time to put it in his rearview mirror and I think it really is all about football he's perfectly confident in his body in the fact that he is healthy and that was a completely fluky situation that had nothing to do with his actual you know his actual Health um or his health history at least and I think it's all about football now and since he's been able to concentrate on the game and on his role I think that's why he's been able to ascend to this position where he's gonna start Sunday afternoon yeah it's a great story but now let's let's put it in in perspective from a football and and really a strategic standpoint I mean we've talked about it at length I think they're vulnerable in the middle of the field on defense and then you roll the mat Milano situation in that injury into it and you know it it magnifies that to an even greater extent is that how you see it yeah I mean look I mean Demar Hamlin was a six round pick Adam and he's this is his fourth year so he does have some experience as we said playing in the league but this is still not a topf flight you know safety in the NFL he again we talked about it if Mike Edwards didn't get hurt he's probably starting this game on Sunday he's probably starting all year in fact U and he's still probably I'm guessing will be the starter eventually but for now it's gonna be Demar Hamlin so as you said at the very top there were circumstances to that which led to Dear getting this chance on Sunday now hey if he goes out there and plays really well who's to say that he's not going to stay out there he very well could but if there's any bit of a hiccup or any type of struggle I think they would like to get the guy that they invested in Mike Edwards back on the field and obviously Cole Bishop um they'd like to continue training him because he's the future dear Hamlin's contract is up and I'd be surprised really at this point if they brought him back they probably could because he'd be a cheap resign but let's face it Cole Bishop was drafted to be the future and it's going to be his position after Mike Edwards probably plays his one year and leaves yeah good perspective s an excellent context on that let's talk about the defense in general and Sean mcder confirming that new defensive coordinator Bobby babit uh is going to call it I I think that we all expected it maybe to get to that point at some point but you know what s I like it I I sea mcder is an excellent defensive coach I mean in some respects could argue he's a better coordinator than a than a head coach um but at the same time time it feed I I like the fact that he's taking that off his plate to I mean he'll he'll obviously I think still have you know a finger or two on the steering wheel for for as as a defensive head coach I think it's important to point that out but from a game management perspective I think you and I touched on this earlier I we were both in favor of the fact turn it over to babit right away um he's ready for this we feel like he is and you know whatever transition there is get right to it because I think in the end they'll be better for it yeah I we we you we did we're on the same page here I thought that Shawn did a did a fine job last year it's his defense he knows how to call it but I I do think he had too much on his plate I think he realized that and you know Adam it it would have been different maybe if he had gone outside the building to fill the defensive coordinator position and he might have told the guy look I want you as my coordinator but I still want to call the defense I'll get you up to speed and you can take over whatever and year or two Bobby babage has been here since 2017 he was on Sha's original coaching staff they've got great Rapport Nobody Knows the defense better than Bobby babage outside of Shawn mcder so I think he's perfectly comfortable you know putting that on on babbit's plate also remember babit has coached in the secondary he's coached the linebackers he really knows I mean he hasn't coached defensive line but he knows what he's doing he knows how it all fits together and I think he's going to do an excellent job I think I think Bobby babage you know I think he's got a great future in the league Adam and he's got he's got the type of Personality too that you could see him one day being a head coach and this is just the next step in that progression and I really think sha mcder probably understands that and probably is perfectly willing to give this guy the opportunity to start you know start that process to the next step to put his signature on it as as Sean mcder use those exact words today in the meantime I think this gives McDermot a much better opportunity to take that off his plate for for even more involvement and maybe eventually in the execution of better in the moment game day decisions I mean that I think that's true in just you know kind of obvious practical terms right but it's been a shortcoming of Sean's in the past yeah absolutely I I I think I think Shawn trusts him implicitly and that's a big part of this and he's also got you know good guys on his staff too that he trusts that you know Bobby babish will be able to lean on and just like it was with Leslie Frasier Adam mcdermitt's gonna have his finger pin on this thing right I mean it's not gonna be Bobby babage game Planning by himself and then out there calling the plays by himself mcdermitt's gonna have input there's going to be a situation where he's going to want a blitz for instance and Sean's GNA say wait a minute he'll be on the headset and say no We're not gonna do you know that's gonna happen but by and large I think it's G to be Bobby's to call and again as always said I think mcder I think mcder trusts him and I think this is definitely the right move for the defense yeah I I agree with you and Sean said as much today I think he talked about there are natural sort of disagreements he called it uh human nature but uh during the course of the offseason I think he used the word alignment that you want as much alignment in terms of how things are going to be called and what you're going to want to call in certain situations as possible and obviously there's so much on the line mcder feels comfortable that they've reached uh that point so it's a good thing um some other things that were said today that kind of struck me in listening to to Josh Allen and this speaks to I think this speaks to a lot of what we realize about this team and what's really interesting about this team we've I don't want to belabor the point but we've talked about how they've they've moved on from Stefon bggs for example they're transitioning uh this roster and to hear Josh these are quotes there's going to be some learning on the Fly uh he referenced the word trust or was asked about it and he used the term Blind Faith they haven't had as much game time in the preseason I think he feels good about what they've accomplished in practice but there's going to be a lot of Firsts with some new pieces in place uh they're going to be there's a learning curve aspect to what's going to go on early in the season here and I think that's start Sunday against the C yeah absolutely look this is a as we've talked about many times he's only thrown completed one passes to khilo Shakir in a regular season game in the wide receiver court so there's going to be a feeling out process you know mcder talked today about how Curtis Samuel will be a key guy in the offense because he has that Diversified skill set they can use him in a lot of different areas on the field I think it's the same thing with khil Shakir I think they can move him all over the formation and it's going to be very diverse in what they can do we've talked about already we're I think we're going to see more passes to The Backs you're going to see James Cook more involved this year I think Ray Davis is going to get some run because he's shown a little bit of an ability to catch the ball out of the back field and then the tight ends with Knox and K Kate he's got it seems to me Adam that Allen is gonna be flying without a net a little bit because it is all new but there's so many guys that he's gonna be able to lean on in this offense rather than Force feeding Stefan digs and even to an extent Gabe Davis I mean he threw a lot of is their way uh last year for sure and really for the last four years because Davis started to get more and more in into the offense so I think this year you're gonna see less of the force feeding because there's not gonna be anybody a force feed it to and he's gonna spread the ball around and ultimately I think that'll be a good thing for the bills offense yeah I think that's that like I said there may be whether it's timing or familiarity in game and those types of things but I think with the talent they have and the variety of skill sets they have that receiving core I mean you put yourself in an opposing defensive coordinator shoes I mean there's a lot to account for um especially when you factoring Dalton can Cade at tight end and what Knox can bring to the table assuming he stays healthy I mean there's a there's a there's a lot to cover when you're looking at the at the bills offense not to mention the versatility they have coming out of the back field and who they have uh at quarterback uh as far as leadership that's been another big storyline given the turnover on the roster and some of the veterans who have left I thought it was interesting and I as I thought about it as the news sort of washed over me I liked it they named two captains the one of them's obvious in the number 17 and quarterback Josh Allen and Terrell Bernard I think it shows the level of respect the way he was able to uh step up in the middle of that defense uh last year um and again two captains at this point leaving the opportunity for other leaders to kind of emerge as they get into real game situations uh in those types of conditions yeah I mean I you know I'm never real big on who the captains are I I think you know I think everybody has to have their role and Leadership yeah you need your Touchstone guys there's no doubt about that but in the past when the when the bills had six or eight captains the whole thing was kind of silly to me it was just more of a you know a feather in their cap type of thing by focusing on two guys this year Josh Anan on offense and Terrell Bernard hard on defense that to me kind of hones in on these are the guys right as I said touchdown these are the guys that we're gonna look to and then McDermot does have this other 10-man uh committee I guess you would call it the Leadership Council that these guys will all be able to bounce ideas off of but I think on game days you've got the guy with the Green Dot in his helmet Josh Allen and the guy with the Green Dot on his helmet and Terrell Bernard and to me those should be your captains because they are literally the quarterbacks on the field everything goes through them and I think those are the right two guys Allen obviously and I think Terrell Bernard is a good choice right he he really his story last year was so impressive the way he you know made a Quantum Leap from a rookie year when he just played special teams to taking over for traine Edmonds and being a star he should have been a pro bow if the Pro Bowl wasn't so stupid and the voting wasn't so concocted yeah he was good enough to be a pro bowl player I think he could be this year too but those are the guys that you want leading the way and whoever else is involved in the Leadership Council that's all fine you can share ideas but these are the two guys that bills should be looking at I want to talk about Sean mcder for a second here we talked about um him turning over the play calling responsibilities on defense to Bobby babish just a second ago which I think is a uh like we said the right decision a mature decision in a lot of ways I think speaks to the experience that McDermot has now as a head coach uh and quite frankly the success they've had here with perennial playoff runs and four straight division titles and and those types of things and in listening to Shan uh this morning he talked about the need for he just wants his his players to kind of have a normal week um And manag the emotions was a quote that kind of stood out to me not get so I think he I think he's very much in touch with what he has on this roster and in this locker room uh and I think that messaging is intended every bit as much for uh if not more for the for the players than it is uh to the media I mean he has a sense with the the turnover and the change and the natural hype that leads up to a season opener not to mention one at home that things can kind of get carried away and I just I I like that from him at this point given what he's accomplished here and what lies ahead yeah look Adam he's in his eighth year he's one of the senior most coaches in the NFL at this stage he's been through this Rodeo several times I think he knows what he's doing and you talked about managing the emotions on on opening day you know the bills are at home and they're playing a game that everyone thinks they're supposed to win right it's the Cardinals 4 and13 last year well the bills were in this situation in 2021 if you remember the last time they were at home for their season opener and they didn't manage their emotions well at all and they lost what I still consider a ging game to the Steelers who were nowhere near as good as the bills were and would be that year that was a terrible loss to start the season and I think McDermot first time at home now for the opener since then I think he realizes he's got to get these guys under control make them realize that yeah this is a game we should win but we got to go out and win it and to do that we've got to play within ourselves don't make stupid mistakes don't get all hyped up because the crowd's going crazy stick to your job do your job and they should come on on top and I think as an eighth year head coach I think he's got a good grasp of that and you you're right we did hear that in the way he spoke today to the media all right we're gonna get into the Cardinals much more in depth with Bo Barack who covers them uh out in Phoenix on the beat and we'll have him on on this edition of believe in bills on Friday in fact as we look towards Sunday's game so we don't have to get too far into the Arizona depth chart at this point but you think about a Kyler Murray for example back in healthy this year uh returning last season from the ACL and and that sort of thing and and he's a very dangerous quarterback they do have some other weapons I understand they were 4 and13 last season in your opinion and and to me S A History has shown even back to the Patriots for example in their Heyday I mean openers across the National Football League are fluky to begin with right because I mean the bills are figuring them M themselves out other teams are as well they're figuring teams are figuring themselves out individually as much as they are the opponent so wild things happening happen in terms of of season openers but I guess within that framework how dangerous do you consider this Arizona team on Sunday I I think they are danger this is to me Adam this is I think you always want to open believe it or not with a division opponent because even though they've got history on you you've got history on them too and when you're the better team and you know I think the bills we've talked about the Jets and dolphins being definitely going to be competitive this year I think the bills are still maybe the best team in the division I think you'd rather be playing in a division opponent because it really that gets your focus immediately because they're big games when you're in the division but you also know the Personnel when you're playing a team like Arizona they haven't seen these guys since 2020 the famous hell Murray game so they don't have a great book on this team this is a secondy year head coach who they've faced as a head coach before there's a lot of variables unknown variables I should say that make this game a little bit tricky are the Bills the better team yeah I would I would be comfortable in saying that they are but there's also some danger because you're not quite sure what the Cardinals are going to do you don't know the personnel as well as you would know even an AFC team Adam I mean the fact that they're playing an NFC team that was 4 and3 is a little bit scary and the bills better play well no there's no fan out there should that should think the bills are going to run on that field and blow this team out I think it's going to be a big surprise if that happens it's going to be a tough game and when you look at the schedule Adam you realize they can't stub their toe here they've got to take care of business in this game because it gets really difficult the next five weeks for Buffalo yeah a lot of unknowns and variables and and particular the roster turn over for Buffalo and what they have to prepare for the knowns and and the unknowns as far as the Arizona Cardinals again much more on the opponent and the specifics of the matchup on Friday uh s what do you got going in the Rochester democrat and chronicle in the runup to this game well I wrote about the Demar hlin story today so that should be online right now I'm gonna write about van Miller um he just talked to the media and you know Big Year for him um he feels he feels healthy he feels like he's back to at least where he was the first year he came to Buffalo understands he's a reserve now and he lad out said that he goes I know I'm coming off the bench so when he comes into play he's got to be good you know he's gotta be Von Miller and he understands that he wasn't that last year so I'm gonna talk I talked to him a little bit about that today gonna write about that and then all the usual game preview stuff that I always have um each week for 35 years Adam that's right none of that changes number 28 for me we're going to be starting up on Monday night uh with Sports Talk live live Buffalo New set this year a lot of new bells and whistles on the show going to be with John Scott Vic kuchi Jonathan aosta and Lindsey moper most importantly a new time 7 PM as opposed to 7:30 on Monday night so looking forward to finally getting it going for Real uh for sell mayorana at one Bills Drive I am Adam bonini in Amhurst this is believe in bills thanks for being with us