For most of Bills Mafia and many on the Buffalo Bills’ current roster, Saturday’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts was a fairly routine requirement in preparing for the regular season.
But for Damar Hamlin, Saturday meant far more. Yes, hitting the field in a padded practice at training camp for the first time following his life-threatening battle with cardiac arrest was a significant step in what’s been an incredible story eight months in the making. Things were different in facing the Colts. Friendly fire this wasn’t. Hamlin wasn’t playing against his own teammates, and it’s likely many of the players on the other side of the line of scrimmage weren’t necessarily worried about protecting him.