‘Buffalo is Special!’ Bills WATCH: Damar Hamlin Family at Stadium ‘Blue & Red’ Practice
For Buffalo Bills defender Damar Hamlin, even the most mundane gridiron tasks border on the extraordinary. He knocked another item off his landmark to-do list to open the weekend, as Hamlin took to the Highmark Stadium surface for the first time since his in-game cardiac arrest episode in January.
Hamlin was one of the star attractions of the Bills' annual training camp excursion to their game day dwelling of Highmark, as the loudest cheers came when the veteran defender took the field. (And when his family did the same.) With the collapse occurring in January, Hamlin missed only two games in Orchard Park, but the fact his cleats even touched its turf drew the highest volume of the night.
"To be able to be back out here so soon … just in the process like everybody else, it's like, I can't describe it to you," Hamlin declared, per Tommy Gallagher of WGRZ.
Hamlin previously entered the Bills' stadium gates three weeks after he collapsed in Cincinnati, taking in the Bills' Divisional round showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals from a luxury suite, one he recognized by sight when speaking publicly after practice. He was sure to thank Buffalo fans gathered before and after his availability, flashing a heart formed with his hands before he took the field and later thanked them by name after one of his closest showings to full speed yet.
"Buffalo is a special place. It's one of the most special places in America," Hamlin said, per Matt Kove of WKBW. "These fans, they truly care. It just wants to make you win for them that much more."
"I've got so much love for the game and love for the sport. You learn so much about yourself and life through playing this game, so, there is so much passion behind it."
If a mere practice at Highmark created this sort of reaction from Hamlin, Saturday's preseason opener should be an emotional affair, even if he doesn't take the field. The Bills open their summer trio against the Indianapolis Colts in their one Orchard Park preseason excursion on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, WIVB).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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