Bengals' Zac Taylor praises Bills coach Sean McDermott for actions

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Sean McDermott was the coach of the Buffalo Bills when Hamlin was taken off the field in an ambulance.

In his first comments since Hamlin collapsed, Taylor said that he talked to McDermott on the field before the game was halted.

Taylor said that he was told that he shouldn't be coaching the game because he needed to be at the hospital.

The Bills said in a statement that Hamlin remained in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He has shown signs of improvement but is still in intensive care.

After Hamlin was taken out of Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium in an ambulance, the referee's crew walked over to Cincinnati's sideline to check on him. To speed up the decision-making process, Taylor walked over to Buffalo's sideline.

The way the Bills organization handled the situation was applauded by Taylor.

Taylor said that seeing the way he handled his team made him respect him even more.

Troy Vincent, the league's executive vice president of football operations, said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that the well-being of Buffalo's staffers and players has been the focus of his conversations with the new head coach.

"My communications with the club and those players have been around making sure they're okay, to check in," saidVincent. Being able to get those resources. The coach is still fighting.

The game might have continued if it hadn't been for Hamlin's departure in an ambulance.

There were no instructions for the game to continue. Taylor attributed it to the normal rhythm of a game's restart after a medical break. Nobody was thinking about whether the game would be played or delayed at the time.

Taylor can't remember a lot of the events that happened. My process of remembering is what happened. There was no pressure to do anything.

Since the game was delayed, the version of events has remained the same.

The only instructions came from myself as the emergency team was on the field.

There are still discussions about whether the regular-season game between the Bills and theBengals will resume. The focus has been on Hamlin with discussions about Logistics just beginning.

Jeff Miller, the league's executive vice president for communications, public affairs and policy, said a decision will be made in the near future.

There are a lot of things that need to be considered before the final decision is made.

The Bills will be allowed to guide the league's decision on whether the game will go on as planned. If we have to make that decision with the club and what's best for Sean and his team and the players, we will allow Sean and his team and his staff to guide us.

The team is getting ready for the game against the Ravens. The game will be played at 1 pm. The time is Sunday in Cincinnati. The team communicated the resources available to players trying to balance handling what happened to Hamlin while preparing for the game.

Taylor thinks players know the risks of playing a physical game.

Taylor said it was a difficult situation. It is a one in a very small chance of that happening. Football players are aware of that.

They know what's going on. It's not an ideal part of the game, but it is.