Richie Incognito: Will he succeed with the Buffalo Bills?
By Paul Taylor
Richie Incognito: Will he succeed with the Buffalo Bills?
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With training camp now well under way, the Buffalo Bills at least have one less question to answer. As reported by Josh Alper of profootballtalk.nbcsports.com, Richie Incognito has been named as starting left guard.
The decision was confirmed by Bills head coach Rex Ryan. In truth, the announcement does not really come as much of a surprise.
However, this doesn’t mean all eyes won’t be on the 32-year old. They will likely be just as many people – if not more – rooting for him to fail in Buffalo.
Everyone is aware of the bullying scandal at Miami, where Incognito was found to have played a prominent role in the harassment of teammate Jonathan Martin. The incident resulted in a three-month suspension for Incognito, and ultimately led to the end of his tenure with the Dolphins.
Feb. 10, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Buffalo Bills guard Richie Incognito during training at EXOS gym. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Englewood, New Jersey native sat out the entire 2014 season, with no team willing to take a risk on him. There was some speculation that his career might even be over.
However, that all changed in February of this year, when the Bills decided to take a chance. Incognito was signed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract.
When Ryan came on board, he vowed that the 2005 third round draft pick would be kept on a short lease. However, there has been nothing to worry about so far, with Incognito behaving like a model citizen, and doing nothing to draw attention to himself off the field.
Furthermore, Ryan has been “blown away” by the former St Louis Rams’ conditioning during the off-season. This is hardly surprising, given his reputation as a hard worker, who includes core exercises such as Pilates, weekly trips to a chiropractor and massage therapy as part of his training regime.
Of course, this doesn’t guarantee that Incognito will get back to the form that saw him selected for the 2012 Pro Bowl. However, you have to fancy his chances, especially as he has a lot of motivation to prove people wrong.
In related news, Ryan also named Cordy Glenn and Eric Wood as the Bills starting left tackle and center respectively. This leaves two positions open, with the offensive line as a whole looking to bounce back from a sub-par 2014 campaign.