Richie Incognito: Bad Guy Turned Good?

Every football fan remembers the drama that surrounded the Miami Dolphins in 2013 regarding two of their offensive lineman; Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. Incognito was accused of “bullying” teammate Jonathan Martin with racial slurs and sending him inappropriate text messages during the 2013 season, which ultimately led to Incognito getting suspended, and ending his time in a Dolphins uniform.

For those of you aren’t familiar with Richie Incognito, let’s delve into his past and start from the beginning. Incognito was drafted in third round (81st overall) by the St. Louis Rams in the 2005 NFL Draft. He didn’t get much playing time during his rookie season, and was placed on the non-football injury list after Week 3 of the 2005 season. He started all 16 games during the 2006 season, one that produced a quarterback who passed for 4,000 yards (Marc Bulger), a running back who rushed for 1,500 yards (Steven Jackson), and two receivers who caught for 1,000 yards (Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce), thanks largely to Incognito’s presence and the dominant offensive line.

Incognito would become a mainstay in St. Louis until the end of the 2009 season. During his tenure in St. Louis, Incognito developed a reputation of being a “dirty player,” who would utilize any edge he could to his advantage. That was part of the reason the Rams decided to let Incognito explore other options, where he ultimately signed with the Bills on a one year deal. While in Buffalo, Incognito developed into a more mature player, and avoided any major controversies while with the team.

After the 2009 season ended, Incognito decided to take his talents to South Beach and signed with the Dolphins. That’s where the issues became to appear again for Incognito, who started reverting back to his ways with the Rams. The Martin saga was the last straw for Incognito after the 2013 season, and he was out of football for all of 2014.

Once his suspension was lifted, Incognito was free to sign with whichever team he liked. He chose to come back to the Bills, and appears to be a changed man. He was welcomed with open arms to the Bills (as everyone typically is), and has become a veteran presence already this offseason. When you look at him, he seems to be happier and not so angry, something that should translate well during the upcoming season. Long gone are the days of Incognito being a verbal bully; ahead are the days of him being even more of a physical bully, the type that Rex Ryan is looking for when he was signed as the new head coach.

One thing is for sure; with Incognito back in Buffalo, and the solid contributions of Cordy Glenn, Seantrel Henderson, Cyril Richardson, and Eric Wood; this offensive line should be able to impose their will on any defense they’re facing, which should open up plenty of holes for LeSean McCoy, Fred Jackson, Boobie Dixon, and Bryce Brown, while also opening up the passing game. Things are going to get interesting, and Incognito will be a huge part of that. Perhaps his presence will help re-produce what happened in St. Louis back in 2006. The world will get to find out this season if Incognito truly is a bad guy gone good; it certainly appears to be heading that way.

Alex Rugile @alexrugile

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