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One of the sad realities of life is that it’s very hard for people to change. Of course there are people who are able to do it, but they are in the minority.
The Buffalo Bills announced on Monday that they had signed guard Richie Incognito.
Rex Ryan continues to have this Father Flanagan mindset, a mindset where he can get through to mercurial players when others can’t, and that he believes in second chances because, “we all make mistakes.” I can’t tell you how many times he used that line while with the Jets.
Look, I think second chances in life are a good thing, but coaches aren’t psychologists. This idea that they can get through to people like Santonio Holmes and Kellen Winslow, who are some deep-seated issues, is foolish.
Pete Carroll thought he could get through to Percy Harvin? How’d that work out? After wearing out his welcome in Minnesota (including an incident where he threatened to beat up Brad Childress), he got into two fights with teammates in Seattle, and was sent packing.
Like I said, most people can’t change. It’s just the way we are wired. Some can, most can’t.
Terry Pegula is an expert in oil exploration. That is why he is worth around $5 billion and owns the Bills. He’s lucky he sold his business to Royal Dutch Shell when he did, a few years ago. With gas prices plummeting, his enterprise wouldn’t be worth nearly as much now.
But he’s not football guru, and he’s not Dr. Phil.
I’m not being flippant, just keeping it real.
“I personally met with Richie, along with Doug Whaley, Rex Ryan and Kim regarding an opportunity to earn a spot on the Buffalo Bills roster,” Pegula said. “Obviously, we all discussed Richie’s past experience in the NCAA and NFL. We are convinced that Richie is prepared to move forward and has and will continue to take the necessary steps to improve himself as a person and a teammate. Following discussion with the rest of the coaching staff, we as an organization will provide him with the opportunity to do so.”
Incognito has had issues with anger management, drinking and obviously bullying in the past.
Pegula has no idea whether he’s over this stuff. Neither does Rex Ryan. Their meeting with Incognito means almost nothing.
They signed Incognito because their guard play last year was terrible, and Richie is a terrific guard.
So often when you take over a program as a new coach, you look to sign certain people to create the right culture in your new locker room for your new program.
I can’t say Incognito was Rex’s first signing. They claimed a receiver on waivers the other day. But the addition of Incognito was his first significant move.
What a statement! You are putting in a new program, and this is your first major move?
But then again, Rex did say in his introductory press conference, “He wants to build a bully.”
So he signed the NFL’s most high-profile bully.
Can you imagine how ticked off Roger Goodell and his lieutenants in the league office were at Rex using that terminology in his press conference? After the Incognito-Jonathan Martin ordeal, they don’t want to hear the “B” word.
I hope on a human level Incognito he can change. I don’t root against people.
But from Nebraska to Oregon to St. Louis to Miami, he wasn’t able to change.
In some ways, Rex doesn’t get it. He thinks he can will people into changing (like making Holmes a captain), or he can will people into playing better than they are capable of (like Kyle Wilson).
Most people can’t change.
And Rex might fall into that category.
It doesn’t look like he learned much from getting fired. Perhaps because he wasn’t out very long, and didn’t have time to reflect.
He continues to channel his inner Father Flanagan.
February 9, 2015
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