Countdown to Kickoff: Profile on Buffalo Bills No. 64 LG Richie Incognito
By Andrew Mills
64 days away from the NFL’s annual Thursday Night Kickoff, let’s look at a man who went from not being on an NFL roster in 2014, to receiving a three-year contract extension worth over $15,000,000 in 2016.
We are now exactly nine weeks and one day away from the NFL’s opening night. July is the month that training camp’s begin and fans will get their first taste of real on-field news in nearly six months. It’s been a long-time coming, but we’re almost there!
At NFLSpinZone.com, we started our Countdown to Kickoff series by profiling number 99 for the San Diego Charger’s, Joey Bosa, and we’ve profiled one player each day since then (read all of the profile’s here).
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Richie Incognito joined the man who plays on his left, Cordy Glenn, in agreeing to contract extensions with the Bills this offseason. Last season, Incognito was a very valuable piece of an offense that ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards. In fact, Incognito’s 2015 campaign was so stellar, he came in fourth for the Pro Football Focus Offensive Lineman of the Year Award.
Here is a sample of what PFF had to say about Incognito:
"The league’s best pull blocker all season, Incognito finished the year as one of PFF’s highest-graded guards as a run blocker, earning a positive grade every week in that facet of the game until Buffalo’s Week 17 finale against the Jets."
But Incognito has not always been a player spoken of so highly.
After being drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2005 draft, Incognito overcame injuries in his first season and proved to be a valuable and versatile member of their offensive line. In 2006, because of injuries, Incognito played in three different positions along the offensive line for the Rams.
Despite being part of an offensive line that allowed 45 sacks in 2008, the Rams and Incognito agreed to a one-year extension following that season.
In 2009, Incognito wore out his welcome in St. Louis. During a blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans, Incognito received two personal foul penalties resulting in a benching by his head coach, Steve Spagnuolo.
After the benching led to an on-field spat with Spagnuolo, Incognito was released by the Rams.
Ending his 2009 in Buffalo, Incognito was signed as a free agent by the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2010 season.
Incognito’s next three seasons (2010-2012) were very productive in Miami. In 2012, Incognito earned his first Pro Bowl selection but that all fell apart in 2013.
In November of 2013, Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins’ for his part in the bullying scandal that centered around teammate Jonathan Martin.
Martin claimed that he was routinely, and severely, bullied by Incognito and other members of the Dolphins’ offensive line. The abuse was so bad that Martin decided to leave the Dolphins rather than face Incognito any longer.
A summary of the NFL’s investigation into the situation in Miami can be read here, but suffice it to say that Incognito comes off looking pretty bad.
The Dolphins lifted Incognito’s suspension following the 2013 season and decided to let his contract expire without considering an extension. No other NFL team’s were interested in Incognito in 2014 either and he spent the season as a free agent.
In February of 2014 the Bills, with the blessing of co-owner Kim Pegula, brought Incognito in on a one-year deal. Following an excellent season that was free of controversy, and resulted in a second Pro Bowl nod for Incognito, the team and Incognito agreed on the aforementioned extension.
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Incognito has earned the respect of many, if not most Bills fans. His tough, gritty play on the field and the hope that he has finally learned his lesson off of it, has many in Buffalo excited to see what’s next for number 64.