It seems like quite a long time ago when Richie Incognito, Jonathan Martin, and Mike Pouncey were all quite deeply involved in the bullygate scandal back in the 2013 NFL season. Incognito is the only player that has yet to return to a NFL team, as Pouncey stayed with the Dolphins and Jonathan Martin was traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
But all of that has now changed, as the uncertain quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, whether that is EJ Manuel, or a player that is yet to be added to the team, is now going to be protected by a former Pro Bowler in Richie Incognito. It was one of those things that Incognito has always been talented on the field, but it was his off the field issues that needed to be resolved. Maybe with a year away from football he has finally learned his lesson.
Another important thing is that Rex Ryan is a good players coach. But at the same time, he has had several issues with players getting in trouble with the law before. It would probably be a fair debate as to whether or not that was an issue with the players being in the New York City Metropolitan area, or if Rex is just not good at keeping his players out of trouble. It's probably clear though that Rex is sticking his neck on the line for a controversial player that he has coached against in the past. With how Rex Ryan can evaluate defensive talent, and brought together Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, it's clear that he also knows who the best blockers are on the other side of the ball.
Incognito will only be a part of the rebuilding effort on the offensive side of the ball, and with the Bills likely to have a ground and pound offense, focused around the talents of C.J. Spiller, they should also continue to look for another guard for their offense. This writer thinks it would be an excellent idea for them to target Mike Iupati of the San Francisco 49ers. While he has been rated poorly as a pass blocker, he is one of the best run blockers in the entire league. To pair him into their offensive system could be a major coup as teams have to play to their strengths, and running is going to be a major strength of the Buffalo Bills in 2015, simply because they don't have a first round pick and the free agent market for quarterbacks is noticeably slim.
It is not going to be decided quickly if this is a good signing for the Buffalo Bills, it is going to take when he is done with the team if they still are happy that they had brought him on board into their organization. That is going to be the only deciding factor.