Incognito was railroaded by those who simply hate football.
How do you go from this sideshow to "does...Greg Hardy have a right to represent the league? Who allows this to happen?" If Mr Rhoden, a thoughtful articulate writer, wants provoke discussion of that embarrassing situation, why does he write a whole column about something relatively trivial, and then throw these 2 sentences at the end. I can't really equate the Rex Ryan awarding of game captainships to guys who are already on his team with the Cowboys signing a man who beats women to join their team.
1
Rex will be Rex. I'll be interested in anything he has to say once he wins a Super Bowl. Until then, it's all hot air.
And ps, his team didn't beat the Jets this week as much as the Jets beat themselves.
And ps, his team didn't beat the Jets this week as much as the Jets beat themselves.
What a ridiculous article! It belongs in the editorial section and maybe should instead be titled more along the lines of what it is - another slap to the NFL. And for what. For Rex Ryan being the boisterous head coach he is? For injecting a little trash into the game? If you want the readers to all believe this is really bad for the image of the sport and the League I think you failed.
Ryan is he polar opposite of Belichick. Each coach has their detractors. Both coach's are able to rally the troops and circle the wagon, when necessary. Yet Belichik's method has a proven winning discipline while Ryan's approach produces an undisciplined group of players ( Bills lead the league in penalties; Jets also had the dubious distinction when coached by Ryan). In the end, Ryan's method will grow thin on players, fans and owners. As a result, Ryan will bounce around the league as head coach while Belichick will stay the course and serve up playoff victories after playoff victories.
Publish anything to create hype; thats what sports writers are paid to do and they are doing it. no one has to read about it. Ryan always uses 'psychological warfare" and sometimes it has worked for him, sometimes not.
He still has to win a Super Bowl to gain the real Creds he wants.
He still has to win a Super Bowl to gain the real Creds he wants.
Rex is Rex. Loves to instigate, taunt, tease, and mostly play mind games.
He's smarter than he appears. But, think, if you were fired, for something not
your fault, or being undercut by the boss who set you up to fail, and had the opportunity to come back and rub said boss's nose in his mistake, wouldn't it feel good?
He's smarter than he appears. But, think, if you were fired, for something not
your fault, or being undercut by the boss who set you up to fail, and had the opportunity to come back and rub said boss's nose in his mistake, wouldn't it feel good?
This from the writer who wrote a long piece on Mike Vick but never once mentioned his crimes.
3
I continue to wonder where the Commissioner is on issues like this that do go to the integrity of the game. As one debacle after another befalls our national sport it begs the question: Just what does Goodell do to earn his 40+million?
This is a joke, right? Team captains should be chosen by The Ethicist,
3
Its not like this stuff is life or death. Red Holzman, the former Knicks coach and a family friend, used to say when we complained about the the team in the late 70s, "Its only show biz" and Rex is real good show biz.
3
I'm sorry- what's the problem here? The NFL is supposed to be entertainment, and Rex undeniably raises the entertainment value. You think the 80s Pistons and Lakers were fretting over respect and class? I'm not even addressing the fact that the NFL is a corporatized bloodsport with morality that would turn a Halliburton exec's stomach, so looking to Goodell and the owners for authentic class is preposterous.
At the risk of being an armchair psych, this sounds like a peeved fan trying to justify frustration over a Jets loss.
At the risk of being an armchair psych, this sounds like a peeved fan trying to justify frustration over a Jets loss.
4
Why so negative...think positive dude.
Maybe Rex is big on Redemption?............We are often told what a forgiving Nation we are and that second chances are a given. So perhaps Rex is just being a patriotic American and doing his best to teach his wayward players the value of good sportsmanship. It is an honor to be named a Captain......I'm sure that these guys earned it.
Maybe Rex is big on Redemption?............We are often told what a forgiving Nation we are and that second chances are a given. So perhaps Rex is just being a patriotic American and doing his best to teach his wayward players the value of good sportsmanship. It is an honor to be named a Captain......I'm sure that these guys earned it.
Rex Ryan shows a lack of class, and you're wringing your hands about it?
3
Ryan will take the Bills to the Super Bowl long before the Jets make it there. He is perfect for Buffalo, which is a town that supports its teams through thick and thin. The good people of western New York know all about hard times, and they deserve a winner.
2
And here we all thought we'd get a break from non-stories about this no-accomplishment blowhard once he left town...
8
The NFL displays the worst in sportsmanship today. As disgraceful all of the grandstanding is, the knowledge that players are killing themselves with each violent collision should remove any enjoyment of a sport that sets the worst example for children.
As a Patriots fan, I always admired Ryan's chutzpah (or gall, or bald-faced lack of shame, or whatever you want to call it). He's the ultimate coach of the internet age, which is to say he trolls his opponents spectacularly. In a vacuum, he's simply one of the more entertaining personalities in the NFL.
As you start to allude to before abruptly ending the piece, the things for which we need to be criticizing the NFL are much more serious than one man's hilarious trolling. Multiple players, not just Hardy, have despicable tendencies to domestic violence, and the game of football itself is indisputably based on the inexorable and intentional physical and mental destruction of the men who play it. Criticizing Ryan before even mentioning those other things is myopic on multiple levels.
And I disagree with your last paragraph: if Ryan were the coach at Mizzou, and nobody else thought of it first, I can see him calling up Tommie Smith and John Carlos to show support - because what better way to troll the racists?
As you start to allude to before abruptly ending the piece, the things for which we need to be criticizing the NFL are much more serious than one man's hilarious trolling. Multiple players, not just Hardy, have despicable tendencies to domestic violence, and the game of football itself is indisputably based on the inexorable and intentional physical and mental destruction of the men who play it. Criticizing Ryan before even mentioning those other things is myopic on multiple levels.
And I disagree with your last paragraph: if Ryan were the coach at Mizzou, and nobody else thought of it first, I can see him calling up Tommie Smith and John Carlos to show support - because what better way to troll the racists?
3
I think this is a lost cause. Football (esp the NFL) glorifies violence as a mainstay of masculine (and patriarchal) culture. This is its essence. And the contemporary US is perfectly happy looking at this reflection of itself. Tinker with this or that in football (on the field or off) if you really want. Maybe there will be a couple fewer concussions or a bit less spousal abuse, but the changes will never be more than minor and cosmetic. You have gladiatorial games or you don't. We do -- and will until who knows what happens to change it.
The NFL only has a problem with people who don't like watching thug-like humans and over-the-top aggressive personalities. All the people mentioned in this article like Ryan, Incognito, and Enemkpali exemplify this personality type.
Think back 30 years to the perception most people had of the NBA. It had become a circus show of sorts and then the league under Stern decided to clean up its image by getting tough on dirty players and fouls, making players wear a sport jacket on the sidelines, etc which truly the changed the image of the league for the better.
Goodell seems more concerned about his image and the office he holds then the image of the league. Unless the NFL is willing to take some actions long proposed like no hair sticking out from under helmets, severe suspensions for violent conduct, etc to really change the image, this same discussion will be going on 10 years from now.
Some of these changes are going to cause a lot of turmoil and a few "free spirits" will go away in a huff with their millions. Long-term it will make football something the average American will want to watch. I have cut my viewing of the NFL down to about 10% of what I watched 15 years ago. I find the image projected by many players, their play that deliberately tries to injure/hurt opponents, and then ruthlessness of organizations in becoming winners too much for more than casual viewing.
But, apparently for millions of people this is exactly what they want. So, play on.............
Think back 30 years to the perception most people had of the NBA. It had become a circus show of sorts and then the league under Stern decided to clean up its image by getting tough on dirty players and fouls, making players wear a sport jacket on the sidelines, etc which truly the changed the image of the league for the better.
Goodell seems more concerned about his image and the office he holds then the image of the league. Unless the NFL is willing to take some actions long proposed like no hair sticking out from under helmets, severe suspensions for violent conduct, etc to really change the image, this same discussion will be going on 10 years from now.
Some of these changes are going to cause a lot of turmoil and a few "free spirits" will go away in a huff with their millions. Long-term it will make football something the average American will want to watch. I have cut my viewing of the NFL down to about 10% of what I watched 15 years ago. I find the image projected by many players, their play that deliberately tries to injure/hurt opponents, and then ruthlessness of organizations in becoming winners too much for more than casual viewing.
But, apparently for millions of people this is exactly what they want. So, play on.............
I'm unclear what player hairstyles have to do with criminal conduct.
2
Part of the thug look and mentality. If you like it and think it is something to emulate, then go for it. To me, part of cleaning up the NFL act is to look and act professional - they go hand in hand. It has worked in the NBA.
Of all the behaviors the NFL could be policing, they shouldn't be expected to trouble themselves with team captain selection.
1
Geno Smith should have paid his debt and not disrespected Enemkpali. That's the bottom line. If Smith did that to someone on the street, he'd be paling with a few less fingers or a shattered kneecap. Take your Ms. Manners attitude to the society pages where it belongs.
3
Football is like a drug, and millions of us are junkies. This despite the fact that we know the NFL is filled with thugs, wife-beaters, and other assorted neer-do-wells. We keep watching in spite of the bad behavior, the ridiculous number of commercials, etc.... because it satisfies some primitive region in our brains, just like heroin.
2
This despite the fact that we know the NFL is filled with thugs, wife-beaters, and other assorted neer-do-wells.
---------------
You actually know no such thing. The NFL has 1,696 players. You go to any other industry and gather up 1,700 young men and you will find a higher level of domestic violence and crimes of all sorts. Football players play out their career in the public eye. The rest of us do not.
---------------
You actually know no such thing. The NFL has 1,696 players. You go to any other industry and gather up 1,700 young men and you will find a higher level of domestic violence and crimes of all sorts. Football players play out their career in the public eye. The rest of us do not.
I remember the NFL when Pete Rozelle was commissioner. None of these antics occurred. The NFL, publicly at least, was an organization that exuded professionalism and integrity at all levels. Things have certainly changed.
The new NFL: Money before Integrity.
The new NFL: Money before Integrity.
I've yet to stay awake for 4 hours of commercials sprinkled with zebras looking at videos. Rex Ryan completes the package just like Captain Lou Albano. When will people finally stop watching?
This is a sideshow. If I coached a team in the AFC East, where the Patriots are the bellwether, I would keep my mouth shut.
And, I wouldn't dress my players in clown suits. The jury is still out on Todd Bowles - he seems like a serious man. But, Rex Ryan is past wearing thin. He's thread bare. Moreover, I doubt he has the analytical skills necessary to coach an NFL team at a level of sustained excellence.
And, I wouldn't dress my players in clown suits. The jury is still out on Todd Bowles - he seems like a serious man. But, Rex Ryan is past wearing thin. He's thread bare. Moreover, I doubt he has the analytical skills necessary to coach an NFL team at a level of sustained excellence.
1
Didn't Shakespeare write a play about this...? I think it was called "Much Ado About Nothing".
1
The Commissioner is Goodell.Rex Ryan is a beacon of integrity in comparison
1
Mr. Rhoden, it was only a few short weeks ago that you were waxing eloquent about what a wonderful coach Bowles is and how the Jets are a shoe-in for the playoffs. I wrote in at that time and suggested you and all those giddy Jets fans should calm down a little as we had a long way to go in the season. If you remember last year, after four games the Patriots were 2-2 and had just been blown out on Monday night in Kansas City, and the Boston sportswriters were actually talking about trading Brady. So much for early season conclusions, and you and the Jets faithful fell into the same trap. The Jets were terrible a year ago and they weren't about to morph into Super Bowl contenders overnight. And Bowles showed last night he's not quite ready for Canton.
Whenever Rex's name comes up I am reminded about the old saying about empty barrels making the most noise.
1
Ryan's revenge has to be sweet by beating the Jets, & he's entitled to it.A teams failure is not only the fault of the coach but more so the fault of the Front Office, controlled by bean counters & not athletes. Ryan showed last night that if nothing else he can motivate the teams he coached, even though he might have inferior talent. The Jets were out coached & Buffalo was the better team last night, thanks mainly to Ryan.
1
They say that football is 90% mental and 10% perspiration .....obviously Rex Ryan has the former mastered!
Now that the rules are changing to better protect players in this day of 300+ lb players hitting 100+ lb players at full speed, football is becoming a wimpier sport compared to the Johnny Unitas Colts days when players were smaller and injuries were not that big a deal since no one player was making trillions of dollars.
That betting has taken over ALL sports today simply means that people like Ryan need to get into the news more often. Just be sure to spell his name right since, at contract time, he needs to show the boss all his press clips and how that means he gets even more millions to coach grown men to play a game.
Maybe if he cured cancer or something he would avoid the spotlight. We all know that nothing is more important to the media than football, so...
That betting has taken over ALL sports today simply means that people like Ryan need to get into the news more often. Just be sure to spell his name right since, at contract time, he needs to show the boss all his press clips and how that means he gets even more millions to coach grown men to play a game.
Maybe if he cured cancer or something he would avoid the spotlight. We all know that nothing is more important to the media than football, so...
Seriously? If there is an issue with these guys they should be suspended. Otherwise it's up to the team. Did we even check to see if his justification--that he always sends guys out to captain against teams that cut them--is true? We are so obsessed with "messages" in our society. The NFL has enough to worry about just dealing with what the players actually do instead of trying to figure out the meaning of making some dude a captain for a certain game. I'm not trying to defend what Icognito or Enemkpale did. But they should be punished in a way that makes sense and then let back in the league. We can debate whether the punishment is adequate, but once they're back, they're back. And we should treat society's criminals the same way.
2
And as much as I like and respect the straight-ahead sincerity and depth of the Jets’ new coach, Todd Bowles, Ryan was more fun. Ryan was colorful. He was outrageous. Defiant. Undisciplined. Irreverent.
______________________________________________
Yes.....he is another bloviating windbag....
______________________________________________
Yes.....he is another bloviating windbag....
Noll,Landry,Walsh,and Bellichek borderline mute, Lombardi only loud on the field. Tough to find a loud mouth with a history of success never mind rings. NFL has 30 jobs open every year and somebody has to take #'s 25-30.
Maybe this additional moment in the limelight as honorary captains will remind these young guys about about responsibility and behavior, and all this visibility will bring about positive change.
That's entertainment in a game. A child's game run by billionaires, played by millionaires for us thousandaires. Rex is a barker just like every other head coach, only louder. And just like Belichick, he'll try anything to gain the upper hand. You see, winning is the only thing that matters in this blood sport and as a lifetime Bills fan, I couldn't be happier. Go Buffalo!
2
Has it always been this bad? I've only been watching about 10 years, but the cumulative effect of the last couple of years has really crushed the interest I was starting to have in football.
I used to be hard-wired to disagree with anything Mr. Rhoden writes, but by now I'm merely comfortable in his predictability. Why do I continue to read him? Haven't a clue. Maybe it's like putting up with your unlikable brother-in-law because you love your sister - the NYT being the sister in this case.
This "offense" by Rex Ryan is about as offensive as an alleged underinflated football. I generally think Rex probably knew he was messing with the Dolphins and Jets, and I don't think the sky will be falling on the NFL tomorrow...not because of silly gamesmanship like this, anyway.
But you just keep making mountains out of mole hills, Bill. It's what you do - and extremely well.
This "offense" by Rex Ryan is about as offensive as an alleged underinflated football. I generally think Rex probably knew he was messing with the Dolphins and Jets, and I don't think the sky will be falling on the NFL tomorrow...not because of silly gamesmanship like this, anyway.
But you just keep making mountains out of mole hills, Bill. It's what you do - and extremely well.
2
Moral compass? What a laugh. Geno Smith still has a job despite his low-life cheating of a team-mate.
Once again, Rhoden shows naiveté writing about sports. Ryan is a buffoon, true, but I heard a former NFL player explain how this is a common practice with the weekly selection of captains—take a shot at your opponents any way you can, even if it's as silly as who does the coin toss.
I love NFL football, but think little of their leadership as a result of their craven submission to political correctness and their getting involved in things that aren't their business and which unfairly demonize players whether they made a personal mistake (Ray Rice) or just didn't bow to the king (Brady). I can't have respect for their investigations. But, what Ryan does with his team does not reflect on them. He can make these players temporary captains if he wants. It is a psych job and no one should let it bother them. Is it classy? No. Classless? Could be. At least with Enemkpali. But, Smith acted like a jerk too. If he becomes QB again, wouldn't Bowles make him a team captain? What would that say?
All I can say when you look at what Rex Ryan has done here (essentially condoning violence) and Greg Hardy's continued unacceptable behavior (not to mention the gruesome photos and and Jerry Jones' ignorance to it) how the league came up with a four game suspension for Tom Brady for supposedly having knowledge of or taking part in deflating footballs is outrageous. If Brady was guilty he should be punished but for him to have the same punishment for deflating footballs compared to what Greg Hardy did is just sickening. And now for the NFL to ignore Ryan's most recent "comic" act: where if the NFL?
Incognito was getting a raw deal, and Enemkpali made a mistake. The hypocritical 'morality' of the NFL, especially regarding Richie in this case, needed to be exposed.
I don't particularly care for Rex, nor do I consider him much more than an average coach, but let him have at it with Goodell and the NFL. For all their billions, they've shown incredible pettiness, inconsistency, greed and hypocrisy. And if the Bills win a few along the way, all the better for their loyal fans.
I don't particularly care for Rex, nor do I consider him much more than an average coach, but let him have at it with Goodell and the NFL. For all their billions, they've shown incredible pettiness, inconsistency, greed and hypocrisy. And if the Bills win a few along the way, all the better for their loyal fans.
2
Ryan went to Buffalo with all kinds of baggage - the Bills should have known that. But in the NFL you can do anything you want because as the late great Vince Lombardi said "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
2
More of the usual lynch-mob mentality. Nobody gets a second chance, nobody has a shot at redemption, forgiveness not an option. If you're guilty, you're guilty forever.
I wonder how Mr. Rhoden would like to be permanently punished for mistakes he's made in the past?
I wonder how Mr. Rhoden would like to be permanently punished for mistakes he's made in the past?
1
The NFL has no business telling teams who they can employ... they need to stick to the rules of the "contest" not who can play that contest, If it doesn't happen on the field during a game it'sd none of their business... and I believe that some day a smart lawyer will sue them and win on that point. These are 32 incorporated businesses, and in the case of Green Bay, a public owned operation.... could a shareholder sue them for interference somehow? Interesting thought?
How can these owners let this happen??? Are you kidding?? Have you sat among the masses (not those in the high-priced luxury seats) at an NFL game where getting drunk and being obnoxious is the norm. Do these owners care as long as they can sell their $10 watered-down beers? And how about teams charging the armed forces for those "patriotic" remembrances and observances during NFL games. I believe Messr. Kraft reeled in $1M for that sincere gratitude. The NFL is reality TV run amok...just ask those Thurs. night players who probably never felt the aches and pains in their bodies due to being shot up with Toreadol last Sunday only to have it done again to get them on the field last night. Yes, the NFL "cares".
1
I wish Jerry Jones the Dallas Cowboy's owner would hire him, I can only imagine the diabolical conversations between losses
It's about time to put the NFL in its place: right beside all the other "sports" which seem to be trying to emulate pro-wrestling by becoming nothing more than good athletes providing some form of entertainment for TV audiences too spaced out to leave their entertainment center sofa's other to go to the frig for a beer (or 6).
Rex is allowed to make anyone he wants an honorary captain for the coin toss, he did and it's done, so deal with it. Rex is the best! Go Buffalo!
So what does Rhoden want? Read his columns and he's all about `tude and sticking it to the Man. Well, who does that any better than Rex Ryan? The man has a perpetual chip on his shoulder and snarls at the NFL. Rhoden should love him - he's his creation.
Rex has always suffered from foot-in-mouth syndrome.
1
Superb column. As a long-time NFL fan, I've had it with the League, its hypocrisy and its glorification of some of the worst elements in society. In the past week, we've seen an owner (Jerry Jone) call an incredibly brutal, convicted domestic abuser a "team leader" and a coach (Rex Ryan) glorify a neanderthal bully and a guy who sucker-punched and broke the jaw of a teammate. And none of these situations even involve the endemic violence that leaves at least a third of NFL players horribly scarred land impaired ater in life and that the League, its PR moves aside, is doing little to assuage. It's simply sickening.
3
After Wes Welker's subtle mocking of Rex Ryan with foot puns in a press conference, the hoodie benched him for the first series of a playoff game against Rex Ryan's Jets. A playoff game! Contrast that with Rex Ryan taking childish jabs at opposing franchises. But of course, Bill Belichick might as well be evil incarnate as far as Jets fans are concerned.
[[Football is a rough-and-tumble game of skill and physicality. But I believe that you can play a rough-and-tumble game without necessarily being a rough-and-tumble person.]]
You're getting old. Not as in tiresome, but as in "Get off my lawn!"
Ryan is a boob. He was a boob when you liked him and he's still a boob now that you don't. Moreover, he signed a $27 million contract, so I'm sure he couldn't care less what you think of him or his tactics.
You're getting old. Not as in tiresome, but as in "Get off my lawn!"
Ryan is a boob. He was a boob when you liked him and he's still a boob now that you don't. Moreover, he signed a $27 million contract, so I'm sure he couldn't care less what you think of him or his tactics.
A tempest in a teapot, if there ever was one.
What NFL player or fan in her/his right mind cares one whit about Rex's little bit of chain-pulling?
Since Mr. Rhoden seems to be extraordinary desperate for subject matter, I say this: Go Broncos.
What NFL player or fan in her/his right mind cares one whit about Rex's little bit of chain-pulling?
Since Mr. Rhoden seems to be extraordinary desperate for subject matter, I say this: Go Broncos.
2
If you’re looking for a moral compass and positive examples in professional sports that’s your problem right there. Oh, it’s there but it doesn’t sell papers, doesn’t get viewers and, in many cases, doesn’t win games.
My God, what planet does this writer live on? The "moral compass" of the NFL? Has anyone ever seen any sign of one? The NFL's reputation continues to "erode even while it rakes in money by the billions"? If the NFL's reputation is eroding, it's not eroding with the people who are shelling out the billions. They love this this kind of stuff. Ryan is doing exactly what the NFL likes.
And, the bottom line: Bills win 22-17.
Its a sport where guys violently tackle each other and throw a pigskin around. There is no moral compass. If you are looking for a moral compass in professional sports you are doing it wrong.
There's three feet of snow on top of the flat roof of a commercial building somewhere in Buffalo. Through the snowpack, a ragged wisp of warm sewer vapor curls up into the air from the vent stack of the men's bathroom. That's Rex Ryan.
"But allowing him to taunt other teams is a different issue, and one more reason the N.F.L.’s reputation continues to erode even as the league rakes in money by the billions."
Seriously? I am no Rex Ryan fan but blaming him for the NFL's reputation instead of Goodell is ridiculous. Looks like the reporter was cool with Ryan's act when he was with the Jets but now that he's with Buffalo, he's suddenly outraged.
Seriously? I am no Rex Ryan fan but blaming him for the NFL's reputation instead of Goodell is ridiculous. Looks like the reporter was cool with Ryan's act when he was with the Jets but now that he's with Buffalo, he's suddenly outraged.
22
Well said. A league that turns it's back (by reducing fines and suspensions) on intoxicated driving, domestic violence, drug use, rape, murder etc etc etc...yet goes all out to punish to the max alleged ball deflation (and I'm not a Patriots fan) & promoting breast cancer awareness in a way the NFL doesn't get a cut doesn't need to worry about Rex Ryan's antics bringing down it's image. The NFL has done a great job of that all on it's own.
The point you are trying to make is way too subtle for a man of Ryan's intellect, or lack thereof.
10
I say the next opponent trots out a guy dressed as a foot.
17
You're looking for a moral compass in the NFL? There's your problem.
43
This from the writer who endorsed home run hitters gazing in awe at their blasts while flipping their bat arrogantly to show up the pitcher. Consistency, Mr. Rhoden?
34
Yup, naming the thugs Incognito and Enemkpali captains is a hateful thing and it's a shame Rex Ryan isn't out of work. Yet he keeps getting paid and getting attention. So stop watching the NFL, people!
13
yes, its such a hateful, horrible thing. Those poor players and their feelings. So happy this is whats important in football, lets never do anything that might hurt someones feelings. they've already made it so a team cant celebrate scoring a td together, maybe it should be a penalty to if a single player ever celebrates an accomplishment, or hey, maybe the oppesing teams should give a list before every game of who their oppenents team captains can be, or better yet maybe we should ditch the superbowl, playoff, stop keeping track of wins or points, just let the players play for an hour and give them all participation trophy's so they can all go home feeling good about themselves.
As a long suffering Bills fan it was a dark day for me when Rex was hired during the off season. Living here in the NY metro area I witnessed the debacle Rex visited upon the Jets. "Tone Deaf" is an understatement. Egotistical, reckless, loud-mouthed, and foolish are better descriptions. The vaunted defense has been one of the most penalized in the league - bad coaching - plain and simple.
Mark my words: After losing a game they were leading and should have won in week 16 against the Cowboys, the Bills will be 8-7, and need to win one game against the Jets to get into the playoffs. Rexy's big ego will be on display all week leading up to the game - and then they will lose.
Mark my words: After losing a game they were leading and should have won in week 16 against the Cowboys, the Bills will be 8-7, and need to win one game against the Jets to get into the playoffs. Rexy's big ego will be on display all week leading up to the game - and then they will lose.
8
And yet, the fiction that he is a great coach lives on.
Don't be such a Negative Nancy. We're in 5th place in the AFC right now. As a long suffering Bills fan, this rarely happens in week 10.
1
' "Tone Deaf" is an understatement. Egotistical, reckless, loud-mouthed, and foolish are better descriptions.'
Sounds to me as though Rexy should immediately throw his hat into the ring to become the GOP's presidential nominee in 2016.
Sounds to me as though Rexy should immediately throw his hat into the ring to become the GOP's presidential nominee in 2016.
1
The NFL is all about aggression and intimidation and if a coach can get inside the head of his opposition by appointing a jerk as a team captain then no one should be surprised-- or appalled. That's what it's all about.
8
Except, of course, for Bill la Bella Chick.
"Do Incognito and Enemkpali have a right to take center stage as captains? Just to satisfy Rex Ryan’s passion for gamesmanship? Does a player like Greg Hardy really have the right to represent the league?"
This has to be some sort of "Moral" nonsense, and it's just silly and naive. What does it mean to use the word "right" in this context? Who could make these decisions and what does it matter?
All these acts and words by Ryan only matter in the context, as Ryan knows, that the NFL is ENTERTAINMENT, not some sort of important Greek Drama or guiding philosophy for life. It's just the entertainment BUSINESS.
This has to be some sort of "Moral" nonsense, and it's just silly and naive. What does it mean to use the word "right" in this context? Who could make these decisions and what does it matter?
All these acts and words by Ryan only matter in the context, as Ryan knows, that the NFL is ENTERTAINMENT, not some sort of important Greek Drama or guiding philosophy for life. It's just the entertainment BUSINESS.
29
Ryan's moves tell all the kids out there that if you do these terrible things, the you will be a leader of the team. Watch to see if the Cowboys drop Hardy. Rex will draft him and make him captain during breast cancer awareness month.
12
don't you have anything better to write about. This article is about as enlightening as a 5 watt light bulb.
19
Agree 100%. These types of actions may be undertaken in order to irritate opposing teams, but they will not serve the Bills in the long run for many reasons. It puts the team in a terrible light PR-wise, as the writer points out. In addition, I suspect team building is accomplished more effectively when its leaders are high character individuals that all members of the team can respect.
3
"It puts the team in a terrible light PR-wise"
It would if anybody cared.
It would if anybody cared.
It's only a game for God's sake. As long as Buffalo wins who cares.
Lighten up. It's just a TV show.
26
I have played sports, and the best rule of thumb is to not say anything. Why rile up an opponent? Unless you're Rex. I think it's immaturity. This is a 7 year old here.
'Sides, the Bills ain't going anywhere this year. They hired this clown, gave him a raise, but he's still in the same division with the Pats, and should they be lucky enough to make the playoffs, they might run into the Bengals. Good luck with that. Rex is probably the only show in town, so enjoy it before the snow flies, folks.
'Sides, the Bills ain't going anywhere this year. They hired this clown, gave him a raise, but he's still in the same division with the Pats, and should they be lucky enough to make the playoffs, they might run into the Bengals. Good luck with that. Rex is probably the only show in town, so enjoy it before the snow flies, folks.
7
Why gripe? When you talk about "...the moral compass of the entire enterprise" - I have to ask in return as it relates to the NFL - what moral compass are you talking about?
Moral compass? This game, especially now, where owners like Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft are part owners of companies that promote fantasy gambling on their own players by millions of sad-sack "one week fantasy football" players, is a cesspool of life ending injuries (see the article in today's obits about Fred McNiel) and many other ills.
Moral compass my foot! Rex Ryan is a minor player in this carnival.
Moral compass? This game, especially now, where owners like Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft are part owners of companies that promote fantasy gambling on their own players by millions of sad-sack "one week fantasy football" players, is a cesspool of life ending injuries (see the article in today's obits about Fred McNiel) and many other ills.
Moral compass my foot! Rex Ryan is a minor player in this carnival.
18
Hay Bill Rhoden. Ryan isn't slapping the NFL. He IS the NFL. Everything he does is "so NFL." He's a disgrace. So is the league.
4
Anyone ever notice that Rex Ryan looks eerily like Bill de Blasio??
And sounds eerily like Bill de Blasio.
And sounds eerily like Bill de Blasio.
2
This could be a motivation thing, he continues to make players playing against their former teams captains for their games. I believe the linebacker, that punched Geno Smith, is captaining the TNF game.
1
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True, as proven by all the good and charitable people in the NFL. But while playing a rough and tumble game you darn well had better be a rough and tumble person.