AGELESS INCOGNITO STILL COMMANDS INTEREST WHEREVER HE GOES

Al Thompson
At the age of 34, Richie Incognito is still one of the best interior linemen in the NFL. Photo by Andy Lewis/contrastphotography.com

In most NFL cities, it is all about the home team. In Philadelphia, it’s Eagles in the morning, Eagles in the afternoon, and Eagles all night.

There are a few players who draw interest regardless of what city they are in. One of those players is Buffalo Bills three-time Pro Bowl offensive guard Richie Incognito.

Incognito’s sometimes outrageous behavior at the beginning of his career would get him in trouble. The bullying scandal in 2013 he was involved in with a teammate resulted in him being pushed of the league in 2014.

But he turned his life around, landed in Buffalo where he is as popular as ever, and played well enough to earn a spot in two consecutive Pro Bowls.

Last week he was in Philadelphia to play against the Eagles in week two of the NFL preseason.

The 6-foot-3, 319 pounder talked about what keeps him going and motivated to play preseason games at the age of 34.

“I’m just getting into my rhythm,” said Incognito at his locker after the Bills lost a 20-16 decision to the Birds. “I’m just trying to find my rhythm getting back in the locker room, getting warmed up, just getting my game-time routine down so when the first game of the season comes around against the Jets it’s not new to me. I approach every season like, we’re starting strong on day one, start taking notes like it’s my first day ever. I want to learn the plays again. I approach it with a beginner’s mentality year in and year out.”

Any time running back LeSean McCoy comes to Philadelphia, it sparks interest. The 28-year old is the leading rusher in Eagles history with 6,792 yards.

Since he entered the league in 2009, he is the NFL’s leading rusher with 8,954 yards.

Since he blocks every play for him, Incognito was asked if McCoy is still as fast and effective as ever.

“He’s still dynamic,” Incognito said. “Shady’s really done a good job of taking care of his body on the back half of his career. He’s been working out a lot. He’s been running a lot in the offseason and it shows. He’s still dynamic, he still makes crazy cuts and is still a workhorse. He’s durable and plays in a lot of games. He’s really coming into his own and still makes big plays.”

The Bills have not made a playoff appearance since 1999. That’s 17 seasons, the longest playoff drought in the NFL going into the 2017 season. It has been 21 years since a playoff win.

Until the Bills end that streak the question is still a valid one…when do the Bills end the streak? They play in the same division as the New England Patriots, the AFC East, and Tom Brady has been playing in the NFL since 2000, full time since 2001.

Incognito knows they can’t just wait until he retires, so what do they do?

“We’re in a tough division,” Incognito said. “We’ve got to start forming our identity. We’ve got to lay the foundation and start laying the groundwork for the 2017 Bills. We all know what’s at stake, we all know how long the streak is, we’re working hard every day to get over that hump and get back in the dance.”

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18 Aug 17 - Eagles, Football, NFL - Al Thompson - No Comments