In classic Rex Ryan fashion, the sucker puncher himself, IK Enemkpali, will be a captain when the Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets.
By Robby Sabo
Would the man have it any other way? No, of course not.
Fans of the New York Jets are very accustomed to it. For six seasons as head coach of Gang Green, Rex Ryan would handpick his captains prior to every game based not on merit, but on storyline.
Whatever the reason may be, any of Rex’s players can find their way in the middle of the opening coin toss.
This Thursday night will be no different, as in the most “Rexian” of ways, he’s already anointed IK Enemkpali a captain for the Buffalo Bills showdown with the Jets.
Of course he would.
We all know what went down in the Jets locker room in August of this past preseason. Thanks to a couple hundred bucks, and a couple of immature attitudes, Enemkpali slugged then starting quarterback Geno Smith in the face, breaking his jaw. The situation prompted Ryan Fitzpatrick to assume the starting role and for Enemkpali to immediately receive his walking papers.
What’s the motivation here for Rex? Well, perhaps Enemkpali – a guy who’s only suited up for a grand total of three games in 2015 – will cheer better from the sidelines. Maybe, those few special teams plays he’ll receive will be that much more intense because he was graced with the honor of walking to midfield to possibly call “heads” or “tails.”
How ridiculous is this? Maybe IK and Geno can get together on the sidelines and work out their differences during the game. Hey, why not? They’ll both be sitting on the bench the entire game.
This move does nothing but put focus on things other than the actual game itself. In fact, it’s completely foolish. Why reward a player who was cut for socking the starting quarterback in the jaw? If anything, most successful coaches tend to shy away from personalities like that.
Of course, we know Geno wasn’t innocent in the matter at hand. Still, if this is Rex’s idea of pumping up his team prior to an incredibly important AFC East showdown, then either he’s completely lost, or he’s not focusing on the important aspects of preparation.
When Enemkpali was asked by the media to discuss the Geno incident, he had this to say, via Mike Rodak of ESNY:
“Next question,” Enemkpali told a large scrum of reporters Monday.
IK had so little to say about the incident, that he came up with this beauty: “Everything is obvious. I don’t really gotta talk about it.”
So, let’s recap shall we. Enemkpali’s coach names him a co-captain, and now Enemkpali is bombarded with unnecessary questions from the press that wouldn’t have been as plentiful if this shameless captaincy announcement wasn’t made.
Great move Rex. It appears you haven’t changed a bit.
For the stuff that matters, the 4-4 Bills can leapfrog themselves into second place in the AFC East if they can knock off the 5-3 Jets this Thursday night.
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