The season premiere of HBO’s Hard Knocks, a reality sports documentary series that follows an NFL team through its training camp and covers the team’s preparation for the upcoming season, aired Tuesday night. This year, the show features the Houston Texans. Are the Bills positioning themselves for next year?
If a team doesn’t volunteer to be featured, one may be forced to participate. The only exemptions are for teams that have appeared on the show in the last 10 years; teams with new head coaches; and teams that have made the playoffs in either of the last two years.
The Bills became exempt when they started 2015 off with the hiring of Rex Ryan as head coach. While he had some early success in his tenure with the New York Jets, his name is more known for what he says and does off the field. Can you name another NFL coach who would go skydiving just prior to the start of training camp?
A few weeks later, the team signed lineman Richie Incognito who had been suspended by the NFL and out of football for a year and a half due to a bullying incident in Miami.
In March, the team once again made headlines, trading for running back LeSean McCoy in exchange for Kiko Alonso. McCoy has since made headlines for claims about his former coach Chip Kelly.
Also in March, the team signed wide receiver Percy Harvin. The former first-round pick has a lot of talent as well as the title of “most hated player in the locker room” by Sports Illustrated.
The most recent news out of Bills camp came Wednesday afternoon, with signing of former Jets linebacker IK Enemkpali, who one day earlier, according to reports, sucker-punched New York’s starting quarterback, Geno Smith.
“We all know what happened and things like that,” Bills’ head coach Rex Ryan said prior to the team’s practice Wednesday night at St. John Fisher College. “Obviously it was a terrible thing that happened. IK, he made a mistake and there is no question about that.”
ESPN reported that Smith owed Enemkpali $600 he purchased for Smith to attend his football camp in Texas. Smith had to cancel his trip due to a death in the family and promised to reimburse Enemkpali, but never did. The punch to Smith’s face broke his jaw and could sideline the third year quarterback 6-10 weeks. Enemkpali was immediately cut by the Jets and may face discipline from the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy.
“I don’t think that it was,” said Ryan when asked if claiming Enemkpali 24 hours after the incident is in some respects reward him for what he did. “We just looked at it as this young man can have a chance to compete for a job, make us a better football team.”
Ryan is familiar with Enemkpali having coached him his last year in New York.
“A lot of us were around IK and he was a good teammate, simple as that. His background, he was a former captain of his team. I know he had an issue, but he was a former captain.”
A 2014 sixth-round draft pick of the Jets, Enemkpali played in six games last year, mostly on special teams.
“In scouting terms he reminds you a lot of James Harrison,” said Bills’ General Manager Doug Whaley Wednesday afternoon. “Obviously he hasn’t proven it yet. But a real strong active time ordered guy, his game is based around power and relentless effort.”
The team is trying to schedule a physical in Buffalo Thursday morning and hopefully have him at camp Thursday night. There is no indication as to whether or not he would see playing time in the team’s first preseason game Friday night against Carolina.
“This guy wouldn’t be here if we didn’t feel he had a chance to be successful on the football field, in the locker room and in the classroom, and in the community,” Ryan said.
The Bills are making more national headlines this year than they have in the previous decade. The problem is, they have yet to play a game. Time will tell whether the interesting and sometimes controversial moves this offseason is what finally ends the organization’s 15-year playoff drought. If not, Hard Knocks could come calling and the team wouldn’t have an exemption. It’s up to Rex and his new cast of characters to ensure Bills fans will be watching their team playing in January and not being featured on HBO.
IK Enemkpali made the following statement Thursday afternoon to the media at Bills training camp:
“I want to thank everybody for being here today. I want to apologize to the Jets organization, the fans, my teammates, and the coaches. I apologize for what happened. It should have never happened. I should have walked away from the situation. It was never my intention to hurt anybody. I’m just very grateful for Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me the opportunity to further my career here in 2015. I’m very grateful and thankful and happy to be a Bill. I look forward to being a good teammate, an accountable player, and an accountable teammate to this organization. I’m just happy to be here and I’m thankful. Thank you.”
