After he was released by the St. Louis Rams on Tuesday, guard Richie Incognito said he anticipates that he’ll be made to look like the bad guy and coach Steve Spagnuolo will be made to look like the good guy.
“Spags comes out looking like a hero,” Incognito told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He got Incognito. He ran Incognito out of town. Perception’s everything. So that’s what it’s going to be perceived as.”
Incognito is surely right about that, at least to the extent that the coach of a 1-12 team can ever look like a hero. By getting rid of Incognito, Spagnuolo comes across like a coach who won’t tolerate a player who follows two personal fouls with a verbal confrontation on the sidelines.
Incognito, however, said he had a positive conversation with Spagnuolo on the day he was let go, and he thinks Spagnuolo is the right man for the job.
“He’s doing a hell of a job, and you’ve got to feel for the guy,” Incognito said. “I really do think Spags is doing a great job. It’s obvious what the team needs here -- and it’s talent. It’s not a lack of coaching. And it’s not a lack of desire. It’s just a lack of talent right now. And they’ll get that sorted out. They’re the right men for the job.”
Incognito said he thinks some team will claim him on waivers. If he isn’t claimed he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.