Playing His Way Out Of Town

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There is no way to discredit the athletic ability that New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson brings to the table. The Jets chose Richardson 13th overall during the 2013 National Football League Draft and it would not take him that long to show that he was the real deal. In 2013, Richardson had 42 tackles and 3.5 sacks as he was named as the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Richardson was a one-man gang as he was flying all over the field displaying a very rare form of talent which featured speed, strength, and agility from the defensive tackle position. Richardson would continue to make a name for himself around the NFL which saw him make the Pro Bowl in 2014. And along with defensive ends Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson, Richardson is a part of one of the best defensive lines in football that hearkens Jets fans back to the days of “The New York Sack Exchange”. But as good as Richardson can be, he can be equally as troubling.

In July 2015, Richardson was arrested in St. Charles County, Missouri after he was driving at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. And to make matters worse, Richardson had a 12-year old child in the vehicle at the time. This past January, Richardson was found guilty of reckless driving and resisting arrest which resulted in him being fined $1,050, while also receiving two years of probation, and 100 hours of community service. Richardson would also miss the first four games of the 2015 National Football League season as the result of a failed drug test, while he was also made to sit out the first game of this season as the result of his conviction in Missouri. This past spring saw the Jets pick up Richardson’s contract for 2017, but it isn’t looking promising as far as him being with Gang Green for next season.

Richardson was benched for the first quarter of the Jets 27-23 to the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 by head coach Todd Bowles for missing a team meeting during the week. And Richardson has continued to pile on himself as before the Jets 34-13 home loss this past Saturday night, Richardson made a short Snapchat video that contained several expletives.

Todd Bowles

Bowles spoke to Richardson on the matter and decided to keep the discipline of his star defensive tackle “in-house”. But when Richardson was questioned by reporters on the matter, he wasn’t apologetic over the matter as he merely seemed to be upset that the video got out. Since Richardson’s less than stellar video debut, reports have come out that the Jets attempted to trade him earlier this season with only the Dallas Cowboys seeming interested. But now more than ever it is time for the Jets to move on from Richardson as the headaches that he causes far outweigh his play on Sunday afternoons.

Richardson only has one year left on his deal and if the Jets are willing to accept the fact that they might not receive a high draft pick in return for him, they could be in the market to ship him out of town, but to whom?

The Cowboys already passed on Richardson, but who is to say that they would not take a flyer on him for 2017? Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has long been known as a man that will turn a blind eye to a player’s off-the-field discrepancies in favor of winning games. And as Jones’ team is a Super Bowl contender this year, he might be more than willing to beef up the Cowboys defensive line.

There are other teams around the National Football League such as the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Baltimore Ravens that could use the services of a talented player such as Richardson on their respective defensive lines. But with Richardson it’s more about what he brings to a locker room as he needs to be on a team that has a very strong leadership presence within their facility.

The Jets currently don’t have that kind of presence in their locker room, and as Bowles publicly appears to be a laid-back head coach, Richardson illustrates the actions of a man who doesn’t understand how privileged that he is to play in the National Football League being that he needs to good old-fashioned tough love.

Someone will take a shot on Richardson this off-season as I do not see any scenario in which he takes the field for the Jets next season. But if Bowles and/or Jets general manager Mike Macaggnan decide to have Richardson remain in Florham Park, New Jersey next season, they could be running the risk of having dynamite with a short fuse as you never know what you’re going to get from the enigmatic defensive tackle. And if the Jets are attempting to change their locker room culture, it starts with giving Richardson a one-way ticket out of town on the first thing smoking.

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By | 2016-12-22T17:55:23+00:00 December 23rd, 2016|Categories: National Football League|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

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