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Of all the people that could sympathize with the plight of New York Jets backup defensive end Ropati Pitoitua, perhaps none can relate more than the man who was challenged on camera by Jets coach Rex Ryan to take Pitoitua's place on the depth chart, Rodrique Wright.
Pitoitua tore his left Achilles tendon during last week's preseason game at Carolina and his world unraveled in front of a nationwide viewing audience last night on HBO's "Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The New York Jets." Nose tackle Kris Jenkins had to lift Pitoitua off the bench, over his shoulder and then carry him to the cart that was waiting to take him inside the locker room to be examined.
Wright suddenly was thrust into the spotlight as he was the one being yelled at by Ryan seconds after Ryan got the news that his 6-foot-8, 310-pound giant was done for the season. At 6-5 and 310 pounds, Wright has the ideal size to play defensive end in the 3-4 and was considered a first or second-round prospect coming out of Texas in 2006 when he mysteriously dropped all the way to the seventh round and was taken by the Miami Dolphins.
An MRI had revealed a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder that he had played with his entire senior year. He then managed to appear in 13 games in 2007 during Miami's 1-15 season, recording 38 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was inactive for every game in 2008 and released by the team before the start of last season, so he was out of football before the Jets brought him back in March.
Now he had to watch Pitoitua go down with a devastating injury to get his big chance, which certainly is bittersweet for him. But being called out by your coach for everyone to see on a highly rated show like "Hard Knocks" will fire you up in a heartbeat.
Jets Lineman Ropati Pitoitua's Hard Luck Injury Chronicled On HBO
Aug 26, 2010 – 9:56 PM
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