Former Jets player turned analyst says media is too focused on narratives, not games

If not for an extensive injury history, Quincy Enunwa would have been a household name. A fan-favorite during his time with the New York Jets, Enuwnwa excelled in then-offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense, as the 6-foot-2, 225-pound receiver became a matchup nightmare when utilized as an H-back.

Though, when Enunwa officially established himself in the position he was drafted to be, rather than moonlighting as a positionless wide receiver/tight end, he suffered multiple neck injuries, ending his once-promising career.

Enunwa hasn’t left the game of football, though. In fact, he’s an in-house analyst with the Jets and discussed his transition to the media side of things during a recent episode of The Exempt List with Charles McDonald on Yahoo Sports: NFL Zero Blitz’s podcast channel.

“To be honest with you, it wasn’t even something I wanted to do,” Enunwa admitted. “I think you can probably even find a tweet where I publicly said I wasn’t gonna do this. I think after you get done playing, everybody kind of searches for, like, what’s the next move, right? Even myself – I was a guy that really focused on, ‘OK, this isn’t forever; let me try to meet people and figure it out.’ But then, once it happens, you’re really kind of like, ‘Ehh, do I really want to do that stuff I was thinking about?’

“So the Jets reached out to me, and they were like, ‘Listen, we got this spot for you. If you want to come try it out — or you don’t like it, or it doesn’t work for us — then you go on about your ways.’ I tried out, it was a mutual liking, and I’ve just been here two years now.”

Enunwa, who majored in Economics at the University of Nebraska, was previously unsure of his next steps. He was looking into business opportunities and even did an externship with StubHub out in San Francisco while he was still playing. He was trying to see what made sense for him but wanted to make sure that football was involved in some capacity.

Now that Enunwa is a member of the “dreaded” media, McDonald asked him what is something that the media could be better as a whole in terms of covering football.

“I talked earlier about the job of coaches, and I’m learning a little, but now about the job of media,” said Enunwa. “There’s not a lot of media members that are able to do this independently, so you always have some kind of influence. But, even with that, sometimes it feels like a lot of guys are too focused on narratives as opposed to the actual content of the game. And so, I think that’s where a lot of players get very frustrated with some of the questions and giving answers.

“Some of the questions they ask postgame, you can tell that the sole purpose is to create a story. I wish the story was created through actually watching the game and figuring that stuff out, like really understanding the game. I know it’s not easy, but I just don’t feel like a lot of guys take the time, and so they spend a lot of time worrying about, ‘OK, this narrative that I want to kind of push for this. Or maybe this is what my boss is telling me, or this is the kind of person I am.’ And that stuff is frustrating for me, and I know it’s frustrating for players. So, then you get in those meetings — and I can say personally — you get into them, and you’re kind of closed off. You know, you don’t want to answer anything because it’s not like you’re gonna ask me about football. You’re gonna ask me about something that you know is going to incite some kind of reaction. That’s what I dislike about it.”

Enunwa said that happened multiple times in his career, especially when things got bad. That was obviously a common occurrence when he played under Todd Bowles and Adam Gase-led teams.

“I get it; I’m not saying I don’t get it,” he added. “It just makes it hard because when times are good, I really don’t care no more to answer a good question for you because of what I know that you’re capable of doing.”

Enunwa’s unique perspective as a player and analyst will contribute to a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the game in the coming years. His call for the media to engage with football more authentically and meaningfully is an eye-opener, providing a better understanding of the relationship between professional athletes and media members.

[The Exempt List]