Detriot Lions Saftey, James Ihedigbo: “I’m ready to play some football”
Detroit Lions safety, James Ihedigbo is listed as “probable” for Sundays match-up against the New York Jets, which means he has a 75 percent chance of playing for the first time in 2014. The Lions defense enters the week 4 contest with the No. 1 ranked defense in the National Football League, but his return to the field is still a welcome addition.
Also, James Ihedigbo fully practiced again today. That probably means he's on track to make his #Lions debut Sunday for #Lions
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) September 25, 2014
"“Right now the defense is ranked number one, but it’s still early. Our mindset is to just to go to work every day. It doesn’t surprise me where we are at because through OTAs and training camp I’ve seen the work guys have put in to really learn the defense. And the work that we put in during the week to execute at a high level on game day, so it just doesn’t surprise me.”"
“I’m ready to play some football”
One of the main reasons the Detroit Lions acquired Ihedigbo was because of his ability to stay healthy throughout the season, something former Lions safety, Louis Delmas struggled with during his tenure in the Motor City.
"“Watching from the sidelines has been a humbling experience. Always being available, these have been the first games I’ve missed in the last three years. It’s different. I didn’t know what to expect. But I have always said I will be there for my teammates, be an extra set of eyes to support the younger guys and even support the vets with what I see. I got to recover and get my body back and I’m ready to play some football.”"
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Ihedigbo is fired up about getting back on the field and being able to contribute to the Teryl Austin coached defense. Ihedigbo played under Austin in Baltimore and a large part of Austin’s system being successful is the physicality and style of play. Ihedigbo is a physical defender and will be able to slide right in due his familiarity with the playbook and system.
It is also great timing, due to the laundry list of injuries in the Detroit Lions defensive backfield.
"“It is exciting because the sky is the limit for us. I kind of hinted at it before the season started. Everyone always talks about our offense. And they should because major credit is due to our offense — they are phenomenal. But people are going to start talking about our defense too. That is our mindset. To keep setting our DNA each week on the field and get better and better at it each week.”"
Whether of not Sundays game will be a defensive battle will be unknown until after kick off. One thing I am counting on however is some smash mouth football from these two team, and Ihedigbo should be right in the middle of it.
How huge do you think it is that Ihedigbo is back?