Quotes from Ikaika after his first NFL training camp practice

Note: Ikaika wasn't healthy enough to fully participate in any of the minicamps during the offseason, so his first training camp practice was the first NFL practice he was able to fully participate in.

“Being out here is exciting. What more can you say? It’s what we’ve been working for all of our lives – me four years – but it’s a dream come true. You ask any football player in the world what he wants to be and that’s a professional. I’m living the dream and I’m going to take advantage of it. I’m going to work hard every day and prove to myself that I belong here.

“(Compared to) OTAs, training camp is the same thing, just a little more intense and a little more up-tempo – but I love it. I love it. Just to be out here with the guys going through what they go through and just working hard. It’s my rookie year, I’m going to have to battle through a lot of things but I’m going to have a smile on my face and I’m going to enjoy it.

“We usually go helmets the first three days of college, (but) now it’s just full pads. That’s the way it is: whatever they ask us, that’s what we’ve got to do. So, Coach Marinelli wants pads so we’re going to do it. (But) it was good to be out there again. It really was. I haven’t hit in almost half a year now – I enjoy every minute of it.”

“(Practicing in front of the fans is) fantastic. It’s for them. Just to come out and see what we can do and see what the team brings this year. It’s exciting and I thank the fans for coming out because it takes time and effort to come out here just like us. We’re behind them 100-percent.”