Quotes about Ikaika

About how people can't seem to pronounce his name in Detroit, Ikaika said:
"My name's been destroyed over and over again. So I just gave up on it." (HSB)


About Coach Marinelli calling him "Five-O", Ikaika said:
"He can call me whatever he wants -- he's the head coach. I won't say a word, I promise." (HSB)


About the reps he has been getting, with 1-on-1 instruction from his head coach, Ikaika said:
"It's good experience for me -- it's a great opportunity for me to get better. All I'm going to do is soak in as much as I can." (HSB)


Praising Ikaika's athleticism, Defensive Coordinator Barry said:
"You forget sometimes that the kid is 280 pounds when you just see him -- he's very smooth and athletic. You can't usually find big men that can run and change direction and rush the passer. He's going to continue to get better, but you know he's coming out here, working everyday and improving." (HSB)


Still shocked sometimes to be in the NFL, Ikaika said:
"Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be here. But when I made that step to take football, I said, 'Why not reach for the stars?' I gave everything I had -- all my passion, all my love and that's why I am here now." (HSB)


Planning on giving Ikaika a lot of playing time in tonight's game, head coach Marinelli said:
“I’m going to probably rotate him a little bit and let Corey (Smith) take some of the nickel in the first group. So, let him (Alama-Francis) get some good base run form; he’ll play quite a bit. I’m going to shift him back to some left end as the game goes on. I just want to see him get under pressure. He’ll feel it, see what it’s like, we’ll see how he reacts. I’m going to have him rush some nickel, and see how he does.” (DetroitLions.com)