Feature story on Ikaika

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071125/SPORTS01/711250596

About how he still feels so fortunate to be in the NFL, Ikaika said:
"Never in a million years, never in a million years," Lions rookie defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis said. "I still pinch myself a lot of times, like what am I doing here? Just the road I chose with basketball and different sports, and I fell in love with the game of football." (Detroit Free Press)


About how JJ approached him while he worked out with UH's football team one day during his freshman year, despite how he never played football in high school, Ikaika said:
"I'm thinking, is this guy crazy or what's going on? He comes out of nowhere to come play football. I was just like about 200 pounds. I'm like, 'Me, a football player?' And especially a defensive lineman? Oh, man. I was like, 'Who I got to go against?' And they point at the 300-pound guys and I'm like, 'Am I ready for this?' " (DFP)


About what JJ said to him, Ikaika said:
"He's like, 'You should try to come out.' At the time he's like, 'If you give it all, you're going to be in the NFL.' " (DFP)


About the feeling of his first game, Ikaika said:
"I got into my first game of my first year. I loved the feeling of the crowd behind you, hitting somebody. I liked everything about it. So I decided to give everything I had to it." (DFP)


About what he saw in Ikaika, Detroit head coach Rod Marinelli said:
"Great athlete and he's tough, he'll hit. He's a great kid. He wants to please. He's the perfect guy you like in terms of 'want to, desire, smart.' He's got all the things you want to coach. He's going to be a house. He's big as a house right now. He's gonna get bigger. I just think he's so raw and so talented and such a good person." (DFP)


About how he need to perfect his technique and be consistent, Ikaika said:
"In the NFL everybody's good and it's all about you're going to be going up against someone who's just as equal as you are. But it's all about technique and how you're fluid, play-in and play-out. And being consistent is a good word that a lot of people use, so every day I work on trying to be consistent every play and every down and every game." (DFP)

DFP Note: "Alama-Francis has played in only two games this season, the last on Sept. 30 against Chicago when he made his only tackle of the season. Marinelli said he likely would have played against the New York Giants Nov. 18, but a hamstring strain in practice two days earlier kept him out. Staying motivated to work while waiting on the sidelines is what Marinelli sees as the biggest challenge for Alama-Francis."


About how Ikaika has to stay motivated in practice to improve despite not getting playing time, Marinelli said:
"You have to go out and practice and improve every day, and he's got to learn to do that. And you know what, he had a lull I thought there for a while. And the last month, I thought the last three or four weeks, he's really picked up and really kept catching my eye and he's gotten better. He's got a great attitude. He's just a great kid, great attitude." (DFP)


About how he welcomes the pressure and attention from his head coach, who used to be a top DL coach in the NFL, Ikaika said:
"When you're handpicked by a defensive line coach and a head coach, there's a lot of pressure there, but I embrace it." (DFP)