Quotes about Isaac Sopoaga

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/08/SPV5RERGR1.DTL

SFC note: "Nose tackles by necessity are thick of girth, squat of build and powerful enough to take up space and not give up ground. Isaac Sopoaga fits that description at 6-foot-2 and 334 pounds. He'll be starting for the 49ers at least through the preseason and maybe beyond with Aubrayo Franklin recovering from a sprained knee ligament."


About how he played SS at 282 pounds for Samoana High, Sopoaga said:
"I was like the king. They just sent me. I ran over o-linemen. It was fun. I had a running start of 10 to 12 yards." (SF Chronicle)

SFC Note: "Size, width and strength are not a problem for Sopoaga, one of five 49ers able to work out with 200-pound dumbbells ... in each hand. He can also bench press 535 pounds. The issues with Sopoaga are technique and consistency. He has a tendency to stay engaged with blockers too long. Of course, some defensive calls have him occupying blockers in order for linebackers to make the stop."

About how his job is to occupy blockers sometimes and to shed blocks sometimes, Sopoaga said:
"It depends on what kind of defense we're running. If you're running a defense where we have to be in the gap, it's easy. If we run two-gap (the space between a guard and the center), it's harder because we're being double-teamed." (SFC)


Asked why he didn't play on the line in high school (he was a SS, FB, and kicker), Sopoaga said:
"Boring." (SFC)