James Ihedigbo (2014)

1) Um... how does it feel? I guess it feels great! IN our profession, we strive to be the best, and that's what we work for, and so to be the top defense in the NFL, it says a lot to our hard work that we've put in thus far, that's kind of where we want to be and we are very proud of that, and we hold ourselves to that standard every Sunday.

2) The toughest player that I've had to face? Oooh. Hmm. Toughest as in physical tough, huh? I would say... "Shady" McCoy, only because he's so elusive and so fast that he's probably one of the toughest I've had going against him as a safety in my career, his ability to break tackles and hit a home run on any given play.

3) I don't know, I mean, we had a tough one against the Saints that we managed, going against Drew Brees, he's a top-notch quarterback, but looking on our schedule, we still have to face Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers again, so there's plenty more tough games ahead.

Because we will work harder than any other team to get there and win.

Honestly, I compare him - and I told Calvin this, so I can say this - I compare playing with Calvin Johnson is literally like witnessing Michael Jordan play in his prime.

It felt amazing, it really did. You know, to be there, and feel that excitement, to do something that special, really felt amazing. And I'm looking forward to getting another one this year.

I'll definitely do that. And Stafford is cool as hey. That's a smooth white boy right there!

You know what's crazy? is that Coach Caldwell, his facial expression from the beginning to end of the game never changes, which I just don't know how. But when we were down 21 points, he just kept saying "relax, relax, we'll be alright."

Well, for the first part of the question, Teryl had a major part in me wanting to come to the Detroit. I have a great relationship with Coach Austin both on and off the field, and being a part of the same defensive system I'd been a part of for 2 years prior, as well as knowing how I would be used, was a big part of it. And in terms of him being a good Defensive backs coach, he is a PHENOMENAL coach and I saw the preparation he put in in terms of having us prepared to play, in terms of what we were going to see from the other team, what calls to be ready for, so to see him excel as the Defensive coordinator does not come as any surprise to me.

I was definitely looking forward - I mean, many people know that Glover and I have been working out together since March. On the field, we are learning each week how to play with each other more and more and we compliment each other very well, that's why we're the best defensive team in the NFL. Along with that, I was just looking forward to playing with our D-line - with Nick, with Ziggy, with all those guys, because such a talented group, it's phenomenal and I was really looking forward to playing with those guys.

I would have to say Ed Reed, and truly just from, you know, his mentorship, being in Baltimore for 2 years with him, and really just seeing how he prepared, how he studied the game and watched film, and really the preparation he put into being such a great player, and i really learned a lot from that. That being great doesn't just happen overnight, you have to put a lot of work into it.

Interception! Need the ball. See ball, get ball !

Haha!

Most amusing player on Defense? I would have to say Levy, our Linebacker, because he's like - he's the type of guy, in the off-season, he will travel to like a real part of Africa and climb the highest mountain, just go backpack across country and stuff by himself, with nobody else, maybe 2 other people that he will meet along the way, he's that type of guy, an outdoorsman, he knows how to survive BY HIMSELF with no food or nothing, like what you see on those A+E TV shows? Yeah.

Man Vs Wild, that's it.

And London was awesome, it was a great experience. It's a beautiful city, the people are very nice, I guess, it's different compared to the US, very different, but it was nice. We had a great time, and I enjoyed myself. Definitely would go back .

Oh, that's easy ! Brian Dawkins.

AKA Weapon X.

Hands down exceeded the expectations. The City of Detroit gets such a bad rap, and I was thinking "Oh we are going to get there, and all those stereotypes - like you will get robbed" and then you get there and it's the complete opposite. We haven't had a single issue, the people are great, the food is great, the fans are amazing, the best city to play in.

WOW.

The most fun player to be on the field with?

Wow.

That's a hard one. I've played with some... amazing guys. I'd have to say... fun player to be on the field with. Terrell Suggs because he's hilarious, he says the most outlandish stuff, but he truly has fun while he's playing. And he taught me how to have more fun while I am on the field.

Well, my biggest inspiration is definitely my dad, Apollo Ihedigbo. He passed away my senior year of high school, but just his love for Christ, and embodying what a true man of God is, and his work ethic was impeccable, coming from Nigeria to the United States, earning a PhD in education, being an active advisor at one of the top universities in the country - I saw that he accomplished all that, there is no reason that I could not pursue my dreams and accomplish the same.

Hahaha! Yeah, I guess, yeah. Whenever he plays catch with me, he throws the ball slower than that.

No, it's just coincidence. I'm glad I didn't get shipped off to Oakland, or Seattle or something. It was just by chance.

My favorite movie, ha ha ha... wow... that's hard. It's between GLADIATOR and DARK KNIGHT RISES, the newest Batman, yeah.

Hmmm.

Who would be it be, if I could sack ANY quarterback in the NFL?

Ryan Tannehill.

Wow.

Um. I would have to go with 100 small versions of him the size of a duck, rather than one big duck the size of him.

1) It's hard to put into words: Coach Caldwell brings a presence about him which makes the players not only believe in him, but he believes in us. He trusts us. He creates an atmosphere where you have to be of high character, great integrity, and you have to have great accountability, and those are all key things you need to be successful in the NFL and to win games. And that's kind of the standard that he brings, along with his expectations of us on the field in terms of performance, and he does a great job of taking care of us on the field so we can go out and play our best, and we just believe in each other across the board, and that's why I love him. I guess to add to that, everyone is all in - no one is self-centered, they are all thinking "what can I do for the team to win."

2) Oh, funniest guy in the locker room? Wow... on defense, it has to be Cassius Vaughn. And offensively... oh man, he can do ANY voice. He did an English accent the whole time we were in London like "I don't need to throw away any of this rubbish!"

but I'm blanking on his name.

Oh, and my neck feels great, 100%

Hardest player to tackle I've ever faced? Ben Roethlisberger...because he's SO hard to tackle, he's HUGE, he's so elusive!

I don't know. It's hard, at this point in my career, at this point in my career i kind of have everything structured. The big part was in the beginning of the year when I got hurt, definitely keeping up faith and trusting that God had a bigger plan and not getting discouraged that I couldn't help my team. That was probably the biggest part.

Truly, what inspired me was the many young students that wanted to pursue a higher education and go to a University but didn't have the financial means to do that, and truly, my parents were an example of that - they had to work and fight tooth and nail to pay for their education. I wanted to provide a platform to help people so they didn't have to compromise for education due to their financial situation.

He's a great guy. You know, he's a great guy. He's a better person than he is a player, if that makes sense.

I have a cool pre-game tradition. Before every game, before I leave the hotel, I call my mom, my wife and my brother Nate, and we all pray together before every game, and I've been doing that my entire career, before every game.

And I don't know, I guess some guys have to eat the same meal before every game or something? I had a guy, I'm gonna leave his name out of it, but every away game he plays, he has to find a casino and gamble at it, because he thinks he'll play better!

Well, that's a tough question, because that was the old Detroit Lions. And I knew Coach Caldwell that he was bringing in a new culture, and a culture that i was familiar with, in terms of what it takes to win and be successful in the NFL, so I din't really look at it "I'm going to the old Detroit Lions" - I knew there was going to be something special with this team, and I definitely wanted to be a part of it.

Yeah, I guess! I mean, we don't really look for other people to give us recognition for our hard work, we just continue to work at it each week. So as the season goes on, we just let the chips fall where they may, and we'll have enough space on the back of the bandwagon for people to jump on.

I have to say... thus far in the year, the resilience that we have, you know, it takes a special chemistry as a team, but it takes resilience and being able to win games people think you can't win, and we've kind of done that these past 2 weeks. That's a sign of a championship football team.

Ha ha. Nice!

Because of the next man up mentally - even when I was out with an injury, and Isa stepped in for me, and played at a high level, it's been that way across the board, with Reggie being out, and Calvin being out, there's been guys across that board that have stepped in to play at a high level and it's been the next man stepping up to help our team win.

The most amazing feeling EVER. Looking forward to doing it again this year! But it's truly, you know, an amazing thing. It's surreal. I can't even put it into words.

Wow, that's such a hard one! My favorite moment hanging out? Hmm.

I would say... that's such a hard question. I guess when I first entered into the NFL as a rookie on the Jets, and went out to dinner with the whole Defense, and it was my first "Wow" factor, where I was like "Wow, I'm really here in the NFL" and I kind of achieved my dream of playing in the NFL - that type of feeling with the camaraderie of the guys that we had on the team at the time was really a memorable experience.

You know, I don't know. Because there are guys in the NFL that don't complete their education, but they are doing a great job in the NFL with the continuing education plans that they have set up by the NFl for guys to be able to get their degrees while they are still playing. So there are a lot of good things in place already.

1) The toughest QB... definitely thus far in the year, Drew Brees, because of his ability to kind of make every throw move so far, such a great quarterback and competitor.

2) Favorite pre-game meal? French toast, strawberries, and a bacon, tomato and onion omelet.

Yeah, I do stuff like this when I get time to myself. No, honestly... we definitely don't have a lot of free time. And... I try to spend time with the family when I'm away from football.

I say Andrew Luck when it's all said and done, I think he's going to do things in the league that will turn heads. He is going to define what it means to be the new elite quarterback in the NFL.

Well, I'll answer the first part of the question: we have a saying in our locker room, what you hear here, stays here, when you leave here.

And I can't really say, you know, what was said, but we are all embarrassed by our performance, and we knew we could play much better, and we did.

And the second part ,how am I enjoying being a Lion? I love it, I look forward to finishing my career as a Lion, God willing, that's the plan. I love the city thus far, I love the season we are having, we definitely have something special going on and we just got to stay focused and stay the course.

Well, I guess the work that we put in. People have a conception that we just come out on Sundays and play. They don't see all the hard work that you put in off-field, how much you have to take care of your body, how much time goes into that, to get yourself ready to play each week.

The best opposing fan base? Wow. hmmm Hmm.

I'd say I like playing in Pittsburgh, between Pittsburgh and Cleveland fans, they're the best fans that make you feel like the villain.

PS4, all the way.

Who's the best dancer? Oh man... I have no idea... I have no idea!

Pepperoni. That's easy.