Nawzer
05-17-2007, 12:40 PM
As a frequent visitor to the IGN website, I was happy to see the newest Texan Amobi Okoye get some attention. He's got a good sense of humor.
Amobi Okoye Interview
The Texans look to build their team from the inside out.
by Jon Robinson (http://sports.ign.com/email.html) http://media.ign.com/ign/images/readmyblog.gif (http://blogs.ign.com/JRob-IGN/)
showUSloc=(checkLocale('uk')||checkLocale('au'));d ocument.writeln(showUSloc ? 'US, ' : '');May 16, 2007 - When Amobi Okoye reaches for the 360 controller to play some football, it's not the football you'd think. "I like to play FIFA. It's all about AC Milan," the Texans' top pick told me at a recent EA Sports party. "I do the same thing when I play Madden and NCAA, I just try to pick a team with high ratings. I'm not that good, so I need a good team," Okoye laughs. "I moved to the States in '99, and we didn't play football [in Nigeria], we played soccer. So to me, FIFA is the game."
At 19, Okoye is the youngest player ever taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, and when the kid came over from Nigeria and was learning the game of football, his high school coach actually told him to play Madden in order to learn the basics of the sport (no wonder he gets up so fast after flattening an opponent, he doesn't want to get run over by the ambulance).
"You can learn a lot by playing Madden," Okoye says with a smile.
Obviously, as Okoye went from a 12-year-old freshman in high school (call him the Doogie Howser of football) to signing with Louisville at 15. "I never look at age like everyone else. I think my age is beneficial. I'm just going to approach this the same way I've approached everything since my younger days. I started school early and have faced challenges all of my life. This is just another step. I am ready for the challenge."
http://sportsmedia.ign.com/sports/image/article/788/788918/amobi-okoye-interview-20070516025453606-000.jpg
6-2, 310-pounds and still growing. Can you say upside?
That's why at the Senior Bowl, his teammates started referring to the kid as "Phe" as in Phenom.
What else can you say about someone whose mother put him in first grade at age two and now is ready to storm the NFL with his never-ending motor and desire to be the best on every play.
"I want to make the Pro Bowl, I want to be Rookie of the Year," he says when asked about his goals for his first year. "I want to be a factor in helping my team win."
And what about his character in Madden? What's the most important thing Okoye wants to see when he turns on the game that once taught him the finer points of football?
"Just make me look handsome," he says. "I care about my speed and power, but just make me look good."
And what about real life? What will Okoye bring to the Texans?
The young defensive tackle likes to think of himself as the next John Randle.
"I'm a guy with self determination, and when I watched John Randle play, I liked his intensity and style. He was always out there working hard but having fun at the same time. That's the way I am. Make it fun."
(http://media.sports.ign.com/articles/788/788918/imgs_1.html)
Amobi Okoye Interview
The Texans look to build their team from the inside out.
by Jon Robinson (http://sports.ign.com/email.html) http://media.ign.com/ign/images/readmyblog.gif (http://blogs.ign.com/JRob-IGN/)
showUSloc=(checkLocale('uk')||checkLocale('au'));d ocument.writeln(showUSloc ? 'US, ' : '');May 16, 2007 - When Amobi Okoye reaches for the 360 controller to play some football, it's not the football you'd think. "I like to play FIFA. It's all about AC Milan," the Texans' top pick told me at a recent EA Sports party. "I do the same thing when I play Madden and NCAA, I just try to pick a team with high ratings. I'm not that good, so I need a good team," Okoye laughs. "I moved to the States in '99, and we didn't play football [in Nigeria], we played soccer. So to me, FIFA is the game."
At 19, Okoye is the youngest player ever taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, and when the kid came over from Nigeria and was learning the game of football, his high school coach actually told him to play Madden in order to learn the basics of the sport (no wonder he gets up so fast after flattening an opponent, he doesn't want to get run over by the ambulance).
"You can learn a lot by playing Madden," Okoye says with a smile.
Obviously, as Okoye went from a 12-year-old freshman in high school (call him the Doogie Howser of football) to signing with Louisville at 15. "I never look at age like everyone else. I think my age is beneficial. I'm just going to approach this the same way I've approached everything since my younger days. I started school early and have faced challenges all of my life. This is just another step. I am ready for the challenge."
http://sportsmedia.ign.com/sports/image/article/788/788918/amobi-okoye-interview-20070516025453606-000.jpg
6-2, 310-pounds and still growing. Can you say upside?
That's why at the Senior Bowl, his teammates started referring to the kid as "Phe" as in Phenom.
What else can you say about someone whose mother put him in first grade at age two and now is ready to storm the NFL with his never-ending motor and desire to be the best on every play.
"I want to make the Pro Bowl, I want to be Rookie of the Year," he says when asked about his goals for his first year. "I want to be a factor in helping my team win."
And what about his character in Madden? What's the most important thing Okoye wants to see when he turns on the game that once taught him the finer points of football?
"Just make me look handsome," he says. "I care about my speed and power, but just make me look good."
And what about real life? What will Okoye bring to the Texans?
The young defensive tackle likes to think of himself as the next John Randle.
"I'm a guy with self determination, and when I watched John Randle play, I liked his intensity and style. He was always out there working hard but having fun at the same time. That's the way I am. Make it fun."
(http://media.sports.ign.com/articles/788/788918/imgs_1.html)