News: Cowboys DT Amobi Okoye: 'I'm pretty much a walking miracle'; Q&A w/audio Post #13

[WoodysGirl]

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Amobi Okoye joined KTCK-AM 1310 on Thursday morning to talk about his recent illness and his return to football.

Here are some of the highlights:

On the disease he had:

Okoye: “It’s kind of like an inflammation in the brain receptors. So it’s a very, very, rare illness that they couldn’t diagnose at first. It was very uncommon. I was like the first male to have it. It was only found in females and young children, so that’s why they couldn’t diagnose it in my case and then they found it was this and treated it as this.”

About what he first remembers from waking up from the coma:

Okoye: “Well what I remember from that was I was talking to one of the nurses. I was like arguing with her that it was March 15th, and she was like, ‘I’m sorry it’s actually August 7th.’ I didn’t want to believe her. I asked everybody in the room, ‘is it really August 7th,’ and I answered my phone, which I hadn’t seen in forever, and it said August 7th. ‘Wow. It’s really August 7th.’”

On how the context of life has changed for him:

Okoye: “Initially it didn’t really hit me. I just didn’t understand exactly what happened, but after a while, it started really dawning on me on me like, ‘Wow, I went through something very, very deadly and serious.’ So now I’m definitely more cautious and more aware of what happened to me. But the initial stages of it. Like the first month or so it didn’t really hit me of what happened to me.”

On rebounding from the illness and getting back to football:

Okoye: “Well the crazy thing about it is it wasn’t football-related at all. It’s a rare, rare illness, it’s not like having a concussion of anything like that, it’s just related to the brain, but it wasn’t football related. You have to think about football and think about contact because that’s just the brain, but it didn’t happen from football

Read more: http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/...i-okoye-i-m-pretty-much-a-walking-miracle.ece

 

[Crown Royal]

Football aside, I hope he makes the team and contributes just for the story factor. Scary to come back from but if he can tell his kids one day that this happened to him and he STILL stepped food on the gridiron, well, that's not a bad story.

 

[xwalker]

It seems ironic that it happened to a guy that was super intelligent. He had an offer to attend Harvard and he was in college at age 16.

 

[jazzcat22]

Would be great if he can make the team, though I can see PUP at first. Then come in and solidify the DL.

 

[xwalker]

Would be great if he can make the team, though I can see PUP at first. Then come in and solidify the DL.

It's weird because they say he is practicing but is somehow still on the NFI list. I think he can stay on the NFI list into the season and come off at any point.

 

[Idgit]

This is a really interesting story. I'm pulling for the dude.

That said, I wish we didn't reserve a roster spot for him until he was actually able to put on pads and take snaps. Not sure why we're handicapping our own roster at this point. Add him to Spencer, and we probably could have had another two guys in camp and still have dibs on these players when they're ready to actually play.

 

[jazzcat22]

It's weird because they say he is practicing but is somehow still on the NFI list. I think he can stay on the NFI list into the season and come off at any point.

Maybe that's the case, I'm not sure.
I read where he is at practice, but off the side with trainers. So maybe that doesn't count as an actual practice.
Unless I missed something in the past few days and he actually had practice reps.

 

[Crown Royal]

This is a really interesting story. I'm pulling for the dude.

That said, I wish we didn't reserve a roster spot for him until he was actually able to put on pads and take snaps. Not sure why we're handicapping our own roster at this point. Add him to Spencer, and we probably could have had another two guys in camp and still have dibs on these players when they're ready to actually play.

This really only becomes a concern to me in a couple of weeks when we start cutting down the roster. If there are solid development guys we cut to keep them, then yeah, they need to contribute. But right now I don't know what there is out there other than camp fodder.

 

[Idgit]

This really only becomes a concern to me in a couple of weeks when we start cutting down the roster. If there are solid development guys we cut to keep them, then yeah, they need to contribute. But right now I don't know what there is out there other than camp fodder.

Yeah, I didn't care as much in camp when we had more space, but now we're heading down to the 53, and neither guy has even taken a snap yet. So we don't know anything more about them that we did going in. I guess we got the benefit of them working with the training staff for our effort.

I just don't like having zero idea what, if anything, either of these guys could contribute once they finally get on the field. It makes it tough setting up the defensive roster when you've got two positions--plus Scandrick's and D Lawrence's situations--to work around. That's a lot of uncertainty.

 

[jazzcat22]

Yeah, I didn't care as much in camp when we had more space, but now we're heading down to the 53, and neither guy has even taken a snap yet. So we don't know anything more about them that we did going in. I guess we got the benefit of them working with the training staff for our effort.

I just don't like having zero idea what, if anything, either of these guys could contribute once they finally get on the field. It makes it tough setting up the defensive roster when you've got two positions--plus Scandrick's and D Lawrence's situations--to work around. That's a lot of uncertainty.

Agree.
As I prefer to see both on the PUP list. Give some snaps to players than been through TC. At least they been there, and should know what to do. And they can see if it paid off, and what they have. And as things go, someone gets injured, there is a replacement waiting, and not a street guy.

 

[Bullflop]

Okoye, himself, stated he won't necessarily be playing at anytime in the last two preseason games. By the sound of that, he may be relegated to PUP status to continue his rehab and be activated at a later date. In any case, his return is entirely an indefinite possibility at some unknown point. It's good to see there's hope for this veteran to rehab and possibly return to the field at some point but at the same time, the if and when of it is a mystery. Just the same, I'll definitely be pulling for him to make it, however.

 

[Idgit]

Agree.
As I prefer to see both on the PUP list. Give some snaps to players than been through TC. At least they been there, and should know what to do. And they can see if it paid off, and what they have. And as things go, someone gets injured, there is a replacement waiting, and not a street guy.

I do kind of like the idea of having these vets available around mid-season if we want them. Just around the time injuries are normally crippling our front 7 defensively.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

LISTEN
http://cdn.stationcaster.com/stations/ktck/media/mp3/Norm_Amobi_Okoye-1408674414.mp3

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Terrifying. Doctors put him into an induced Como to look at the brain (don't know if it was medically or by image scans).

 

[BigStar]

It seems ironic that it happened to a guy that was super intelligent. He had an offer to attend Harvard and he was in college at age 16.

I didn't know that, thanks for posting that info.

 

[Idgit]

I didn't know that, thanks for posting that info.

Yeah. He's a really interesting cat. I'm always surprised to read his quotes, though. I expect to be impressed and he's just a dude.

 

[jobberone]

He is not eligible for the PUP list either reserve or not at this point. He has to stay on the NFI list until he can pass a physical. Until then he takes up a roster spot unfortunately if I'm reading correctly. Once he passes a physical to be able to play then he must either go on the IR or active roster although I suppose one could go to the PS by passing waivers if not vested.

 

[xwalker]

Yeah. He's a really interesting cat. I'm always surprised to read his quotes, though. I expect to be impressed and he's just a dude.

I think guys like him and Fred that are way above average intelligence probably have to learn to act like just one of the dudes.

 

[casmith07]

It's weird because they say he is practicing but is somehow still on the NFI list. I think he can stay on the NFI list into the season and come off at any point.

Considering his condition and recovery, there is probably a collectively bargained waiting period or some other policy in place as to how he must be listed for a specific period of time.

 

[CCBoy]

Something along the storyline of Charlie...a miracle. But in this story, I want to see the hero grow.