Noah Igbinoghene – August 19, 2020
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Wednesday, August 19, 2020
CB Noah Igbinoghene
(Who are a few teammates that have really helped you professionally, being a rookie in your first year playing?) – “A few teammates – I’d say probably Byron Jones, Bobby McCain, Eric Rowe – some of the veterans. They’ve really helped me just setting the standard of how practice is supposed to be. That’s something that I had to learn the last couple days just being out here in the sun, so they really taught me how to practice and I’ll continue to get better in that every single day.”
(We’ve seen you out there running with prominent groups on defense. Was that something you had expected coming in? Were you surprised and how do you think you’re handling the moment?) – “I didn’t really expect anything. I’m just doing whatever the coaches – wherever the coaches put me at – I’m just doing my job, whatever they want me to do. I’m kind of just here for the ride. I’m just following their lead and I’m doing everything they’re telling me to do.”
(We heard a little bit about the point system you guys have in the secondary and trying to get your hands on the ball and turnovers. What do you kind of view that as and your role in trying to be on top of that list?) – “It’s a very good way to inspire all of us just to get better and to push ourselves in practice, especially the point system and whatever it is – awards that come out of it, gifts that come out of it. It just pushes all of us and makes it a competition, and we all love competition here. It just makes us better. To pit whatever it is – picks, PBUs (pass breakups), running to the ball, stuff like that – I feel like it just makes all of us do what we need to do in practice.”
(I’m curious with no preseason and a shortened offseason, do you feel like you’ll ever really be able to grasp how different the NFL game is to college until you’re actually out there playing a real game or do you feel like these guys are trying to help get you up to speed?) – “Are you talking about without the fans?”
(I’m saying without having preseason and just how different the college game is from the NFL.) – “Yeah, I’m sure I would have – it’d have been good having a preseason. I feel like every rookie in the past, that’s some of the games where they make most of their mistakes at, and so now it’s just practice for me and that’s just how it is. It’s the reality we’re in. I have to adjust. I have to be able just to make it and just be able to get better every single day. That’s really what it is. Preseason, no preseason, no matter what – I have to do my job out there, do my job out there on the field. I make mistakes on the field every single day and so I’m just getting better in that and putting the mistakes down.”
(I wanted to ask you about a lot of the talented receivers that you saw in the SEC the last couple of years and now you’re getting plenty of looks against WR DeVante Parker and WR Preston Williams out there. How has seeing all those big-time talented receivers really helped accelerate your learning curve as a cornerback since you just started playing the position two years ago?) – “I really feel like that’s how I learned – going against receivers like that. Getting a feel of how receivers like that – Preston (Williams) and DeVante (Parker) and Jakeem (Grant) and all of those guys – they’re highly-touted receivers as well and so me being used to going against receivers every single week in the SEC and stuff like that, I really feel like it gave me an advantage coming into the NFL a little bit. It’s still an adjustment. It’s still something I’m still working because it’s the game – the speed of the game is different. Just offenses are smarter and stuff like that, and so it’s just something I’ve got to get used to, and I’m doing that every single day.”
(When I saw you had the jersey No. 46, I was like, “that ain’t it.” Tell me about this transition to No. 23. Does that make you better right away, just switching to No. 23?) – “I wouldn’t say it made me better. I feel like I would’ve been the same no matter what number I’m in. Of course it’s just something I personally – I like No. 23. I wasn’t biased about No. 46 though; but shoot, I had to change it and so it is what it is.”
(It’s tough to get to know guys through the Zoom setting. We really don’t know too much about you, but we saw a moment of passion today. I think you and WR Preston Williams and you had slammed the field after the play. Are you a fiery guy on the field or was that kind of out of character?) – “No, that’s not out of character. I’m a fiery guy. I like to win. I like to win a lot. I’m a competitor at heart. That’s just what I’ve been since I was a kid, and so him catching the ball on me, that’s just – I don’t like that no matter who it is against. (laughter) So you all just saw a little reaction.”
(I just want to ask you real quick – you’re used to those big crowds when you played at Auburn and the other SEC schools. Now knowing that the opener in New England will be no fans in the stands, what do you think that feeling is going to be like?) – “To me, it’s going to show if you really love football or not because without fans, it’s still a football game at the end of the day. You’ve got your teammates. You’ve got your coaches. I feel like that’s all you really need. The fans – yes, fans are a big part of the sport. The fans make the sport what it is, I feel like; but that’s just the reality we’re in right now, so we’ve got to adjust and we’ve got to come together as a team and hype ourselves up.”
(Going back to I guess that competition with WR Preston Williams and WR DeVante Parker – I don’t know if you keep a scorecard, but how do you think you’ve been doing against each of them I guess so far in camp?) – “I feel like I’ve been doing pretty good. Of course, I would like to do better. Of course I don’t want them to catch any balls on me at all. That’s just the type of dude I am; but it’s going to happen. I’m a few practices in in the league and so it’s going to happen. I’m just getting used to it, but eventually we’ll get there. We’ll get to a point where I’m shutting them down a little bit. We’ll get to that eventually.”
(Have you been able to be in touch with CB Xavien Howard at all while he’s been away and if so how’s he doing?) – “He’s doing good. I really haven’t – I don’t know what’s going on. That’s none of my business. I’ve been in touch with him. He’s been in meetings and stuff like that and so that’s all I’ve really got for that.”
