Okudah: ‘You don’t deal with dysfunction’ at Ohio State
Jeff Okudah’s rookie campaign with the Detroit Lions did not turn out how the organization or how the talented defensive back would have envisioned.
After dealing with a nagging hamstring injury in training camp that prevented him from playing in the season opener, Okudah made his debut for Detroit in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers.
He was able to start in six of the nine games he suited up for in 2020.
He missed two weeks with a shoulder injury, after the Lions’ 20- 0 loss to the Panthers in Week 11.
In December, Okudah’s rookie season came to an end, when the organization announced that he underwent groin surgery.
This season, he recorded 43 tackles, two passes defensed and one interception.
“I think I’ve grown a lot with how I respond to adversity. Kind of knowing what kind of man, what kind of player I am in different situations. The
reality is when you’re at Ohio State, things are really looking up a lot of the time. You don’t really have to deal with losing. You don’t deal with dysfunction,” Okudah explained during his media session on Monday. “I think that when you’re put in a situation, this is just how life works. You kind of get your little fantasy bubble popped, and now you’re in the real, real world. So, now it’s how do you respond when you’re not always on top, when you’re the underdog. And honestly, once you embrace that, I think it’s kind of a challenge that you look forward to when you wake up every single day.”
Okudah further elaborated that transparency is always appreciated by players and coaches.
“I think from my standpoint, I think everyone, all parties involved, everyone could have been transparent,” Okudah explained. “Obviously, it’s a grown man’s league. Even though I’m a rookie, I think it’s pretty clear to see it’s a grown man’s league. I think that’s something that players always appreciate -- as well as coaches and (the) front office -- is transparency. No hidden agenda. That’s just everyone being transparent the whole time. And, I think that when you have an organization that’s run on that premise, I think that you have a solid organization now going into this offseason.”
Okudah was also asked directly whether the dysfunction he referenced was in regard to strategy, scheme or personality conflicts.
“I would just probably go ahead and just throw everything into that,” Okudah replied. “I think that now going forward, that’s probably the first thing that players will try to do is just, kind of create that chemistry early and expand on it from there.”
Lesson learned
Despite Matt Patricia being dismissed following the Lions’ Thanksgiving Day game against Houston, Okudah conveyed that he learned an important lesson from Detroit’s former head coach.
“I would say that everyone has a job to do. Whether the circumstances are favorable or less than ideal, everyone has a job to do, and the expectation is that that job is fulfilled,” he said. “A really good lesson that I learned from him is you always have to perform, no matter what the case is.”