Let's Give Izzy His Due.......

Recently I've been critical of some of the Bears FA signings so to be fair I should also give credit to one of the best FA finds of the past decade.

Izzy Idonije never played a down of big time college football in the US. He came in from Canada as an undrafted FA and in his career with the Bears he's done everything and anything the Bears have asked of him and done it well.

He's gone down under kicks, blocked kicks, blocked for kicks, been a consistent ST performer, bulked up to play DT, slimmed down again to play DE, and waited patiently for his chance to become a full time starter in this his 8th year with the team while never once holding out or trying his value in FA.

From all that's been told he's a great guy and a true humanitarian.

We all talk about how much Julius Peppers has meant to this defense, and he has, but one rather unsung hero who really stepped into his role with a great performance this year has been Izzy. He's been a big part of the success of the Dline and a good reason that we're back in the playoffs again.

GO IZZY!

From my blog, Nov 24, 2010.

The man... the myth... the legend... defensive end Israel Idonije.Easily one of the most underrated players in the NFL. So far he has 6 sacks, 27 tackles and 2 forced fumbles this year. For someone who has finally earned his starting job is doing a pretty dang good job in my opinion. He's not just a pretty damned good football player, he's also a complete class act. He always has a smile on his face and he also has his own foundation. The Israel Idonije Foundation to be exact.


He went to Nigeria this offseason and brought doctors, medical supplies and football equipment. He held his own football camp in Africa, teaching the youth to play American football. I can't imagine what joy he brought to the village he stayed in. I do know this though, we could be hearing about a football star from Africa in about ten years.


Here's a mission statement from his foundation.


"The Israel Idonije Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which exists to extend positive, life-changing opportunities to families and individuals in economically disadvantaged communities. We promote the pursuit of education and knowledge while providing programs for our youth and community members, in hopes that they may actualize and maximize their full potential."


Please check out his website at http://www.israelidonije.org/. They update the site fairly well so check back once and a while to find out where he's going to be helping out in the community next.

http://dabearssuperfan.blogspot.com/...l-idonije.html

Thanks for the added info gamma. You're right, in every way shape and form the guy is a complete class act. It's really nice to be behind a team with guys like him on it rather than the Brett Favre's and Lawrence Taylor's of the world.

I hope Idonije has a monster career from here on out. It's a shame the Bears wasted eight years of his career tinkering around with positional changes and even his body weight. I think he finally has found his niche on the team, and he's been a force to be reckoned with.

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Originally Posted by soulman

Thanks for the added info gamma. You're right, in every way shape and form the guy is a complete class act. It's really nice to be behind a team with guys like him on it rather than the Brett Favre's and Lawrence Taylor's of the world.

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No Problem. I just wish he gets more spotlight than some of the most overrated players in the league.

Dont forget about how Izzy has done everything asked of him without question, whether that was to balloon up to play DT or to slim back down and add muscle to play DE.