With a few days left in the NFL pre-season, there are two distinct groups of players on every roster at this point: Players with secured roster spots and long term contracts on one end, and players trying to impress coaches in order to earn a place on the 53-man rosters on the other.
A number of African players are in both groups, and with roster cut-down day around the corner, on September 2nd when over 1000 players will be released, KweséESPN spoke individually with three on-the-bubble African players hoping to lock down a roster spot on their respective teams.
IK Enemkpali, born in Texas to Nigerian parents, is a linebacker in training camp with the Oakland Raiders, after playing the past few seasons with the New York Jets (drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 NFL draft) and Buffalo Bills.
Uzoma Nwachukwu, another Texan of Nigerian origin, is a wide receiver who spent time on the practice squads of the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins prior to joining his hometown Dallas Cowboys in training camp this year.
Dare Ogunbowale, hailing from Milwaukee (WI), is a rookie undrafted free agent from the University of Wisconsin and is involved in the intense Houston Texans running back competition to make the 53-man roster or the practice squad.
What has the experience been like for you during training camp and preseason?
Raiders' Enemkpali - The experience has been good. Just trying to come together as a team, trying to learn the defence, learn the calls, learn the language out here, but overall the experience has been good. I love the culture out here, I love the dynamics with the team so it's been exciting.
Cowboys' Nwachukwu - I would say I've been in the position before so now it's just comfortable. I know what to expect. Now I can just relax and play instead of worrying about [it]. We have a talented group so worrying about the talent that we have and the talent around the league [isn't being done]. It's just playing my game and showing up on film and showing teams that I can play.
Texans' Ogunbowale - It's been good. Obviously I'm learning a lot with it being my first year in the NFL, getting adjusted to all that stuff. The guys have been helpful, the coaching staff has been helpful.
How do you feel about your play so far this pre-season and in trying to play your individual position and special teams?
Enemkpali - It's been up and down, I just need to get on a consistent [level]. The biggest thing for me is just to show the coaches that I can learn. No mental errors and just play every play, finish every play off strong.
Ogunbowale - Any time I get a chance to be on film, that's important for me. Even in college, during my first couple of years I played a lot of special teams just to get on the field and get a chance to make plays. I made sure I've done that here in playing on all the special teams and getting my chance to make plays on the field.
Are there any teammates you've turned to for help, or that you try to take tips, tricks, and information from?
Ogunbowale - Lamar Miller has been helpful to all the running backs but me being a rookie, I've looked to him for help and he's helped me out a lot. Not necessarily learning the offense but kinda just learning things about the game and how the NFL is different.
Nwachukwu - One thing that I kinda picked up here is just how guys take care of their body. I'm right down the locker from [Cowboys captain and tight end] Jason Witten and the guy never talks about anything but football. He's always talking about his diet, he's always recovering, he's always in the tubs and he's always watching film on how to get better. He's been doing it at a high level for however long and he's always trying to find something little to get better at every day.
Any surprises or difficulties experienced this pre-season?
Nwachukwu - I think with us having an extra game, five games, it's kinda tough on your body but you also have the opportunity to show yourself on film more. But along with that comes trying not to get into the daily grind of, "Alright, I have to wake up and I have to do this and I have to do that," instead of, "I get to go out and play and I get to go out and get better". So just reminding yourself of the struggle and that it's an opportunity and not something that you have to do.
Ogunbowale - I knew that the speed of the game would be fast and things like that, so no, I wouldn't say there were any surprises. Obviously I know people that have played in the NFL and so I talked to them throughout the whole process leading up to me getting into training camp.
Are there things that you've tried to do differently this training camp, as opposed to in your previous seasons/time at other training camps, or even in college?
Enemkpali - My preparation is a little different, I'm coming off an ACL [injury]. On the field I would say I'm just trying to improve my mentality, my psyche. Trying to always make sure I'm aligned right, make sure I'm assignment-sound, and make sure I just go out there and make plays.
Ogunbowale - I wouldn't say there's anything that I had to ramp up because I feel that I've been pretty conscious about a lot of different things, even at my time at Wisconsin, but I would say that I was making sure that I was on top of the plays coming in. Whether that was rookie minicamp and OTA's (off-season training activities). Just studying away from practice, away from the stadium, on my own, making flash cards, making sure that I know the offense in and out, know my position in and out.
Have you received any feedback from coaches about your odds of making it past cut down day?
Nwachukwu - I honestly haven't. This year I've tried to not think about it and tried to relax and play so I haven't even asked, I haven't thought about it. In the past I've just been in my head and thinking about it and asking and worrying about my reps and stuff. That messed me up during the games and that messed me up in practice so now it's just trying to relax and play. Whatever happens, happens and I'll try to put good things on film.
Heading into training camp, did you receive any advice from family, friends, teammates, or coaches that resonated with you?
Enemkpali - Nobody really reached out. Everything happened so suddenly, I was a free agent and I just got a call one day and ever since then it's just been going.
Ogunbowale - Yeah, definitely. Just play fast. It's tough, the NFL is difficult. It's hard to play in the league so they always were making sure I played tough, played fast. Gotta be myself, that's one thing that a lot of people always say and that stuck with me a lot and has stuck with me throughout this whole training camp.
Nwachukwu - Yeah, so before I got to the Cowboys, I kinda didn't know if I was going to still play or not. I was actually coaching at Leonard High School. The coaches there -- Rae Holden and Luke McCarley -- we definitely had a bunch of conversations in the hallways talking about just the opportunity and you don't want to let it pass up. So they kinda gave me some good wisdom of [how] there's other people doing what they're doing, coaching, but if you want to play you should seize the opportunity. I was actually coaching a basketball game and I got a phone call and thought it was a telemarketer so I kinda said, "hello? Hello?" I couldn't hear them until they said, "No, this is the Dallas Cowboys, we want to bring you in for a workout". It kinda happened out of nowhere and I told myself I wasn't going to let the opportunity go.
What drives you to keep pushing on in the hopes of continuing your NFL career, or just getting a chance to play in the league?
Enemkpali - I take a lot of pride in my last name, I take a lot of pride in where I come from. What I mean by that is my culture. Being an Igbo guy, being able to represent the Igbo [tribe] culture, having that platform to where I can reach out to other Igbos nationwide is really my driving factor. Just having that platform and promoting Igbo culture and promoting everything about it. Just making sure everyone knows that Igbo's, we're not lazy people. We come out here and we like to work hard.
Ogunbowale - I'm just a competitor, my family is very competitive. (Sister Arike plays Division 1 basketball at the University of Notre Dame.) Any time I get a chance to compete against someone, whether that's running back, special teams, anything, running a route, I'm very competitive and I try to make sure I win. That's one thing that drives me, just trying to be the best that I can be but also winning. My father, he always tries to make sure that when we're playing sports or whatever, that not only are we being the best that we can be but also keeping mind that we can be successful and come out on top.
Nwachukwu - My parents definitely drove that hard in me as a kid, just working hard and making sure that there's no excuse for you to not do what you want to do and succeed in life. It's all about hard work. I got that from my parents and I believed it as a kid, that no matter what I want to do, I'm gonna start it early and I'm gonna work at it. I always knew that this is what I wanted to do. I always knew I wanted to play football. I think just to have that chip on the shoulder [being African] I have to do that much better than everybody else, I think that drives me and was embedded in me as a kid. There's no excuse. You have to do better than everybody and then some and work harder than everybody and then some. Your parents aren't going to accept anything less.