Rollin' with OG Part 1

You guys ready for something fun?  Ogemdi Nwagbuo has agreed to do a series of interviews with BFTB, discussing his life, the Chargers, rehab, whatever.  Why?  Because he likes BFTB, reads it himself, and (as I mentioned before) the dude is bored.  He also has aspirations of being a SportsCenter anchor after his playing career is over (according to his Twitter), so it would probably help if you knew who he was and how funny of a guy he is.

By the way, for those old folks who can't root for a player unless they know he's a decent person with respect for his elders.....OG seems to start and end every conversation with me by calling me "sir" (perhaps he knows I'm 11 months his senior?).  He does it so naturally that you can tell he does it with everybody.  I'm sure his parents must be proud.

Below you'll find our first series of questions and answers.  If you have a question for Ogemdi, feel free to put it in the comments and I'll do my best to include it the next time we do one of these (probably in a couple of weeks).  Also, don't forget to stop by OG's Twitter and follow him.

Give us a little history on your name.  What is the proper pronunciation and where does it come from?  Should fans call you Ogemdi?  Og?  O-G?

It's pronounced oh-gem-dee new wah bo.  It's a Nigerian name.  Both of my parents were born here, but everybody calls me OG even my mom.

What's it like playing in front of your hometown fans?  Were you a Chargers fan growing up?

It was great playing in front of my hometown fans.  I definitely enjoyed it because I love being back out here in San Diego. Last time I played out here was when I was at Southwestern College.  I wasn't a Chargers fan, my favorite team was actually the Patriots. but the Chargers were my second favorite.

When did you know that you had made the team?

Found out the day the final cuts were made.  I was nervous because there are always a lot of talented players that dont make teams, so I just had to leave it in God's hands and everything worked out.

How much did you learn by being forced into the starting Nose Tackle position?

I learned a lot this year being out there in game action. The NFL is a lot faster than college so the best way to get better is to get out there and get experience if the opportunity presents itself. I definitely feel like I got better from the experience I gained, but it also showed me that I have a lot of work to do to be a better player.

In your early games, there were frequent shots of you on the sidelines taking pointers from Jamal Williams.  How big of a help was he to you this year?

Jamal certainly helped me out a lot because he has seen everything there is at the nose tackle position and he is  Pro Bowl player.  I asked him a lot of questions. but all the d-linemen were a big help: Luis, Jacques, Ryon, Ian, Boone and Travis.  I tried to learn something from all of them.

All I ever saw as a reason for you being placed on Injured Reserve was "Ankle Injury".  Which ankle is it and what type of injury was it?

It was a high ankle injury, on my left ankle.

Was this your first time getting surgery for a football injury?

No, I actually broke my hand against Wisconsin up there at Michigan State, but this was the first time I've had to miss any games.

Where are you in the recovery process now, and has the team or your doctor given you any indication of when you'll be back to 100%?

I'm still in a cast, but I'll be back to 100 percent by next season.  I don't have any specific dates, just got take it day by day and keep working out and get stronger. I am definitely looking forward to the challenge and I'm going to come back better than ever.