Efe Obada is in the form of his life, recording 3.5 sacks in his past four games.
First came Matt Ryan. Then Tom Brady. Next, it was Matt Stafford, who he got to grips with twice with a little help from fellow Panthers D-lineman Brian Burns.
Obada only started playing football six years ago and after progressing through the NFL’s Player Pathway Programme is now ranked second on the team in sacks.
“When I started playing football and someone would’ve said I’d sack Tom Brady, I wouldn’t believe them.”
“I’m really chuffed. And anyone who’s going to come after me from the Academy, I did it first, I sacked Tom Brady,” he said.
The season has been a topsy-turvy one for Obada. After signing a one-year deal in January, he was surprisingly cut after making the Panthers’ 53-man roster only to be re-signed the following day.
‘It was an emotional rollercoaster but when it comes down to it, I have to focus on what I can control.
“Initially when everything was going on, getting released, it did put a chip on my shoulder. But at the same time, I’ve just got to get my head down and control what I can control. I saw it as an opportunity to work on what I liked.”
After the win over Detroit, the Panthers are 4-7 and third in the NFC South.
“I don’t feel the results match the amount of work that has been done behind the scenes. At the end of the day, it comes down to who plays best on Sunday – you’ve got to take your hat off to the guys who have won against us. I think we’re a great team. We’re still trying to figure out some things. We have some things we need to work on.”
“It’s no secret defence needs to figure out how to get off on third down. On the offensive side, I think they’re doing great. It’s still early days and we’re still trying to figure out how to play with each other. I don’t want to make any excuses, we’re all competitors, we all work hard. It is what it is – we have to play better and do better.”
