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Stock Down: James Ihedigbo
James Ihedigbo was one half of the best safety tandem in the league last year. Even so, the warning signs were showing back at the tail end of 2014, where he was benched twice to end the season out despite the Detroit Lions dominant defensive runs. The coverage was better with him off the field and it was pretty apparent.
That sort of play that we’ve been seeing over the first half of this season has not been good for Ihedigbo. His attempted holdout in the beginning of the offseason was overblown, but the fact it happened at all after his late season benchings was laughable. He’s followed that up by completely justifying the cold shoulder he received from the Detroit Lions, who would have none of it.
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This is likely the final season for the elder safety in Detroit. His replacement, Isa Abdul Quddus, hadn’t played well in reserve duty this season, but once he was called upon to start he took it to a whole different level and has been playing at a high level the past two weeks. It’s a dog eat dog league, and when you falter even for a moment you’re going to see your replacement pass you.
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