IKEM EKWONU HAS an uncanny ability to size up a man from the opposite side of the line of scrimmage and instantly decide how he'll whip the guy. Perhaps it stems from his days as a high school wrestler, when each bout was a mano-a-mano showdown in which dominance must be established. That's still Ekwonu's mantra.
"Whoever is in front of me," Ekwonu said, "I just want to bury him."
Off the field, Ekwonu oozes joy from every pore in his body, but on it, there is only one objective.
What happens is, the ball is snapped and in the instant Ekwonu gets his hands on the rusher he senses the outcome: If he has leverage, things are going to end very badly for the man who has chosen a path to the football that goes through him.