Lions' Ansah says huge day vs. Eagles was 'personal'

The Detroit Lions took Ziggy Ansah with the fifth pick of the 2013 NFL draft, one pick after the Philadelphia Eagles took Lane Johnson.

When left tackle Jason Peters left Thursday's Thanksgiving game in the first quarter with an ankle injury, the Eagles moved Johnson from the right to left side of their line, and going against Ansah for the first real time in his NFL career, the results weren't pretty.

Ansah had a career-high 3.5 sacks and forced and recovered a fumble in the Lions' 45-14 thumping over the Eagles, and he said his matchup with Johnson was the kindling that sparked his big day.

"I was looking forward to playing against Peters, and then he got hurt and they moved Lane over there. Yeah, I think I took it personal," said Ansah, who visited the Eagles during the pre-draft process.

Asked what he was thinking going against Johnson, Ansah said, "Beat him. Get to the quarterback. Get my turkey dance on."

Ansah celebrated his sack-fumble on Mark Sanchez in the third quarter by flapping his arms like a turkey.

He's now tied with J.J. Watt for the NFL lead in sacks (11.5), and he's already reached his preseason goal of double-digits in that category.

"He really had a heck of a day," said Sanchez, who was sacked six times total Thursday. "Good players seem to shine on a big stage like that and you could tell he had a lot of juice today. We tried to block him as best we could, but those guys have a good nose for the ball and hats off to him. He's a heck of a player."

Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Ansah, one of the few early picks from the 2013 draft that's panned out, is still only scratching the surface of his potential.

"I don't think anybody knows exactly how good he can be," Caldwell said. "The limited amount of football that he's played in comparison to most guys his age, his growth and development … He's a pretty unique individual. He's blessed with some unique gifts."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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