John Simon Brings Freakish, Contagious Work Ethic
Garrett Downing Baltimore
Ravens.com Staff Writer
The fourth-round pick is known as a leader and workout warrior, which is exactly what the Ravens want.
John Simon walked into the Under Armour Performance Center last week for his first day on the job.
He signed some paperwork, took a few photos for the media guide, and set his stuff down at his new locker. Then he wanted to get to work.
?Where?s the weight room?? Simon asked.
True to his reputation as a workout warrior, Simon found his way into an empty Ravens? weight room and got in a lift on his own. Before he?d even met most of his new teammates and coaches, the fourth-round pick out of Ohio State had familiarized himself with the place he?s most comfortable.
?That?s John,? said his college position coach Mike Vrabel. ?He?ll be in there. He?ll open the weight room, and he?ll have a set of keys before the end of the summer. That?s just the type of guy John is. He?ll be the first one in there. That?s what he enjoys.?
The outside linebacker has long been known as a weight-room junkie. Even in high school, he was somewhat of an urban legend after he bench pressed 225 pounds 31 times as a 16 year old.
Simon grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, a hard-working blue-collar town in the heart of the rust belt, and he carries that gritty upbringing with him.
?Like most athletes that come out of Youngstown, he carries his lunch box to work every day,? Vrabel said. ?He?s a tough kid. He?s exactly what the Ravens would want in a player ? toughness, put the team first.?
When Simon got to college, his impact was felt almost immediately.
He earned his way into the defensive rotation as a true freshmen, and then became a full-time starter his sophomore year. Simon?s teammates voted him a captain his junior season and again as a senior, making him just one of seven two-time captains in Ohio State history.
His effort was contagious.
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