Ohio State coach raves about Mooney’s Simon

Associated Press

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Lots of coaches brag about their players. Seldom do they go so far as Urban Meyer did when discussing defensive end John Simon after Saturday’s come-from-behind 35-28 win over California.

Meyer said Simon, a Cardinal Mooney High School graduate, played hurt with a bad shoulder that might have kept other players from getting on the field.

It was what took place after the game — Simon had just one, single tackle during it — that clearly touched Meyer.

“Boy, he just lost it in the locker room as far as just sharing, opening up his soul for this team,” Meyer said of Simon. “I’ve done this a long time, man, and he’s as good ... John Simon, that’s a guy. If we have another child I want to name him, what is it, Urban John Simon Meyer or something like that. I can’t wait for that headline.”

He continued, “But that’s how much I love that guy. I’m not ashamed to say I love him. Love that guy, man. He makes all of us look in the mirror and say: Are we doing enough for our team? That guy, what he just did in there, not to give you too much of what went on in there, but am I doing enough? When I say I, as our coaching staff, are we doing enough? Are we doing as much as he’s doing? No. We’ve gotta do more. Gotta do more.”

Funny thing, Simon was almost embarrassed he got so emotional.

“I try to say things that are important. If I feel I don’t have anything very important to say, I probably wouldn’t say it, so that makes when you speak, everyone listens,” he said. “I didn’t mean it to come out like that so much, but probably in the spirit of the moment and all the emotion that went into the game, I wanted to tell them how I felt. I tend to show my emotions pretty often, maybe not so much with you guys. The team knows how I am and I’m always there for them no matter what.”

He added, “I was so excited for that win. That was a great win for us, guys showing they’ll fight to the end and handle the adversity. We’re a scrappy team.”