DL John Simon (official thread)

[wadc45]

Rivals $

9/24

Film.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Defensive lineman John Simon, who caught two passes for 27 yards from his tight end spot, said the defense picked up the intensity in the second half.
We wanted to be more physical, the Ohio State recruit said. We came out in some different formations and we executed our game plan well.

[OSUbuckeye09]

John Simon Picked to play in The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan 3rd. Good job and cant wait to see you play in the scarlet and grey.

[osugrad21]

Youngstown Vindicator

Mooney's John Simon selected for nationall all-star game

Published: October 6, 2008

By JOE SCALZO
Vindicator sports staff
YOUNGSTOWN ? John Simon is headed for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but to hear him talk, you?d almost think he?s headed for the Army.
During Monday?s press conference at Cardinal Mooney High, the senior lineman used the phrase ?it?s a great honor? at least a half-dozen times, repeatedly called reporters ?sir? and thanked his high school, his parents, his teammates, his coaching staff, the Army and his grandparents in a 15-second span. And his entire speech only lasted 27 seconds.
?I?m very blessed,? said Simon, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive tackle who will play for Ohio State next fall. ?I?m really here because of the great teammates and the coaching staff around me.?
Cont...

[GrizzlyBuck]

A great honor for the young man, great chance for him to test his mettle against some of the best players coming out of HS. It's also nice to see a kid soon to be wearing the S&G get a chance to show off on a National stage.

I think it is time for another future Buckeye to win MVP honors from the defensive side of the ball.

[osugrad21]

BSB$--Simon is Coming Ready to Play

John discusses playing some TE this year for Mooney and says the coaches told him to come to Columbus ready to play.

[Buckeyecty4]

Game Observations

Was interested in seeing John tonight given the rumors of his "demise" recently.. Rivals dropping him to a 3 star, and alot of folks saying he's been MIA for the last yr.

Well, I saw a very good player tonight. Playing a combination of DE and DT in 3-4 and 4-3 schemes, John was very active and at times disruptive.

Unofficially I had him for:
8 tackles (3 solo, 5 assisted).. 1 QB pressure.. 1 reception for 17 yards

This game consisted of about 80% running plays and I saw Simon hold the LOS consistently with good penetration about 1 out of 3 snaps.. I saw good feet, and slide down the LOS, and some solid rip techniques. I'd say the highlight for me was early in the game

Ursuline is down in the redzone, on 3rd and short.. they go with a run play.. Simon is lined up at RDT.. on the snap, he uses his hands and a great slide step to the left to keep blockers off him.. he finds the hole and stuffs the RB for no gain.. forcing fourth down and a FG try.. it was a quick and athletic move and showed exactly what John Simon is capable of doing.

I saw a few things I didnt like.. when he's doubled, he loses technique and quits on the play too often, letting himself get driven downfield. Also, he's very much the tweener right now. If he's gonna play DT, he's gonna need the other DT to draw the double, cause he's more of a quick penetrating type, as opposed to the space eater. He's gonna have trouble operating vs double teams at DT. Also, as has been rumored, he plays too high at times..

However, overall, I was suprised how good he looked given how he plumetted down the Rivals rankings recently, and Ive heard people saying he goes whole games without making a play. Maybe I caught him on a good night, but he looked every bit the Top 100 to me.

Also, he was the only Mooney blocker on offense who had any success vs Jamel Turner, including pancaking Turner on one play.

[akronbuck]

Inland District All Stars
Division IV
First team DL
Defensive player of the year

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Mooney senior defensive lineman John Simon, an Ohio State recruit, was named the defensive player of the year in Div. IV. Simon (6-3, 280) finished the season with 148 tackles, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 13 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He will play in the Army All-American Bowl in January.

[RB07OSU]

Originally Posted by OSUBasketballJunkie

Link

Is there any way those stats on tackles could be correct? Or are those career stats? 148 tackles seems way too high...

[osugrad21]

Originally Posted by RB07OSU

Is there any way those stats on tackles could be correct? Or are those career stats? 148 tackles seems way too high...

Not looking to take this on a tangent, but High school tackle stats should always be taken lightly. Each coaching staff has their own way of counting tackles and some are flat ridiculous. No idea how Mooney does their count, but I know a staff that gives a kid a tackle if he is in the screen when they unpile.

...anyway..

[RB07OSU]

Originally Posted by osugrad21

Not looking to take this on a tangent, but High school tackle stats should always be taken lightly. Each coaching staff has their own way of counting tackles and some are flat ridiculous. No idea how Mooney does their count, but I know a staff that gives a kid a tackle if he is in the screen when they unpile.

...anyway..

I hear you...I wondered if he was even on the screen 148 times this year though and I thought the sacks were high as well. If he really did get anywhere near those stats, that's an amazing year.

[1926Buckeyes]

Originally Posted by Buckeyecty4

Game Observations

Was interested in seeing John tonight given the rumors of his "demise" recently.. Rivals dropping him to a 3 star, and alot of folks saying he's been MIA for the last yr.

Well, I saw a very good player tonight. Playing a combination of DE and DT in 3-4 and 4-3 schemes, John was very active and at times disruptive.

Unofficially I had him for:
8 tackles (3 solo, 5 assisted).. 1 QB pressure.. 1 reception for 17 yards

This game consisted of about 80% running plays and I saw Simon hold the LOS consistently with good penetration about 1 out of 3 snaps.. I saw good feet, and slide down the LOS, and some solid rip techniques. I'd say the highlight for me was early in the game

Ursuline is down in the redzone, on 3rd and short.. they go with a run play.. Simon is lined up at RDT.. on the snap, he uses his hands and a great slide step to the left to keep blockers off him.. he finds the hole and stuffs the RB for no gain.. forcing fourth down and a FG try.. it was a quick and athletic move and showed exactly what John Simon is capable of doing.

I saw a few things I didnt like.. when he's doubled, he loses technique and quits on the play too often, letting himself get driven downfield. Also, he's very much the tweener right now. If he's gonna play DT, he's gonna need the other DT to draw the double, cause he's more of a quick penetrating type, as opposed to the space eater. He's gonna have trouble operating vs double teams at DT. Also, as has been rumored, he plays too high at times..

However, overall, I was suprised how good he looked given how he plumetted down the Rivals rankings recently, and Ive heard people saying he goes whole games without making a play. Maybe I caught him on a good night, but he looked every bit the Top 100 to me.

Also, he was the only Mooney blocker on offense who had any success vs Jamel Turner, including pancaking Turner on one play.

Glad to here this. I've read else where that he wasn't as good as thought of at first and some even went as far as to say OSU shouldn't have offered him.

He'll get better at the negatives hopefully and if OSU can get Corey Adams that would be a great tandem in teh middle.

[crazybuckfan40]

Originally Posted by 1926Buckeyes

Glad to here this. I've read else where that he wasn't as good as thought of at first and some even went as far as to say OSU shouldn't have offered him.

He'll get better at the negatives hopefully and if OSU can get Corey Adams that would be a great tandem in teh middle.

Anyone that says we shouldn't have offered him is crazy...Just because you see a guy play a game or two doesn't mean anything...

Simon is strong as an ox, has a decent frame that should get him in the 290 range, and is very quick...McCallister had him as the top player regardless of class last year, and he one of the best talent evaluators IMHO...

[alpo]

Originally Posted by crazybuckfan40

Anyone that says we shouldn't have offered him is crazy...Just because you see a guy play a game or two doesn't mean anything...

Simon is strong as an ox, has a decent frame that should get him in the 290 range, and is very quick...McCallister had him as the top player regardless of class last year, and he one of the best talent evaluators IMHO...

Agree, 40. Even the mention of Simon not being offered is absurd to me. IMO, Simon is a great, great prospect no matter how you look at it, and regardless of how he's rated! And, yes, of course, we all want Corey, too, not just because he has so much potential, but because his situation is so special, too....and, yes, what a great haul having both would be, etc., etc.

But please don't forget to include in any conversation about our DL of the future, that we also have Adam Bellamy, too, and he may end up being better than both. One never knows.