Seahawks CB Tharold Simon: ‘I just feel like this is my year’
Aug 4, 2016, 12:24 PM
Tharold Simon hopes his bad luck with toe injuries is behind him so that he can reach his potential. (AP)
(AP)
Seahawks CB Tharold Simon might be the most talented player in the Seahawks’ defensive backfield, but he has had a hard time finding the field during his first three seasons. That’s what made watching players like All-Pro Josh Norman difficult so difficult for him last year.
On “Danny, Dave and Moore” Tuesday, Simon said watching Norman’s breakout 2015 had him thinking that he could have been enjoying that kind of success if he had avoided injury.
“If I had just stayed healthy, I could have had a good year like that,” Simon said. “Even though we had Cary Williams … I was like, ‘I could’ve been (having) that good year.'”
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Simon, a fifth-round pick in 2013, has been beset by toe injuries throughout his short career. He needed surgery on one toe his rookie season, played 10 games in 2014 and then was felled by an injury to a toe on his other foot last year.
This was Simon’s first offseason that didn’t involve recovering from injury. He said he primarily worked on “maintenance” that included yoga and stretching. The 25-year-old said the “bad luck” toe injuries have been very difficult to deal with, but credited his family, friends and coaches for their support.
“Fall down, get back up. Fall down again, and get back up. Then you fall right back down again and you get back up,” he said. “And then you fall … then you’re like, ‘Damn, is this really for me or should I try to go do something else?’ But you just keep your mind focused, stay prayed up.”
Following Tuesday’s practice, teammate Richard Sherman reiterated his belief that the fourth-year corner has unlimited potential.
“He’ an incredible athlete; he’s going to be a great ballplayer,” Sherman said. “I continue to stand by what I’ve always said: He’s going to be better than me by the time it’s all said and done. Kid’s a player. He just needs to put it all together and, hopefully, this season he can stay healthy and it will be a fantastic year for him.”
Simon, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, has called 2016 a “make or break year,” but told “Danny, Dave and Moore” he’s not approaching the season with that mindset.
“It’s just a year. Just another year of just trying to go out there and do what you have to do,” he said. “(I) always say as long as I can stay healthy I feel like I can be one of the best corners to play the game right now. … That’s just how I really feel. There’s no other words. I’m really crunked up for it. I’m real ready for it. I sleep, dream, eat everything football right now. I’m so ready because it’s been a long time coming.
“I just feel like this is my year. I feel like nothing should be able to stop me. … I really feel I could be unstoppable.”
Other highlights from the conversation:
On hating to watch other athletes get injured: “I hate if I see somebody get injured, even if it’s a knick-knack injury. I don’t like injuries anymore because I don’t want nobody to be held out, because I know how that feels. Especially if you love the game. It’s not a fun feeling.”
Emphasis on causing turnovers: “I caused a fumble (Monday) and caused another one (Tuesday). That’s the main thing we speak about everyday in practice, every day in meetings, is go get the ball. See the ball, go get the ball. So I’m just really trying to be one of those guys on the team that … the play is never over, try to strip it out.”
On loving Seattle: “It’s amazing to be over here playing. They believe in me. I’ve been injured my rookie year, I’ve been injured my second year, I’ve been injured my third year and I’m still here. And that’s just a blessing. That just tells you and shows you how much the team believes in me and the coaches, general manager. It’s just amazing coming to this place.”
Approaching the season like he will be starter: “Always got to approach it like that because if you don’t you’re selling yourself short. … Even the guys who are behind us, (we) always tell them, try to fight for a starting job or try to take one of our spots. I don’t mind teaching a younger guy to be better than me because I get it from Sherm, Earl (Thomas) and Kam (Chancellor). They didn’t mind teaching me to be better than them. I’m at the left corner now, so I watch Sherm and I go at it like I want his spot – which I know that’s not gonna happen – but I approach it like that, and that’s just the way you’ve got to go at the game. I believe every football player should approach it like that.”
