The Cardinals have dealt with numerous injuries this season, which has opened the door for other players to receive opportunities. One of those players has been rookie linebacker Cody Simon.
Linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. has missed the last couple of games with a rib injury, and that’s opened the door for Simon to start and wear the green dot on defense.
What Does Nick Rallis Love About Cody Simon’s Game?
Simon is a rookie from Ohio State, and his knowledge gained from one of the top college football programs in the country is already showing at the NFL level.
The rookie filled in for Wilson against the Dallas Cowboys and forced the game-sealing fumble, and has started the last three games.
“He’ll continue to get better because of the work he puts in,” Rallis said. “He’s a really good pro. We’re going to get everything out of him because of what he puts into it.”
Simon hasn’t earned high grades in his four games, but he’s continuously improving. He earned an F grade in his first game against the Cowboys, despite forcing a fumble, but has earned a C and C+ in his three games since, according to PFSN’s LB Impact.
One of the best qualities in Simon has been his “perfectionist” mindset, and Rallis was explicitly asked about that on Tuesday.
“I think it’s important in this game. Everybody’s got a little bit of a different mindset, and I think as coaches, we have to know when you’re a perfectionist,” Rallis said. “There are going to be things that, in some way, they are not ever going to reward themselves for good things that they do because there’s always the one thing that they wanted back.”
He added, “We have to make sure that they understand, like Cody in this instance, ‘Dude, you did this, this, and this really well. Like, yes, this one right here, we needed you to do whatever.’ Because that’s the one that’s going to keep him from sleeping at night.”
Rallis emphasized the need to reinforce Simon’s performance when he does well, because otherwise, he’ll only focus on the bad.
While it’s always good to want to improve, you never want that to take a toll on the player’s confidence or prevent them from continuing to improve.
“He’s like, ‘Ah man, I couldn’t sleep last night. Remember when I set the front up the wrong way.’ It’s like, ‘Yes, it’s okay. Remember all the other plays that you did really well,'” Rallis said. “So, it’s a good mindset. Not everyone has to have that mindset. Everyone’s different. There’s not a right or wrong mindset, but he definitely has that.”
Simon has all the experience you could hope for. The rookie linebackers played five seasons with Ohio State and won the National Championship in their senior year.
Then, the Buckeye’s linebacker was drafted in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Simon has four games under his belt now, but it’s quickly giving him a shot to be the Cardinals’ linebacker of the future.
