John Simon has watched Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt gut it out and play through numerous injuries.
Just last season, Watt played with a cast on his broken hand. He endured a painful set of torn groin muscles that required surgery. And the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year had a herniated disc that finally was surgically repaired prior to the start of training camp.
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Although Watt has acknowledged there's a possibility he could miss the season-opener against the Chicago Bears while not ruling out his potential availability yet, teammates aren't giving up hope that he could be back by the first game.