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He's the eternal optimist. An immediate Big 12
impact player from a small Central Texas high school who
overcame a serious knee injury to star as a senior for a pesky
but undermanned Baylor University grid team.
Not selected in the NFL draft, he ultimately signed as a free
agent with a franchise whose moniker is inspired by one of
history's most morbid literary giants.
Yet versatile linebacker John Garrett and the Baltimore
Ravens seem a perfect match.
In Baltimore, the Mart native joins a club renowned for its
defense---especially at linebacker---and will come under the
tutleage of former Baylor and Chicago Bear legend Mike
Singletary.
"I've got a good rapport with him," Garrett says of
Singletary, his new mentor and position coach. "I think I'm
off to a great start."
A two-way standout on the undefeated 1999 state champion Mart
High Panthers, perhaps the most dominant 2A team in Central
Texas history, the 6-0, 245-pound Garrett this spring has
already attended two Ravens' mini-camps---one with veterans.
So far he's liked what he's seen in Baltimore. And vice versa.
'I've been shooting for this for a long time," Garrett says of
the pro game, recalling his days growing up in Mart and
playing street ball as a kid, longing to showcase his wares on
the big stage.
"I can tell you this," stresses Garrett. "From what I've seen
in camp, the game is a lot faster in the NFL than it was in
college. Everybody's working hard to get a job."
Garrett had a good idea going in of what to expect. Former BU
teammate Gary Baxter, now a defensive back at the next level,
and ex-Panther Tony Miles, who set a bevy of all-purpose
records at Northwest Missouri State before starring for the
Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, filled him in.
"They told me," Garrett explains, "that in professional
football you have to limit your mistakes and remember your
calls."
The Ravens camps, for example, have been akin to going back to
school. Long hours of studying defensive schemes, attending
meetings, and studying film.
"Its definitely a learning process," notes Garrett, who proved
a quick study at Baylor, emerging as a key Bear defender early
in his sophomore campaign.
He was well on his way to an All-Big 12 season as a junior
before tearing up his left knee in BU's conference victory
over Kansas. Painstaking rehab work and a rigorous off-season
training regimen enabled Garrett to return to the Bear lineup
as a senior, playing one of his best games in Baylor's
televised win over Colorado.
Still, concerns about the knee damaged Garrett's NFL stock on
Draft Day, forcing him to go the free agent route.
But, to Garrett, it's just one more hurdle for him to overcome
en route to realizing a lifelong dream.
Always eager to compete, Garrett is no stranger to challenges.
As a freshman at Mart High, he played quarterback in a veer
set, switched to fullback when then-head coach Terry Cron
employed a multiple-look attack, returned kicks, and was a
team leader in tackles.
Garrett also excelled four years at basketball and track for
the Panthers.
Like many of his former Baylor teammates who grew up in
Central Texas, Garrett remains loyal to his old high school
and keeps tabs on the progress of players there.
"I remember every Saturday before our Baylor game we'd read
the paper," Garrett recalls, "and we'd see what teams had won.
The guys would read about the Panthers first because I was
always talking up Mart."
He returned to his alma mater last week as current MHS
football players went through their annual "Boot Camp"
training.
"I tell high school students to always listen to their
teachers and coaches," Garrett said. "I tell them they're
trying to help you. College and pro football isn't for
everyone, but don't say you can't do it because you think
somebody else is better than you. Work as hard as you can and
make it hard for someone to deny you your dreams."
And those who've seen Garrett perform in Baltimore thus far
say he's definitely following his own advice.
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