When Ma'ake Kemoeatu worked out for the Ravens last fall he weighd 415 pounds, he struggled to run on a surgically repaired Achilles tendon and barely could breathe as he went through a workout.Kemoeatu came back in May 70 pounds lighter according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. "I didn't recognize him when he came in the second time," Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "I was looking around to find him because I didn't realize that was him. Obviously, he dedicated himself to wanting to come back and play." On Sunday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who might have lost Ryan McBean for the season because of an ankle injury, said "Kemo is pushing for a starting job. He's in great shape, and he's playing extremely well." "It's been incredible. I went from not playing for a full year to being on one of the baddest defenses in the league," Kemoeatu said. "Coach Harbaugh has always talked about making sacrifices. I had to do what I had to do to make sacrifices to get on the team. I still have a long road ahead of me to make the team and it's going to take more sacrifices, coming in early in the morning and getting an extra workout in here and there, get a little quicker and faster. I have to sacrifice the next four weeks to make the team." "Remember, they saw me in September. When I send them those pictures in May, they were like, 'Nah man, this is Photo-shopped. This can't be him,'" Kemoeatu said. I'm glad Harbaugh and [general manager Ozzie Newsome] and those guys gave me an opportunity to come back. They say once you're a Raven, you're always a Raven." Kemoeatu's biggest challenge was his diet, he's a native of Tonga, a group of islands in the South Pacific, Kemoeatu stayed in Virginia largely because the food on the West Coast and in Hawaii, where he grew up, was too enticing. After ditching some bad habits, Kemoeatu embraced a rigorous training routine that included plyometric exercises ,yoga and "everything you could think of," according to Mason. Source: The Redzone
