Former Pirates star Ryan Neuzil preps for Atlanta Falcons training camp

The first time Ryan Neuzil walked into the Athletic Edge Sports Performance Training Center in Lakewood Ranch was the summer of 2020. 

Neuzil, a Braden River High graduate, was about to enter his final season at Appalachian State University. The versatile offensive lineman was looking for a workout to get him a head start on camp.

His family had been friends with Athletic Edge founder Mike Gough for years, but Neuzil had never been to the facility. With no other plan in place, Nezuil thought it would be a good time to change that. He went to Athletic Edge for a week — and that was plenty. 

"It sucked," Neuzil said with a laugh. "The first time you get a workout here, it's a different change of pace." 

Photo by Ryan Kohn

Specifically, it is a more involved workout than athletes are used to completing outside of team activities. Neuzil said Gough has his athletes use movements they are not used to using, so different muscles receive attention.

There is also more intensity, Neuzil said. Athletes do not get long to catch their breath. Eventually, Neuzil, said you get used to the pace, and it becomes your new normal. 

Though Neuzil was exhausted after his first Athletic Edge experience, he felt like it helped him. He came back to the facility a year later to prepare for his NFL pro day. He enjoyed it more this time.

Neuzil would go undrafted in 2021, but signed with the Atlanta Falcons and has since made himself a key depth piece on the offensive line. He even started four games for the Falcons in 2023 when center Drew Dalman missed time with an ankle injury. Every offseason, he has returned to Athletic Edge before heading to training camp. 

Neuzil signed a one-year contract to remain with the Falcons in March. He will have to earn another one with his play if he wants to return in 2025. Entering a key season in his career arc, Neuzil did what he always does — go to Gough.

He was at Athletic Edge on July 18, getting in a final workout in the morning before a going-away dinner with family that evening as players must report to camp on July 24. 

"We want to push him, but also keep it manageable," Gough said as he acted as a spotter for Neuzil on the bench press. "We want him feeling invigorated when he goes to camp, not tired." 

Gough knows what he's doing. Neuzil is far from the only professional athlete who has graced his gym.

The walls of Athletic Edge are lined with signed, framed jerseys of athletes who Gough has helped in the past, among them former New York Giants center David Baas and wideout Victor Cruz, former Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Willson, and former Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai, whose hanging jersey is his 2007 AFC Pro Bowl jersey. Other sports are represented, too. Former Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and closer Jim Johnson each have their jerseys on the wall. 

Photo by Ryan Kohn

During his final workout of the offseason with Gough, Neuzil got what he wanted. He worked his way up to bench pressing 365 pounds, then ramped down.

He could have done more weight, Gough said, but they want to keep him fresh. Among the other activities Gough had Neuzil finish were three farmer's walks with 95-pound weights, complete with 10 "shrugs" at the end of each walk for extra work on his shoulders and arms. He finished with two vigorous turns on the gym's SkiErg, a type of rowing machine originally designed for cross-country skiers that works an athlete's legs, core and arms in one motion. 

Neuzil needed to catch his breath and get some water after those. But then he spoke about his heading into his fourth NFL season. 

"You get more comfortable over the years, but you are always fighting for your job," Neuzil said. "You have to keep proving yourself because they are always ready to replace you (if you do not). Last year was good, getting on the field and making a few starts, but every year is a new year. Last year means nothing now." 

Neuzil's first career start came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Atlanta in December. Neuzil said his entire family was able to make the game, which added to the experience. Were there nerves? Yes, he said — but they dissipated after the first snap. He couldn't afford to be nervous, he said, and besides, it was still football, the same game he's played since he was a kid. 

He's taking the same approach into the 2024 season. The novelty of playing in the NFL has long faded. Neuzil has a job to do, and he's going to do it as best he can. That means getting to training camp and transitioning from "good shape" to "football shape." To Neuzil, there is a massive difference. 

"The way to get in football shape is to literally play football," Neuzil said. "It sounds silly, but football is hard to replicate. You're running 20 plays where you may only have a four-second strain, but in those four seconds you have to move a 320-pound defensive lineman." 

Neuzil is out to prove he's capable of doing that consistently in 2024. With the help of Athletic Edge, he's got a good head start.