• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

OL Patrick Elflein (National Champion, 2017 PFWA All-Rookie Team)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
http://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-...ngs-transform-weak-link-and-contend-for-crown

How Pat Elflein helped Vikings transform weak link and contend for crown

Courtney Cronin
ESPN Staff Writer

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- In a space adjacent to the locker room, Pat Elflein sat barefoot in an oversized office chair, his dry-fit T-shirt soaked with sweat not long after the Minnesota Vikings wrapped up practice. It was a typical Minnesota afternoon in early January: Real-feel temperatures had dipped into the negatives, and a layer of crushed snow underneath a thick layer of ice caked the ground outside.

The wind slipped through the cracks in the door and blew cold air into the room, which doubles as a quiet spot for one-on-one interviews and the place players go to give a sample for NFL drug tests issued at random. The baby-faced center appeared unfazed by the dip in temperature, having become just as hardened by the harsh winters of his new home as he is by the grind of his rookie season. Elflein has started all but two games this season due to a shoulder injury he sustained before Week 14.

Even if he were freezing, Elflein probably wouldn’t let on. It’s not in his nature to complain.

“If you spend any time around Pat, he’s like this [imagine the ‘blank face’ emoji] or he's like this [the same as before],” quarterback Case Keenum joked. “That’s Pat, and I love him to death.”

Elflein is a typical rookie who keeps his mouth shut and does his job, according to coach Mike Zimmer. The fact that Elflein doesn’t say much doesn’t mean he’s retreating into a shell. It’s a sign that he’s busy working, soaking up every bit of the Vikings’ playbook so he can get his guys lined up on game day, including this Sunday in Philadelphia for the NFC Championship Game. On the field, Elflein is the quarterback of the offensive line. He has no choice but to be the vocal leader.

Minnesota’s No. 1 priority last offseason was to rebuild the offensive line. General manager Rick Spielman knew the team needed to upgrade its tackle positions ASAP, which brought in Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers, and tap into the draft to build the interior. That’s where the Vikings found Elflein, a 6-foot-3, 303-pound Ohio State product drafted 70th overall in the third round.

Elflein’s contributions have been endless, and if he played any other position, he’d probably be in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year. He will surely be on just about every all-rookie team, such as the Pro Football Writers Association’s, which he was named to Tuesday, but for the Vikings, he is the most important first-year player, anchoring an O-line that tied for seventh-fewest sacks allowed (27). Last year’s group gave up 38, which ranked 23rd.

Cont'd ...
 
Upvote 0
Eb-HgVKXsAA1ml_
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top