Buccaneers edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul came across as the kind of loose, fun-loving guy who wouldn't sugarcoat the answer to this reporter's question during Monday's Super Bowl virtual access periods.
Former Vikings lineman Mike Remmers tries to put a bad Super Bowl behind him
Five years ago, the offensive tackle had a Super Bowl to forget protecting Cam Newton. Now he is starting on the Chiefs' banged-up line in front of Patrick Mahomes.
February 2, 2021 at 10:53PM
"So, Jason, what are your thoughts on Mike Remmers?" the question began.
Be quiet, Vikings fans, and let the veteran Pro Bowler give his two cents on the former Viking, who will be forced to start across from JPP at left tackle in place of the injured Eric Fisher.
"I didn't know who that was," JPP said. "I won't lie to you. Is it the tackle that you're talking about?"
Yep.
"Like I say, I don't too much care about it," said Pierre-Paul, who led the Bucs with 9½ sacks during the regular season and has added two more in the postseason. "They got to figure that out. I'm just going to go play a great game."
A day later, Remmers admitted he had heard the comments.
"Honestly, I don't really care what his opinion is on anything," he said. "Every week that I've played in this league, I've never gone into games thinking, 'Hey, I wonder what this guy thinks of me.' I don't care at all."
Remmers has been in the Super Bowl spotlight before. Five years ago, the Panthers went 15-1 and were favored to beat Denver in Super Bowl 50. Denver won 24-10 in large part because Super Bowl MVP Von Miller had 2½ sacks while roasting Remmers at right tackle en route to terrorizing Cam Newton.
"That game is in my past," Remmers said. "I'm not the same player I was five years ago."
The Chiefs have been juggling their offensive line since starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and third-round draft pick Lucas Niang took the COVID-19 opt-out before the season.
In Week 5, Kelechi Osemele tore tendons in both knees. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz hasn't played since Week 6 because of a bad back.
Then, in the AFC Championship Game, Fisher tore an Achilles' tendon. Remmers moved over from right tackle, where he had started 12 games, including two in the playoffs. Andrew Wylie went from right guard to right tackle, and Stefen Wisniewski came in at right guard.
Remmers has been an underdog since coming out of Oregon State as an undrafted free agent in 2012. In his first two seasons, he spent time with four teams – the Broncos, Bucs, Vikings and Chargers – while playing just one game with the Chargers.
He ended up in Carolina in 2014 and started every game at right tackle in 2015 — the Super Bowl season — and every game at left tackle in 2016.
He returned to the Vikings and started 29 games — 13 at right tackle in 2017, including two playoff games, and 16 at right guard in 2018. He spent 2019 starting 14 games at tackle for the Giants.
Tuesday, Remmers was asked how he'd like reporters to describe him to JPP.
"He can watch the tape and figure it out himself," Remmers said. "I just think I'm a hard-nosed guy. A tough guy who is going to bust his tail every single snap."
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
