Great Read on Mankins

[mayoclinic]

From Jackie MacMullan, posted on ESPNBoston:

Logan Mankins' football life has changed considerably, but he's as tractor-tough as ever - ESPN Boston

We all know about Mankins the tough guy, but the article also highlights some of Mankins' athleticism:

Mankins was a champion roper and a three-sport star at Mariposa High. He stood 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, and when he caught the ball on the block in basketball, opposing players shrank from the contact.

"It wasn't enough for him to score," [his high school basketball coach Trace] DeSandres said. "Logan was going to punish you on the way to the basket."

Mankins was on course to breaking the school's basketball scoring record in his senior season when, in the first quarter of a game against the Delhi Hawks, he hauled in a rebound. One player jostled him for the ball, while another came up from behind and tried to poke it free.

"So Logan chinned the ball, and when he brought it up, he threw one kid in one direction, and elbowed the other kid in the chest and sent him 10 feet in the opposite direction," DeSandres recalled. "It was the most amazing thing. The refs threw him out of the game, even though it was totally legal. He was on his way to 30 that night, but he only had 4 points when he got tossed. It cost him the scoring title."

On the baseball field, Mankins was, his coach said, "a mountain" playing third base. When players stepped into the batter's box, they determined bunting down the third base line was a viable strategy.

Those who dared to raise Mankins' ire by questioning his speed blanched as he thundered down the line, scooping the ball. What they didn't realize was he was also a pitcher, and delighted in firing a fastball in the mid-80s toward first base within a hair of their ear, to remind them to think twice about challenging him again.

It was more of the same on the football field, where Mankins played tight end, fullback and linebacker.

There was the time Mankins came barreling across the middle at tight end just as his quarterback threw 3 feet behind him. Without breaking stride, Mankins reached back with one hand, grabbed the nose of the ball and pulled it in. Then there was the time he lined up at fullback and flattened the linebackers on back-to-back plays with such force, the third time they simply turtled and let him score.

In spite of a rough year, going into the playoffs Mankins says he feels much healthier than a year ago. That's got to be good.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Just came here to post this:

Mankins wanted to play college ball, but Mariposa was a small school and not many recruiters found their way to the valley. When a coach from Fresno State showed up and asked Vegely if he had any good juniors, the coach told him no, but there was a senior he should see. Vegely showed him a film clip of Mankins playing tight end and leveling a defensive tackle.

"I told the Fresno State coach, 'See that kid on the ground? That's the kid you just gave a free ride to,"' Vegely chuckled. "He said, 'Wait, let me see that again.'

"I showed it to him again, and he said, 'Are you sure that's our kid?' He watched it three more times before he said, 'Can I have that tape?' Next thing you know, we're pulling Logan out of class and they're talking to him about playing football at Fresno State."

 

[IllegalContact]

as a sidenote.......the houston game was mankins' first game back after missing 5 of the previous 6......he's probably better now......hell, he was good enough to almost tear justin smith's arm off....smith still isn't the same after facing mankins......watt's next

 

[Uncle Rico]

as a sidenote.......the houston game was mankins' first game back after missing 5 of the previous 6......he's probably better now......hell, he was good enough to almost tear justin smith's arm off....smith still isn't the same after facing mankins......watt's next

Yup. This team has been pretty beat up at times during the season. Gronk's return is getting the attention, but the improved health of guys like Mankins, Vollmer and CH Jones will help a lot too.

Really a great article on Mankins.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

Too good not to repost:

"I had all these strange marks on my body, like someone had me in a vise grip," Bruschi said. "My wife Heidi was appalled. She said, 'What are those from?' I said one word: 'Mankins.'"

 

[mayoclinic]

as a sidenote.......the houston game was mankins' first game back after missing 5 of the previous 6......he's probably better now......hell, he was good enough to almost tear justin smith's arm off....smith still isn't the same after facing mankins......watt's next

Did Justin Smith hurt his arm going against Mankins? If so, I hadn't realized it, but it wouldn't surprise me. Smith makes his living hooking his arm inside the jerseys of opposing guards and holding them to create a lane for Aldon Smith. He's one of the strongest guys in the NFL, but Mankins is probably his match, so I could see him trying to do that against Mankins and getting hurt. I don't know if that's how it happened, but it wouldn't shock me.

 

[JackBauer]

Does the article go into any depth explaining why we can't run behind the guy?

 

[mayoclinic]

Yup. This team has been pretty beat up at times during the season. Gronk's return is getting the attention, but the improved health of guys like Mankins, Vollmer and CH Jones will help a lot too.

It seems like the Pats will have about 5 impact players - potential Pro Bowl caliber players at their positions - who should be fairly healthy for the playoffs, and who have not been on the field healthy together all season:

- Mankins: started the season probably coming back too soon from his ACL injury, probably over-compensated, and developed a bunch of nagging injuries. Seems the healthiest he's been since perhaps 2010.

- Gronkowski: had his first game back against Miami since breaking his arm late in the Indy game. Wasn't 100% but was still effective, and now he's had 2 weeks off plus some time to get the rust off. I'm hoping he'll be at least 90%.

- Hernandez: suffered a high ankle sprain early in the Arizona game (game 2), and is just beginning to show signs of recovering his full form, after perhaps coming back too soon.

- Jones: might have been our best defensive player the first half of the season, hasn't been the same since hurting his ankle against Indy. BB called the Miami game perhaps his best game of the season, so he finally seems to be 100% recovered and getting his confidence back.

- Talib: his addition catalyzed the transformation of the defense, and he did a great job against Andre Johnson in the first half of the Houston game. He hasn't been healthy since, and is probably the best he's been since the start of that game.

Add to that group Alfonzo Dennard, who got banged up against Houston and then hurt the next week against San Francisco, and who hasn't played since, and that's a huge, huge impact on the team.

 

[Kontradiction]

as a sidenote.......the houston game was mankins' first game back after missing 5 of the previous 6......he's probably better now......hell, he was good enough to almost tear justin smith's arm off....smith still isn't the same after facing mankins......watt's next

Not sure about your last two words. Watt's mostly going to be going against Connolly and Vollmer, depending on what technique he's lined up in.

 

[mayoclinic]

Does the article go into any depth explaining why we can't run behind the guy?

Apparently playing in a wheelchair limited his mobility and leverage.

 

[Get it shawtaay]

Did Justin Smith hurt his arm going against Mankins? If so, I hadn't realized it, but it wouldn't surprise me. Smith makes his living hooking his arm inside the jerseys of opposing guards and holding them to create a lane for Aldon Smith. He's one of the strongest guys in the NFL, but Mankins is probably his match, so I could see him trying to do that against Mankins and getting hurt. I don't know if that's how it happened, but it wouldn't shock me.

The Pats ran this hold-and-stunt trick against Miami, with Cunningham instead of Justin Smith and Francis instead of Aldon Smith, and it actually worked. Some time in the 4th quarter. Wonder if we'll see that again

 

[mayoclinic]

The Pats ran this hold-and-stunt trick against Miami, with Cunningham instead of Justin Smith and Francis instead of Aldon Smith, and it actually worked. Some time in the 4th quarter. Wonder if we'll see that again

Tedy Bruschi said in his analysis prior to the SF game that the Pats used to do that a fair bit in the old days. I'm sure lots of guys do it, but Smith has been the master recently.