The Minnesota Vikings took a crushing defeat last Sunday, in their loss in the Wild Card round to the Giants. A large reason for the loss was a poor performance by the offense, more specifically the offensive line. The Vikings starting line is serviceable, but without them, the offense falls apart. The Vikings started the game rolling out Brian O’Neill, Ezra Cleveland, Austin Schlottman, Ed Ingram, and Christian Darrisaw. Schlottman took a starting role in place of Garrett Bradbury, who agitated a back injury in a car accident. Unfortunately, Schlottmann suffered a torn fibula. Minnesota picked up a veteran center Greg Mancz, who seems to be the starting center in the coming weeks.
Mancz is in his prime, at the age of 27. The Toledo product last played on the Buffalo Bills, where he took 23 snaps on September 25, when the Bills took a loss to the Dolphins. Mancz stands tall for his position, listed at 6’5, while the average NFL center stands around 6’. Mancz is known for his versatility on the line, as he took snaps from all three positions. Mancz is a solid center when it comes to clearing lanes. In college, he anchored one of the nation’s best run games at Toledo, with the help of star running back Kareem Hunt. Mancz has a unique center built as well. He is one of the lankiest centers in football. He adds to his 6’5 frame 300 lbs, which makes him oddly skinny for someone at his position. For example, Garrett Bradbury scales in at the same weight while being only 6’3. This frame that Mancz possesses can help with his lateral movement and versatility along the line. If Bradbury is unable to recover, Mancz seems like a viable backup.
