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- Mar 19, 2019
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Patterson on the Colts offensive line
Indianapolis boasts a powerful offensive line that Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer on Wednesday said is "one of the best in the league."
"They're good," Co-Defensive Coordinator Andre Patterson said Thursday of the Colts starting five offensive linemen. "The two tackles (Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith) are tall and long and athletic. The one guard (left guard Quenton Nelson) is the best guard in the league. They're physical. So we're going to have our hands full on Sunday."
Patterson expanded on what makes Nelson so effective up front, noting his power, explosiveness and nastiness.
"He's mean. He tries to finish you," Patterson said. "Those are the qualities that make him a real good player. I was fortunate enough to be the with the Dallas Cowboys when Larry Allen played there, and that was the thing that made Larry a unique player. Larry was explosive, but Larry was mean and nasty and he tried to finish you. This guy plays the same way."
Zimmer on Taylor in the backfield
The Colts on Sunday will be without starting running back Marlon Mack, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against the Jaguars in Week 1.
But that doesn't mean they won't have a solid rushing attack. The next man up is rookie Jonathan Taylor, whom the Colts drafted 41st overall (interestingly, the same exact spot as the Vikings drafted Cook in 2017) out of Wisconsin.
Co-Defensive Coordinator Adam Zimmer highlighted Taylor's quickness.
"He hit the perimeter a couple times and got into space for them [last week]. He was good on a few screen passes. He's explosive," Zimmer said. "We've looked back at some of his college tape just to get a feel for how he runs the ball, how he protects and all those things. But I think he's a very good back, and I don't think they're going to miss a beat with him in there."