Cinderella’s slippers come in size 14 for ex-Beaver tackle Mike Remmers
The Remmers family (from left), Wyatt, Kelly, Layla, Mike and Brock
There will be dozens, maybe hundreds or personal stories that come out of the lead-up to Super Bowl LV. I’m not sure any are more Walter Mitty-ish of nature than that of Mike Remmers.
The Beaverton resident and Jesuit High and Oregon State grad will be starting at left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs as they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Remmers, 31, will be protecting the ever-valuable back side of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It will be the second Super Bowl appearance for the 6-5, 310-pound Remmers, who was starting right tackle for Carolina when the Panthers lost to Denver 24-10 in the 2016 Super Bowl.
“I’m excited,” Remmers says from the home he is renting in Kansas City. “I never thought I would make it back. It’s been amazing to get another shot.”
Remmers was a good player in high school — not great at a somewhat slender 225.
“We had a stacked team at Jesuit,” Remmers told Mike Parker and John Warren on the Joe Beaver radio show last week. “I was probably our fourth or fifth best starting offensive lineman.”
Vic Remmers (Source: osubeavers.com)
Remmers may be short-selling himself, but suffice it to say he wasn’t good enough to warrant any FBS scholarship offers. With family history at Oregon State — his father, Wally, was a starting offensive guard for Dee Andros and Craig Fertig from 1974-76 and brother Vic played basketball for Jay John from 2002-05 — he decided to enroll at OSU, give up football and be a student.
Then assistant coach Jay Locey — a college teammate of Mike’s father — offered a preferred walk-on opportunity. Remmers got much bigger and stronger and became a four-year starter at tackle but received no invitation to the NFL combine and went undrafted in 2012, though 19 offensive tackles did.
Remmers signed a free-agent contract with Denver and was waived in the preseason. He was signed by Tampa Bay a few weeks later, saw his first game action with San Diego in 2013, first became a starter with Carolina in 2014, got to the Super Bowl with the Panthers in 2017 and to the NFL Championship Game with Minnesota in 2018.
Mike Remmers (Source: chiefs.com)
After eight years and eight address changes in the NFL, Remmers will be making his 91st career start Sunday in Tampa with another chance to earn a championship ring.
“Everything that has happened has helped motivate me,” he says. “Being a walk-on (in college), a scrub (in the NFL), having to grind it out, not having anything given to me — that all helped me become the player I am today.
“It’s a humbling experience playing in the NFL. You have to bring your ‘A’ game. I try to take advantage of every opportunity I get.”
It’s been a good season individually for Remmers, who will be making his 13th start of the season, including three in the playoffs. One report said he hasn’t given up a sack all season.
“I don’t know about that,” he says. “I just try to play each game as it unfolds in front of me. Tampa Bay is next.”
After spending the 2019 season with the New York Giants, Remmers signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Chiefs for a little more than $1 million. He began the season backing up at four O-line positions — everything but center.
Remmers has started one game at each of the guard positions and much of the season at right tackle, where All-Pro Mitchell Schwartz has been out since early season with a back injury. When Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher went down with Achilles’ tendon injury in a 26-17 win over Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 24, Remmers moved over to the left side to finish the game. He’ll start there against the Bucs.
“I’m excited about it,” he says. “My last year at Carolina I was the left tackle the whole season; my last season at Oregon State I also played left tackle.
“It’s definitely a big adjustment going from one side to the other, but I’ve been playing on the left side in practice randomly throughout the season just to prepare ourselves for the worst-case scenario. I feel very confident there.”
Remmers made it a point to say hello and offer condolences to former OSU teammate Jordan Poyer — a starting safety for the Bills — after the AFC Championship Game. He also knew Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott, a former defensive coordinator with Carolina, and several Bills players who were teammates when he was with the Panthers from 2014-16.
“It was one of the weirdest games I’ve ever been a part of,” Remmers says. “I’m so excited and happy to be going to the Super Bowl again, but then I have to go say hi to friends who are sad because they came so close. I felt so bad for those guys, to get that far and not make that final step.”
Remmers’ first Super Bowl experience was a disappointment on both a team and personal level. He spent much of the day struggling to block Denver linebacker Von Miller, who had 2 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles and two quarterback hurries and was named Super Bowl MVP.
“It wasn’t ideal,” Remmers says. “It wasn’t the outcome we wanted. The main thing was we didn’t win the game. I was disappointed, but it’s behind me. The next game is ahead of me. I want to win this time. I’m going to do everything I can to prepare myself for that.”
Kansas City and Tampa Bay met once during the regular season, the Chiefs coming out on top 27-24 on Nov. 29.
“It’s a really good team,” Remmers says. “They have a great defense, with a very physical defensive line and linebackers who run around and make plays. It’ll be a challenge for us up front. But we also have some good players. It should make for a great game.”
The Bucs will be the first team in Super Bowl history to play the game in their own stadium.
“We almost did that in Minnesota,” Remmers says. “Had we won in the (2018) NFC Championship Game, we’d have been first. It’s great for (the Bucs). They don’t have to fly, and they’re familiar with the stadium. Any time you don’t have to get on a plane, that’s nice.
“But it’s a different year. Because of COVID, we’re not going down there a week ahead of time. We’ll be going the night before like a normal away game. That’s kind of nice. We’re going to treat it like a normal game.”
The Chiefs are the defending champions. It’s one reason why Remmers jumped at the opportunity to play with them.
“Being able to play under Coach (Andy) Reid, a legendary coach, has been a dream come true,” Remmers says. “To block for Patrick Mahomes — the guy is a tremendous athlete — has been special. It’s a great organization and I have a lot of awesome teammates.”
Last week, Reid said this about Remmers: “He’s dirty tough. He’s like a throwback. He is Redbeard; he breaks out his sword and he’s ready to go. I appreciate him and his toughness and he’s a smart kid. He’s fit in well with the whole program here.”
Redbeard — and I had to look this up — is, among other things, a common epithet of Thor, a god in Norse mythology.
“He likes to call me ‘Redbeard,’ ” Remmers says with a laugh. “(The beard) has been growing for awhile. It’s getting pretty long now. Sometimes practice can get a little stale, doing the same thing over and over. I try to bring a ton of energy every day and run around and get my teammates excited when I can.”
Remmers will be witness to a memorable matchup at quarterback — Mahomes against the Bucs’ Tom Brady, at 43 participating in his 10th Super Bowl.
“It seems like he’s in it every year,” Remmers observes. “He’s a heck of a competitor. Tons of success. I’m sure he’s going to be a good challenge for our defense.”
Remmers’ wife, Kelly, and the oldest of their three children — 4 1/2-year-old Wyatt — will be at Sunday’s game as well as other family members. The Remmers make their offseason home in Beaverton, but Kelly and the kids have been with Mike in Kansas City since early in the season.
“It was tough being away from them for awhile,” he says. “I love having them here. They brighten my day every single day.”
Remmers is thankful the NFL made it this far, given the difficulties surrounding safety and COVID issues. Players are subject to COVID tests daily through the season and twice daily through Super Bowl week.
“I’ve gotten so used to it, it’s part of my routine,” he says, adding, “when the season started, I thought there was no way we’d be able to finish it. The NFL did a great job coming up with a reliable system to get the season going and then make sure everyone feels safe going to work every day.”
Remmers, who turns 32 in April, doesn’t know if he’ll be back with Kansas City next season.
“I’m not sure what the future holds,” he says. “I’m not worrying about that now. I’m just concentrating all my powers on this game and we’ll see what happens.”
Remmers has to pinch himself — figuratively, at least — when he thinks about what he has accomplished on the gridiron.
“I never dreamt in a million years that I would ever be playing in the NFL, let alone a second Super Bowl,” he says. “There were so many times when I could have failed, when I could have not gone to the next level.
I think about how many hours of my life I’ve spent on the football field or watching (video). I’ve been playing football since the second grade. It’s just a way of life for me now. I reflect on it all the time how fortunate I am to be in the shoes I’m in right now.
“It’s been an uphill battle through my career. There hasn’t been much handed to me. I’ve had to earn everything I’ve got, but it’s been a lot of fun. I’m trying to enjoy all these moments. I know it doesn’t last forever.”
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