"Among the most impressive attributes Sebastian Vollmer has displayed is his ability to stay even-keeled. Little rattles the Patriots [team stats] tackle, which is one reason why the offensive line knows it can count on him.

The soft-spoken German deals with gameday pressure like its a speed bump, not a roadblock, and his play reflects it.

Yet even Vollmer admits 2011 has been more difficult to handle than he imagined. He started the season with a back injury, forcing him to watch every game but one on TV. After his optimistic performance against the Chargers, a setback relegated him to the training room for the next four games."