John Sullivan is going home to where his NFL career began.
The Los Angeles Rams' center, who has provided quarterback Jared Goff with protection and guidance during a 7-2 start, spent seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
So he will see familiar faces when the Rams play the 7-2 Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"If I tried to step away and make it nostalgic, I think I probably could," Sullivan said Friday before the Rams departed for Minneapolis. "But what it really comes down to is I'm focused on going there as a member of the Rams and getting to 8-2.
"That's the only thing that matters this weekend."
The Vikings selected Sullivan in the sixth round of the 2008 draft after he completed his college career at Notre Dame. He became the starter in 2009 and developed into one of the league's most reliable players at his position.
But he suffered a back injury during the 2015 preseason and underwent two surgeries that sidelined him for the regular season. He signed with the Redskins in 2016 _ and played for then-Washington offensive coordinator Sean McVay _ before joining the Rams this season.
McVay pursued the 31-year-old free-agent to help protect Goff, but the veteran's capabilities extend beyond snapping and blocking for the highest-scoring team in the league.
"He sees the game from a 22-man perspective," McVay said.
Players consider Sullivan a coordinator on the field. Before the snap, he analyzes defenses and communicates to teammates.
"He's been just as important as anybody on this team and everything's he's brought to the table offensively," Goff said. "His ability to handle so much up front, take so much off my plate and so much off a lot of guys plates up front."
Said running back Todd Gurley: "He's a genius."
