Jared Allen

ll a 51-yarder.

Chicago’s lone turnover of the night came in the second half on a rush from Jared Allen, who found Cutler in the backfield and forced a fumble. Minnesota took that field position and turned it into seven points off a Peterson score, his only highlight of the night. At 26-10, the Vikings could have made it interesting… but Devin Hester made sure that never happened, taking the ensuing kick return 98 yards for the TD, pushing the lead to 33-10. To their credit, the Vikings tried to respond but McNabb was buried twice by Peppers and Amobi Okoye, which shockingly giving Devin another try on a punt return, which he returned to the Minnesota 38. Cutler led the offense to the goal line with a pinpoint throw to Kellen Davis near the goal line. A dropped ball by Sanzenbacher led to a Robbie Gould 26-yard field goal, but the momentum continued to propel the Bears onto a much-needed victory.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 Gameday Recap: Bears 39, Vikings 10"

Ends Jared Allen and Brian Robison have been terrorizing quarterbacks this season and have the speed on the edges to get around J’Marcus Webb and newly minted right tackle Lance Louis. Why can my Jay never stay safe? In order to keep Cutler upright, Martz has to remain committed to the run with Matt Forte. Exploit Allen’s aggressive nature and get draw plays with Forte up the middle where the Vikings are weakest. There are going to be opportunities to take in the passing game, especially if Cutler gets the play-action going. The question remains: which wide receiver besides Dane Sanzenbacher will actually step-up and make a play? Roy Williams or Johnny Knox have to make a statement tonight, assuming they can get on the field for more than four snaps.

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The defensive line which is normally tenacious has been lacking this year. Normally Jared Allen would easily get the better of Frank Omiyale at left tackle, but it hasn't been a normal year for Allen. Jay Cutler will get his chances on drop-backs as long as there isn't another collapse of monumental proportions. Unfortunately, the pass rush for the Vikes has been slow but their run defense is just as stout as ever. With the Williams boys in the middle of the line, running Forte and Taylor to the outside is strongly advised. Olin Kreutz will start at center today despite some nagging injuries, but he never has his best days against Minnesota. They're too good in the middle.

Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Vikings at Bears"

with his quick release, but if they want to hit plays down field they'll need to keep defensive end Jared Allen occupied. With ball-hawking ex-Viking and Packer safety Darren Sharper in the Saint secondary, he'll be well aware of Favre's tendencies and ball placement. If they can manage just one turnover and give their offense an extra possession somewhere, the Saints will win.

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Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Bears at Vikings"

h more important on Sunday, that being the defensive variety...

If the Vikings (more specifically Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and whoever fills in for the injured DE Ray Edwards) can constantly harass Philly QB Donovan McNabb and put him in some pain (as shown above), I think the Vikes will be heading to Carolina next week.  Sure, the Eagles usually win games by leaning on RB Bryant Westbrook, but does anyone seriously think (Pat Williams or no Pat Williams) that a RUNNING BACK will dominate a game against the Vikes? I don't think so!  Westbrook may have a decent game--even topping 100 yards--but I think McNabb will determine the outcome of the contest.  If given time, Donovan will pick apart the Vikings' secondary just because he is good enough to do so.  If pressure is applied, their entire scheme changes, as Philly has no big-time WRs that can dominate a game even if the QB is running for his life.  So, it's that simply...pressure McNabb and success will follow.

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Coming into Sunday night's nationally televised contest against the Bears, the Vikes were a team (and a fan base) that expected a victory.  Remarkably (if you know anything about the Vikes in pressure situations!), that is exactly what transpired, with an exclamation mark!  Why did the Vikings have no excuse not to win this game?  A quick recent-history lesson:

Continue reading "Vikings 34, Bears 14: Doing What Needed To Be Done"

It was one of the few impressive feats the Bears managed. Defensive end Jared Allen accounted for all of Minnesota’s 3 sacks, beating left tackle John St. Clair on a routine basis with his speed. It wasn’t pretty. (Neither is

Continue reading "Bears get Roasted in Minnesota"

After meeting with NFL top brass this past week, it just just announced that DE Jared Allen will be fined $25,000 (but not suspended) for a rash of plays that NFL referees deemed to be late on the quarterback.

Continue reading "Jared Allen: Fined, Not Suspended"

t could not accomplish the vital task of their mission...sending Garcia to the turf.  Although Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, and Ray Edwards (among others) had Garcia running for his life most of the afternoon, Garcia (with his nimble feet and smooth mobility) was ALWAYS able to buy enough time to find the open receiver downfield.  Besides the infamous Michael Vick OT touchdown scamper of '02, I don't think I have seen a QB dodge and dart away from pressure as well as Garcia did.  Pretty impressive for an old fogey like him.

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The Minnesota pass defense has grown with the addition of last year’s sack leader Jared Allen. Allen may only have three sacks, but Minnesota as a team ranks ninth overall in the league with fourteen. Kyle should make a point of utilizing the short throws to the tight ends and running backs in order to avoid the pass rush until something opens up downfield to receivers Devin Hester or Rashied Davis. Orton is completing about 61% of his passes (18th among NFL QB’s), a percentage that coordinator Ron Turner and the offensive staff would like to see increase. Against Minnesota’s opportunistic secondary, Orton won’t have room for mistakes.

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br />•    Bad News Bears: The Vikings roped in last season’s sack leader, Jared Allen, from the Chiefs earlier this week, sending them a first-round pick (17th overall) and two third-round picks while also swapping sixth-round picks. They should’ve thrown in fifty bucks and a case of Heineken to boot. The Vikings are forking over tons to get a guy who’s been in the league for a handful of years and has only really had one breakout season. What’s even more astonishing is the fact that Allen’s been charged with three DUIs in the last four years – is this not a concern? What is there to do in Minnesota besides drink? I’m from the Midwest and we take our alcohol very seriously. We stare into our beers and guzzle them down without haste, concentrating solely on getting drunk. This is what Allen will be doing in the cab of his pickup truck at three in the morning, completely engulfed in a sparse Minnesota steppe. Still, this will hurt a lot once October rolls around. The league’s best run defense in 2007 just got that much better. As for the Chiefs, they now have six picks in the top eighty-two. Jesus. Too bad they can’t draft a coach.

Continue reading "A Little from Column A, A Little from Column B..."