My Five Favorite Vikings of All-Time

Dec 29, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end

(69) celebrates a sack during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

4. Jared Allen

After last season’s disaster and his ending up on the Bears, it is easy to forget just how beloved Allen was in his time in Minnesota.

That’s a shame, because he was one of the best and most entertaining Vikings I have ever seen. Between almost breaking the single-season sacks record in 2011, to tormenting Aaron Rodgers on Monday Night Football, to everything else, his six seasons with the Vikings were an absolute blast. On top of his play, he was a showman. While some fans do not like sack dances and other antics, I always liked his calf-roping routine. Nothing made the Metrodome explode more in the late 2000s and early 2010s than Allen getting a huge sack at a critical moment then roping the calf.

I was bummed to see Allen go after last season, but 2013 was a train wreck on defense and almost any change was a good one. Besides that, it was clear that Allen was not the player we had become accustomed to any longer, and the discretionary funds available to the Vikings were much better spent on the Everson Griffen extension. That said, he will always be one of my favorite Vikings.

Next: Terror at Defensive Tackle