Welcome to the All-Time Favorite Viking Team series. We’re going through and voting by position for your favorite Viking players. There are no set criteria other than they played for the Minnesota Vikings. It’s your favorite player at that position.
We have the hardest part on the field left. It’s the d-line. I will put the Vikings history on the D-Line up there with any team. We’ll start with the Defensive Ends. It does get a little tricky, so I made some judgement calls. John Randle is a DT in my book. This list is deep.
Carl Eller (1964-1978)
133 1⁄2 Sacks
Eller was one of the greats. He was 5x First Team All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowl, 1x Second Team All-Pro, 1970s NFL All Decade Team, 50 Greatest Vikings, 25th Annivsersary Team, 40th Anniversary Team, Ring of Honor Member and Hall of Famer. He was also All American at the University of Minnesota. He was a steal with the 6th overall pick. He also founded a group of substance abuse clinics around the Twin Cities.
Jared Allen (2008-2013)
136 Sacks, 1 FF, 6 INTs, 648 Tackles
Allen was a fan favorite and a beast off the edge in his time in Minnesota. He didn’t always play the most disciplined, but QBs feared him. His 22 sack season in 2011 was phenominal. Terrell Suggs ridiculously won the Defensive Player of the Year over him with 8 less sacks. Allen was 4x First Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl, 50 Greatest Vikings, Ring of Honor, and Hall of Fame. The Vikings didn’t get all of Allen’s years, but they got the best.
Chris Doleman (1985-1993, 1999)
150 1⁄2 Sacks, 44 FF, 8 INTs, 975 Tackles
Doleman was a fumble making machine. He was 8x Pro Bowler, 2x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro, 1990s NFL All Decade Team, 50 Greatest Vikings, Ring of Honor, and Hall of Fame. Doleman had 21 sacks and 5 forced fumbles in 1989. He died of brain cancer in January 2020 and was honored at Super Bowl LIV prior to the game a few days later.
Jim Marshall (1961-1979)
130 1⁄2 Sacks, 3 FF, 1 INT
Marshall only made two Pro Bowls in his career. He played for 20 years, 19 of them for the Vikings. His 270 concescutive starts record stood for 31 years before Favre broke it. There’s no one who has a chance to get near them in the foreseeable future.
Danielle Hunter (2015-2023)
99 1⁄2 Sacks, 12 FF, 508 Tackles
Hunter came from LSU with big upside potential, but lack of production in college. Hunter has been selected to 5 Pro Bowls. It took him until Week 15 his rooke year to exceed his college sack total in the NFL. He came in and made an immediate impact and was the only consistent pass rusher on the Vikings for a long time.
Everson Griffen (2010-2019, 2021)
85 1⁄2 Sacks, 10 FF, 2 INTs, 403 Tackles
Griffen made 4 Pro Bowls, 1x Second Team All-Pro, and was named to the Top 100 Players of 2018. Towards the end Griffen had some mental health issues and has suffered from some substance abuse issues post retirement. He was seen on the Timberwolves sidelines during their playoff run and hope he’s on his way to greener pastures.
Brian Robison (2007-2017)
60 Sacks, 13 FF, 289 Tackles
Robison was a great teammate and was great with the Vikings social media teams. He was never the best player on the field, but he was good.
Lance Johnstone (2001-2005)
72 Sacks, 19 FF, 2 INTs, 386 Tackles
Johnstone came to the Vikings after 5 successful years in Oakland. He was a sack artist for the team in the early 2000s.
Doug Martin (1980-1989)
61 1⁄2 Sacks, 1 INT
Martin was First Team All-Pro in 1982 when he had 11 1⁄2 sacks. He spent his entire 10 year NFL career with the Vikings.
Al Noga (1988-1992)
34 1⁄2 Sacks, 4 FF, 1 INT
Noga had a couple of good years with the team. His peak was 11 1⁄2 sacks in 1989.
Ray Edwards (2006-2010)
33 Sacks, 4 FF, 223 Tackles
Safety – Harrison Smith (2012-present) & Paul Krause (1968-1979)
Cornerbacks – Antoine Winfield (2004-2012) & Bobby Bryant (1967-1980)
Outside Linebackers – Matt Blair (1974-1985) & Chad Greenway (2006-2016)
Inside Linebacker – Scott Studwell (1977-1990)
Kick Returner – Cordarelle Patterson (2013-2016)
Punter – Greg Coleman (1978-1987)
Kicker – Fred Cox (1963-1977)
Running Back – Adrian Peterson (2007-2016)
Quarterback – Fran Tarkenton (1961-1966, 1972-1978)
Wide Receivers – Randy Moss (1998-2004, 2010) & Cris Carter (1990-2001)
Tight Ends – Steve Jordan (1982-1994) & Jim Kleinsasser (1999-2011)
Offensive Tackles – Ron Yary (1968-1981) & Gary Zimmerman (1986-1992)
Offensive Guards – Randall McDaniel (1988-1999) & Steve Hutchinson (2006-2011)
Center – Mick Tingelhoff (1962-1978)
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