Let's Debate! The Best Defensive Linemen in Minnesota Vikings Franchise History
By: Ross Blilie
04-03-2023
Upon reflection of my previous debate articles, I want to thank all my readers. You have made this a fun experience for me. Please keep sharing my work with your friends and family.
With that in mind, let's debate! The best defensive linemen in Vikings franchise history is a fun topic to discuss. There are so many great players that it's hard to decide who should be the top five or ten in franchise history.
According to bleacherreport.com, they believe that the list starts with the famed Purple People Eaters. In addition, Johnny Randle, Kevin Williams, Keith Millard, Chris Doleman, and Jared Allen are all on the list.
Tim Arcand, the author of the article, mentioned that the way he ranked the players was based on the number of games each player played, how many times they made the Pro Bowl, and how many sacks they had; although the actual statistic wasn't started being recorded until the 1982 NFL season.
Here is the list of players ranked by Mr. Arcand:
Honorable Mention: Jared Allen and Keith Millard
John Randle-1990's-Early 2000's
Allen Paige-Late 1960's-Late 1970's
Carl Eller-Mid 1960's-Late 1970's
Jim Marshall-Early 1960's-Late 1970's
Chris Doleman-Mid 1980's-Early 1990's
Kevin Williams-Mid 2000's- Early 2010's
Henry Thomas-Late 1980's-Mid 1990's
Gary Larsen-Mid 1960's-Mid 1070's.
Doug Sutherland-Early 1970's-Early 1980's
Doug Martin-1980's
Looking at this list, in my opinion, it's just okay. I agree with most of it, however, I would make some changes to include Jared Allen on the actual list instead of just an Honorable Mention. I would also add Pat Williams because without him on the line taking a lot of the double teams away from Kevin Williams, he wouldn't be part of this list. So I think that Pat Williams should be close to being on the list.
In addition, I think that Everson Griffen should be on the list because he played in 170 games over 11 seasons for the Vikings, forced 11 fumbles, had 86 sacks and 376 combined tackles. Yes, he had some mental health problems towards the end, but he still should be somewhere on this list.
In my opinion, the current state of the defensive line of the Vikings is not good. I think the last couple seasons, they have not performed well. I'm not sure how to get them to perform well, but I am going to stay confident in Flores' plan to revitalize the defense.
What do you think? Do you agree with Arcand's list? Do you agree or disagree with my additions? Let me know in the comments.
Ross Blilie is an avid NFL fan of the Minnesota Vikings since the 1990’s. He loves to talk about the NFL and the Vikings every chance he gets. His hobbies also include bowling with his wife and friends, narrating audiobooks, fishing, and even sitting by a campfire with family at Lake Blackduck in Minnesota. You can find Ross on twitter & Instagram @Rossthenarrator.
