- Messages
- 79,281
- Reaction score
- 45,652
by TED MADDEN / WFAA-TV
Posted on January 14, 2010 at 12:55 PM
The pass rush provided by Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware will be a big factor in this game; that topic has gotten considerable attention this week. But what about on the other side? Jared Allen is one of the league's premier pass rushers. And he's been consistent -- over the last three seasons he has gotten 14.5, 14.5, and 15.5 sacks. That's the definition of consistency.
But while Allen put up a good total for 2009 (14.5), his game-by-game numbers were less consistent (as they will be with almost any pass rusher; a guy who ends the season with 16 sacks won't get to that number by getting exactly one sack every game). What stands out with Allen is the two games he played against Green Bay. He had 4.5 sacks in the first meeting, and 3 in the next. More than half of his total number of sacks came in the two games against the Packers.
Keep this in mind - Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got significantly better at not taking sacks over the last seven games of the season (just 9 total). In Rodgers' first 10 games, including both Vikings games, Rodgers took 41 sacks -- with Allen getting 7.5 on his own.
So what does this tell us? I don't really know ... maybe it's like taking a Colorado Rockies baseball player and trying to factor in the Coors Field effect. Because without the "Aaron Rodgers Effect," Jared Allen would have been much more ordinary this season.
Posted on January 14, 2010 at 12:55 PM
The pass rush provided by Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware will be a big factor in this game; that topic has gotten considerable attention this week. But what about on the other side? Jared Allen is one of the league's premier pass rushers. And he's been consistent -- over the last three seasons he has gotten 14.5, 14.5, and 15.5 sacks. That's the definition of consistency.
But while Allen put up a good total for 2009 (14.5), his game-by-game numbers were less consistent (as they will be with almost any pass rusher; a guy who ends the season with 16 sacks won't get to that number by getting exactly one sack every game). What stands out with Allen is the two games he played against Green Bay. He had 4.5 sacks in the first meeting, and 3 in the next. More than half of his total number of sacks came in the two games against the Packers.
Keep this in mind - Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got significantly better at not taking sacks over the last seven games of the season (just 9 total). In Rodgers' first 10 games, including both Vikings games, Rodgers took 41 sacks -- with Allen getting 7.5 on his own.
So what does this tell us? I don't really know ... maybe it's like taking a Colorado Rockies baseball player and trying to factor in the Coors Field effect. Because without the "Aaron Rodgers Effect," Jared Allen would have been much more ordinary this season.
