The strength of the 2015 Minnesota Vikings is on the defensive side of the ball. That's to be expected when Mike Zimmer is the head coach. As with most strong defenses it all starts up front and the Vikings have a very good front four.
DE Everson Griffen
DT Sharrif Floyd
DT Linval Joseph
DE Brian Robison
The emergence of rookie end Danielle Hunter and the steady play of tackle Tom Johnson provide the Vikings excellent depth. The freakishly talented Hunter could put the Vikings front four of the near future among the best the franchise has ever known. That's a bold notion. If the Vikings have had a history of riches at any position it's been the defensive line. Strong front fours is a tradition in Minnesota and that tradition started with one of the most disruptive defensive lines in the history of the NFL. The Four Norsemen. The Purple People Eaters. Three Dots and a Dash. No matter how they were known they were great.
DE Jim Marshall
DT Alan Page
DT Gary Larsen
DE Carl Eller
Alan Page and Carl Eller are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Many feel that Jim Marshall belongs there as well. Gary Larsen was the least acclaimed of the four but he was solid. He even played in a couple of Pro Bowls. All four made the Pro Bowl in 1969. The Vikings had the best defense and one of the best teams in the league for several years beginning in 1969 and the four up front were the reason.
Doug Sutherland eventually replaced Gary Larsen in 1974 but this line played together for a remarkable ten years. That sort of consistency doesn't happen much these days.
The Vikings drafted some solid defensive linemen that the team hoped would step up when the greats that preceded them stepped down. Doug Martin was often outstanding. Mark Mullaney was solid. The Vikings just couldn't put together a complete group. That was the case until the late 1980s when nother great defensive front popped up in Minnesota.
DE Chris Doleman
DT Keith Millard
DT Henry Thomas
DE Al Noga
This line had a few seasons of outstanding play. Chris Doleman is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Keith Millard played a couple of seasons like few defensive players ever have. He was Defensive Player of the Year in 1989. If injuries hadn't derailed his career he'd be in the Hall of Fame with Doleman. Henry Thomas did all of the dirty work. He ate up blocks. He took up space. He stopped the run. Al Noga was a terrific pass rushing threat opposite Doleman. This front probably would have received much more attention if the team had more success. They were really good at times but never great. They also played in the same conference as dominant even dynastic teams like the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins. The Vikings did manage to knock off one of those 49ers teams when they made it to the NFC Championship game in 1987.
One of the greatest players in the history of the Minnesota Vikings is defensive tackle John Randle. Through most of his brilliant career he was the lone threat on the defensive line. His first Pro Bowl and All Pro selection came in 1993. That Vikings defensive line was probably the best of his 11 years in Minnesota.
DE Chris Doleman
DT John Randle
DT Henry Thomas
DE Roy Barker
Doleman was traded to the Atlanta Falcons after that season and Randle never again had a partner close to his caliber in the destruction of opposing offenses.
It wasn't until the latter half of the 2000s that the Vikings tradition of strong front fours returned. That front was completed when the Vikings acquired defensive end Jared Allen from the Kansas City Chiefs in a trade. The Vikings had their missing pass rusher and another dominant defensive line.
DE Jared Allen
DT Kevin Williams
DT Pat Williams
DE Ray Edwards
This defensive line was great. No one ran on the Williams Wall. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards could just tee-off on opposing offensive tackles. Kevin Williams could also apply some pass rushing pressure up the middle. Allen and both Williams' made a couple of Pro Bowls. Allen should make the Hall of Fame. An argument could be made that Kevin Williams belongs there as well. He was named to the 2000s All-Decade Team.
The link between this defensive line and today's is Brian Robison. He was the pass rushing backup then. He's the pass rushing veteran leader now.
The first, great Minnesota Vikings defensive line is still the gold standard. That line is one of the best in NFL history. The current line is loaded with talent and very young. Who knows? Maybe they'll take a run at the gold standard. That's a bold suggestion. A Super Bowl title(s) would certainly help their cause.
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