Jared Allen on Switching to a 3-4

by CCNorsemen on Dec 29, 2011 8:17 AM CST

It has been discussed here on DN, mostly in the fanposts, about the possibility of the Vikings switching to a 3-4 defense. Many of us here, myself included, have criticized such a move, mainly because of Jared Allen being so prolific in our current 4-3 defense. Some have tried to argue that Jared Allen could easily make the change from a 4-3 defensive end, to a 3-4 outside linebacker. Well, according to the man himself, that aint happenin'. Here's what he had to say about the potential move:

"I know we have enough mutual respect that they would at least give me a heads-up and give me an option of what I would want to do."

So, apparently, any speculation on the part of fans and analysts on switching to a 3-4 is just that: speculation. It doesn't sound like anyone has asked Jared Allen about it yet anyway. But, he goes on to say:

"I don't see that in the future," Allen said. "If I was halfway through my career, that would be something different. But defensive end is where I've made my mark. I like what I play, what I do. I like that art form."

So, any iteration of the 3-4 defense in Minnesota, likely wouldn't involve Jared Allen, since it doesn't sound like he's particularly interested in playing in such a scheme. He's still got 2 years left on his 2008 deal, so if they were going to make the change, it would have to involve a trade of Jared Allen. I don't see the Vikings making a switch to a 3-4 in light of his most recent comments.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.

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I saw that too. Thanks for posting it.

I don’t know what the story behind the scenes is. But if Allen needs to come out and make a public statement like that, well then i’m a little worried and disappointed.

Allen should keep his mouth shut and do his job. He is not some kind of special citizen. Also, I wonder if this says anything about a lack of firm. clear leadership and direction coming from the coaching staff and front office. Perhaps Allen wants out of a floundering situation. Or maybe there is some disfunction in the organization (captain obvious?).

well then who the hell are you talkin' to...are you talkin' to me?

by krinkle on Dec 29, 2011 2:28 PM CST reply actions

Really...

I wouldn’t read too much into this. This is Just Jared Allen being polite when asked a stupid question by someone who doesn’t really understand what they;’re asking.

3-4 defenses require largely different personnel across 5-7 of the 11 starting positions…. And they’re not inherently better. Back when teams first starting riding the trend and switching, you could get lots of 3-4 players because not a lot of teams were playing it.

Now, the balance has swung the other way… God only makes so many guys built like BJ Raji.

This is why you see the Patriots stockpiling 4-3 talent and looking a lot like they are transitioning their defense. Same with the Baltimore Ravens (Suggs is most effective when he lines up at traditional 4-3 DE).

The talent pool is getting better on the 4-3 side.

We’re not switching to a 3-4 because it doesn’t make any sense on any level. Not with our personnel and not with the available personnel on the market.

It always boggles my mind when people ask this question, usually like the 3-4 is some miracle defense. If it were. We’d all be playing it already.

by McCoubs on Jan 2, 2012 7:17 PM CST up reply actions

"Allen should keep his mouth shut and do his job. He is not some kind of special citizen"

First off, he was asked a question so he answered it. Secondly, he is exactly what you just said he is not. He IS a special player and any coach with any sense at all would get input from his best defensive player and one of the greatest DEs of all time.

by viking_#28 on Dec 29, 2011 2:32 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

I don't think that matters if he was asked the question. He should be diplomatic with public comments.

And if he is unhappy, then he should take it up with management behind closed doors. I think comments like that undermine the very organization that made him a multi-millionaire. No player should be above the team and organization. Special player is not special citizen.
Come on, man.

well then who the hell are you talkin' to...are you talkin' to me?

by krinkle on Dec 29, 2011 2:38 PM CST up reply actions

All he said was that if that is how they were going to go, they would give him a heads up.

Meaning, that they are NOT as of now going to be switching to a 3-4. Nothing he said was undermining at all. I am pretty sure everyone here would disagree with almost everything you have said about JA to this point

by viking_#28 on Dec 29, 2011 2:48 PM CST up reply actions

Well, he is not a special citizen. He is just a special player. I wish he would have avoided it.

Too bad the journalists have started some rumor about a 3-4 defense in the first place. I think they are just trying to conjure up something to create sound bytes with. But it sounds like he doesn’t want to play 3-4 defense. Now, I wonder if we could be seeing a big fat trade coming up in the off season.

well then who the hell are you talkin' to...are you talkin' to me?

by krinkle on Dec 29, 2011 3:34 PM CST up reply actions

He made the Pro Bowl again as a 4-3 DE and has a chance to lead the league in sacks....

I’d say yeah, he’s comfortable playing a 4-3 DE. Since he’s our only Pro Bowl representative, he’s worth building around instead of trading. We spent a lot of draft picks trying to find a pass rushing DE. Since we don’t have LBs to play a 3-4 I am glad you are a fan and not making personnel decisions.

by Caretaker QB on Dec 29, 2011 8:14 PM CST up reply actions

I don't think you know what you are responding to.

The only thing I said was that Allen shouldn’t comment on silly questions from Judd Zulgad, who is spreading rimors about a 3-4 defense to try and whip up a story.

I didn’t comment on any personnel decicion, or express any opinions about personnel. I did not even comment on the 3-4 defense. I hope you can understand that. It’s pretty clear.

well then who the hell are you talkin' to...are you talkin' to me?

by krinkle on Dec 29, 2011 9:23 PM CST up reply actions

I don't think the Vikings would make this kind of info public yet.

I don’t think they’re going to switch to a 3-4 anyway, but the Vikings would have nothing to gain by talking about it now….schism!
Fred Pagac was relieved of play-calling duties, so the media is starting rumors.

Vikings traditionally stick with what they know, so don’t be surprised to see them using the 4-3 with M. Singletary as the DC in 2012’

by chaosg on Dec 29, 2011 4:01 PM CST reply actions

Media rumors

I have to agree with the above posts, I think the media is stirring up crap. Concerning the post above mine, making Singletary the DC would be a major mistake. He was horrible with the 49ers as HC and as LB coach of the Vikings this year. Our LBs lost a step and its on Singletary’s shoulders. Great players do not equal great coaches.

by CAvikesfan on Dec 29, 2011 4:14 PM CST reply actions

I am not necessarily pro-Singletary, but how would players ‘losing a step’ be on his shoulders? How has Greenway lost a step anyhow? EJ might have lost a step, but Erin (a back up) has played probably as well as could be expected of him (he did go undrafted).

Coaching sub-par talent isn’t easy. Whoever the Vikes recruit for the position has a huge task ahead of them.

by LoveHate on Dec 29, 2011 4:41 PM CST up reply actions

Not to mention

The lockout probably has something to do with it. Hopefully a full offseason will be beneficial.

by christian220896 on Dec 29, 2011 5:15 PM CST up reply actions

Coaching sub-par talent isn’t easy

I don’t think you can call Greenway and EJ “sub par.” And the 49ers appear to be anything by “sub par” this year too.

"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin

by kcskol on Dec 29, 2011 8:39 PM CST up reply actions

Look how many pro bowlers San Francisco has this year from Singletary's team.

well then who the hell are you talkin' to...are you talkin' to me?

by krinkle on Dec 29, 2011 9:24 PM CST up reply actions

Makes me wonder a bit about Singletary's abilities as a coach.

well then who the hell are you talkin' to...are you talkin' to me?

by krinkle on Dec 29, 2011 9:24 PM CST up reply actions

Did you read my comment? Did you see it was a reply to another? Not sure what you're talking about.

Yeah, I don’t think I can call Greenway sub par, so I didn’t. I only pointed out that saying he’s lost a step is asinine. I noted EJ might have lost a step, but (If not for Urlacher, EJ would have a half dozen pro bowls to his credit) he still played at a relatively high level. Erin Henderson is a below average player who has over performed, he should be replaced, and five or six other defensive starters are below average ie. sub par and should be replaced.

by LoveHate on Jan 1, 2012 3:24 PM CST up reply actions

I'm not in favor of Singletary neither.

and I could be wrong….hopefully!
I don’t know if Singletary has ever been a DC before, so the Vikes could go another direction.

by chaosg on Dec 29, 2011 6:40 PM CST up reply actions

Singletary. Just no. Uh-uh. Nada. Never. Bad idea. Forget it.

Please dear god, make it never happen.

AWESOM-O is now initiating fart smell sequence.

by awesom.o on Dec 29, 2011 7:25 PM CST up reply actions

Jared is special...

…but I wouldn’t let that stop them from going to a 3-4 if they think that’s best. I imagine that Jared would be highly marketable after this season and his career to date. That could help fill in some of the pieces needed in a 3-4.

I wouldn’t be thrilled to see him go, but I also wouldn’t let a player get in the way of an organization shift if it were the right thing to do.

"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin

by kcskol on Dec 29, 2011 8:37 PM CST reply actions

Frazier would have to be let go as well, I think

he’s a guy who’s grown up with the 4-3. He clearly favors his tampa-2 defense, since he sticks to it even when its not working. I think the only way we end up switching to a 3-4 is during the next ‘era’ of coaching.

by REVENGE4KLUWE on Dec 30, 2011 11:09 AM CST up reply actions

Do we currently have any players that would work in a 3-4?

I don’t particularly like the results we’ve been getting coverage-wise in our current defense, but it seems rash to think about converting to a 3-4 now. Why not just drop this cover-2 nonsense and stick with a 4-3 instead?

by Bodysuit Man on Dec 29, 2011 9:09 PM CST reply actions

consistent problems

a) outside of EGriffen, we really don’t have any 3-4 players, so it would require a complete overhaul and defensive rebuild that would take at least 2 or 3 years to get up and running efficiently.

b) the Tampa-2 isn’t the problem — the problem is consistent with the question you posed to begin with. our personnel hasn’t bought into the system (i.e. Tyrell Johnson, who apparently feels he would be better served as a “ball hawk” in a non-Cover-2 system; also whoever had been deviating from the defensive play calls, who i suspect to be Cedric Griffin, etc)…

the advantage we have, at this point, is the overhaul we’re currently in the process of conducting on the defensive side of our roster. we can draft players who either fit to the system we want to run (Tampa-2), or find talented players who are willing and able to succeed in any system if allowed the chance to see the field (IMHO, Mistral Raymond is a good recent example — late rd pick who was given an opportunity and has capitalized on it).

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Dec 29, 2011 10:46 PM CST up reply actions

I think if they switch to the 3-4 then they should move Allen for probably a first

It is actually a perfect time to it too. His value will never be higher than it is now. It was higher when they Vikings traded for him but going forward it will not be. He will turn 30 before next season.

If the Vikings can get a first and a future conditional 4th then that would be an excellent return on investment. I could not ask for more than that reasonably.

In the 3-4 defense I see KWill & Ballard as the DEs and Ayodele as the NT. But they should look to improve on that by going after Aubrayo Franklin and via the draft like Hebron Fangupo. I could also see Guion as a DE too. The OLBs would be Griffen and Robison. The ILBs would be Greenway and Erin H (if they resign him) and Brinkley. They probably would add more backers in this case.

The secondary would need almost a complete overhaul which I think is going to happen no matter what defense they play. Luckily for the Vikings free agency will have plenty of players. The Vikings should be aggressive and overpay.

by MarkSP18 on Dec 30, 2011 2:57 PM CST reply actions

Agreed.

I don’t think they’re going to make the switch, but if they were going to, they’d almost certainly have to trade Jared Allen. And you’re right, his trade value will only go down from here. I’m not convinced Erin Henderson and Brian Robison could make the transition to a 3-4 very smoothly, and you’re right that we would need more depth at LB, and even DE. We’d have to upgrade the NT position, and on top of all that, we’d need to replace the secondary (which we are going to need to do anyway).

Seeing as how our coach is Leslie Frazier, a disciple of the 4-3, Cover 2 scheme, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

Ponder. Peterson. Percy. Purple Perfection.

by CCNorsemen on Dec 30, 2011 6:42 PM CST up reply actions