Allen Proves Vikings Didn’t Misplace Confidence : Minnesota: Running back’s performance is testimony to coach’s decision to do without Herschel Walker.
ANAHEIM — It was the kind of performance Minnesota fans were expecting from the running back in the Vikings’ one-back attack.
Only the running back was supposed to be Herschel Walker.
But Walker is gone--and darn near forgotten--thanks to Terry Allen, a ninth-round pick who was the 34th running back taken in the 1990 draft. Allen didn’t play during his rookie year because of a knee injury and gained 563 yards in part-time duty last year. But he was impressive enough to convince first-year Coach Dennis Green that the Vikings could do without the malcontent Walker.
“We’ve always liked Terry and when Herschel said he didn’t want to be here, that really did it,†Green said. “This isn’t going to be a team that does anything with players who don’t want to be here. And we were totally confident about Terry Allen.â€
Nobody is doubting Green’s judgment these days. With Walker carrying the offensive load, the Vikings were 6-6 at this point last year. With Allen in there, they are 9-3 and one victory away from the NFC Central Division title.
And Allen has been everything you could ask for in a one-back back. He came into Sunday’s game at Anaheim Stadium ranked eighth in the conference in rushing yardage (720), seventh in total yards from scrimmage (1,023) and sixth in touchdowns (eighth).
After Sunday’s game, he’s racing up those charts with a bullet.
He carried the ball 23 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns and caught a career-high 10 passes for 110 yards and another touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, Allen had outscored the entire Ram team, 18-10.
“Terry not only ran the ball well, he had some nice pass patterns catching the ball out of the backfield,†Green said. “He’s on target to get 1,000 yards rushing, something we think is important for the identity of our offense.â€
With running back Roger Craig (knee) on injured reserve, leading receiver Cris Carter out three to six weeks because of a broken collarbone suffered Sunday and a new quarterback (Sean Salisbury) behind center, Allen’s role figures to become even more prominent as Minnesota makes its push for playoff success.
It’s hard to imagine an increased workload for Allen, who slumped into a chair in front of his locker after Sunday’s game and admitted he was “flat-out exhausted, man.â€
Little wonder. Consider the Vikings’ first possession:
* Salisbury passes three yards to Anthony Carter.
* Allen runs off left guard for eight yards.
* Allen hits the center of the line and loses a yard.
* Allen goes up the middle again for two yards.
* Salisbury passes to Steve Jordan for 27.
* Allen runs off right guard for one yard.
* Salisbury throws an incomplete pass.
* Salisbury throws a screen pass to Allen, who cuts back across the grain and weaves 28 yards through the Ram secondary.
* Allen goes over left guard for one yard and a touchdown.
That pretty much set the tone. By halftime, Allen had been given the ball 17 times--either by handoff or via the pass--and he had 123 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
“I don’t know if you can compare him to (Dallas running back) Emmitt Smith, but he sure had a lot of Emmitt Smith-type runs today,†Ram tackle Marc Boutte said.
In fact, Allen did more damage to the Rams when he turned a number of short passes into big gains.
“I caught more passes today than I did in four years of college,†Allen said, beaming.
Allen, who left Clemson as the school’s second leading rusher with 2,778 yards, had only six catches for 49 yards last season. This year, however, he’s second on the team in receiving with 41 catches for 413 yards.
“I want to get 1,000 yards rushing, but mostly for the offensive line because they really do a good job and they haven’t had a 1,000-yard back in a long time,†Allen said.
“But I just want to do whatever they want me to do. If they want to throw the ball to me, that’s great. I kind of like the receiving yards better because I’ve never really done it much. It’s something new for me, and I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.â€
Actually, it’s all pretty new for Allen. About a year ago, he was daydreaming about Sunday afternoons such as this one and wondering about his future with the Vikings. Now, he’s become the key player in their offense, the man Green says is “the one player we know we can go to.â€
“I’ve always wanted to have a day like this, but you never can tell,†Allen said. “The club has to do what is best for the club, from a business standpoint, and you just never really can tell. I didn’t know if Herschel was still going to be here or if I was going to be here, for that matter.
“When they let Herschel go, it was a compliment to me, I guess. But Herschel’s a great back and he’s got some good football left in him and it very easily could have come for this team. I’m just grateful to get the opportunity.â€
A lot of guys get a chance, but few take the ball and run with it the way Allen has.
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