Playing next to greatness has advantages

Playing next to greatness has advantages
December 23
Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse
"The Vikings reached the playoffs for the first time in 1968. That was also the first season when the Purple People Eaters lined up on the defensive front for 14 consecutive games.

Alan Page, Carl Eller and Jim Marshall were voted to the Western Conference's Pro Bowl squad. Gary Larsen stayed home.

"Yes, but I got to go with them the next year," Larsen said. "It was the first time that four defensive linemen from the same team made it to the Pro Bowl."

There was an addendum to the 1969 Pro Bowl: Page, Eller and Marshall were starters for the West; Larsen was a backup.

Larsen was a backup in the Pro Bowl again in 1970, this time with Page and Eller as starters. Marshall stayed home after that season.

"I broke into the league with the Rams in 1964," Larsen said. "I was the only reserve lineman behind the original Fearsome Foursome: Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy."

Larsen came from Moorhead, Minn. He went to Concordia College for a season, dropped out and served three years in the Marines. He met and married his wife, Wende, while stationed at the El Toro Marine air base in southern California.

He came back to Concordia as a mature ex-Marine. Any attempt to put together an all-time MIAC football team starts with the Cobbers' Gary Larsen on the line.

The Rams drafted Larsen in the 10th round. He became familiar with greatness with the Fearsome Foursome, and then became part of it with the Purple People Eaters.

Page, Eller, Marshall and Larsen started every game together from 1968 through 1973. And they were always referred to in that manner -- with Larsen as the last name in the firm.

Now, 40 years after the Purple People Eaters were first established, the Vikings have three defensive linemen voted to the NFC's Pro Bowl team: end Jared Allen and tackles Kevin and Pat Williams.

That puts Ray Edwards in the same company as Larsen after the 1968 season: left-out lineman.

Edwards was in his second season with the Vikings in 2007 and started 11 games. It would have been more, but he was suspended for the final four games for violating the NFL's steroids policy.

The Vikings brought in Allen -- the NFL's most fierce pass rusher from the right side -- in a trade with Kansas City. This sent Edwards to the left side to replace Kenechi Udeze, missing this season after being diagnosed with leukemia.

The loquacious Allen is a one-man publicity machine, but Edwards managed to get a headline by predicting he was the guy to break Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record of 22 1/2 in 2001.

"It ain't nothing that, 'I'm going to say this to get attention,'" Edwards said. "That's what my plan is. That's one of my goals -- to make history."

The prediction turned comedic early in the season. He didn't get a sack until Game 6 with Detroit, and that was a half-sack. He was blanked again the next week in the 48-41 loss in Chicago.

Then, Houston
Link