Early in the first quarter of the Vikings-Jaguars game, DE Jared Allen was called for jumping offsides on a play in which he sacked Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert. Allen came in untouched and took quite a hit on the second-year quarterback, which the Jaguars players didn’t appreciate.
“They should have stopped the play," LT Eugene Monroe, who was blocking on the play, said to the Florida Times-Union . "That just shouldn't happen. He knows better than to hit the quarterback in that situation ... That didn't start his day off with me on a good note."
Gabbert, who took the shot from Allen, agreed:
“I think the whole team had a problem with it," Gabbert said.
Watching a replay of the play, Allen got a great jump, and the CBS announcers broadcasting the game, Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots, thought it was very close call as to whether or not he was offsides. Wilcots thought Allen was moving right on the snap of the ball.
Naturally, the play was viewed differently in the Minnesota locker room than it was Jacksonville's.
“Watching it, it looked close,” said Allen after watching game film on Monday. “I don’t know. If I had the same line judges that I am used to having maybe giving me the benefit of the doubt.
“The worst part was that he (Monroe) was so late, that it made it look worse than it was. But after watching it on film, it was close. It was pretty much--I thought it was right on it. So I just got to make (it) up by grabbing a couple more (sacks)—they took that one away from me.”
Allen could have used the tackle. For the record, the Jaguars offense kept him off the stats sheet completely.
For more Vikings news and notes, follow Joe Oberle on Twitter @CBSVikings.
