Minnesota Vikings DE Jared Allen does not blame "bounty scandal" for loss against New Orleans Saints in 2009
In 2009 Minnesota Vikings reached the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game and were just one step away from competing in the Super Bowl.
They faced a charged New Orleans Saints team in the championship game.
It was quarterback, Brett Favre’s final opportunity for another glory as he entered the twilight of his career. However, the quarterback was hit mercilessly by the Saints defensive unit mentored by defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams and the hits resulted
in an ankle injury for the veteran quarterback.
The Saints won the game 31-28 and went on to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl rings.
That victory though has now been marred by the revelation that the Saints ran a bounty program in their defensive unit and specifically targeted Favre in the championship game.
That revelation has had Vikings fans up in arms over what they believe was a victory stolen from them by the Saints who delivered some of the dirtiest hits on Favre to knock him out of the game.
Defensive end, Jared Allen was also on the Vikings team that lost against the Saints though believes that even though New Orleans made bad hits on his quarterback they lost the game due to their own mistakes.
Speaking in a radio interview Allen said.
"Yeah, that high-low was pretty vicious, but here's the deal. I think what people get caught up in -- and obviously the Saints were wrong in what they did and they're being punished accordingly -- but the way I look at it, you can't cry over spilled milk.
They won the game, we had our shots and we blew it. But their 'bounty'-gate had nothing to do with our five turnovers."
That is not how most Vikings fans feel as they still struggle to get over the fact that New Orleans used bounties to help them to victory.
Allen also added that he was shocked when he heard Gregg Williams audio tape which was recently released by filmmaker, Sean Pamphilon.
He also commented on the strict punishments handed to the Saints over the bounty scandal.
“I think they had to act this strictly to put the integrity back in the game.”
The Saints have been heavily punished by the league for running the bounty programme but that is small consolation for Vikings fans who continue to wait for the day when their franchise will lift the Lombardi Trophy.
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