GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2007 (16/5), 2008 (15/0, 1/1), 2009 (16/0, 2/0), 2010 (16/2), 2011 (16/16). Total- 79/23, 3/1.
- Notched career-best 8.0 sacks in 2011 in his 1st season as a full-time starter and helped team notch 50 sacks to lead NFL.
- All-Rookie honoree in 2007, ranked 3rd among NFL rookies with 4.5 sacks.
- Exceptional UT athlete was a full-time starter his final 3 seasons in football and was NCAA runner-up in the shot put.
OFF THE FIELD Majored in liberal arts at Texas...Father played collegiate football on the Ranger (TX) Junior College team that won a national title...Wife, Jayme Miller, is an accomplished rodeo barrel racer...Couple had their first child in winter 2012...Competed in shot put during 2009 offseason, re-kindling his track and field skills as an unattached thrower.
HONORS 2007 Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team.
GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2007 (16/5), 2008 (15/0, 1/1), 2009 (16/0, 2/0), 2010 (16/2), 2011 (16/16). Total- 79/23, 3/1.
- Notched career-best 8.0 sacks in 2011 in his 1st season as a full-time starter and helped team notch 50 sacks to lead NFL.
- All-Rookie honoree in 2007, ranked 3rd among NFL rookies with 4.5 sacks.
- Exceptional UT athlete was a full-time starter his final 3 seasons in football and was NCAA runner-up in the shot put.
OFF THE FIELD Majored in liberal arts at Texas...Father played collegiate football on the Ranger (TX) Junior College team that won a national title...Wife, Jayme Miller, is an accomplished rodeo barrel racer...Couple had their first child in winter 2012...Competed in shot put during 2009 offseason, re-kindling his track and field skills as an unattached thrower.
HONORS 2007 Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team.
PRO Stepped into full-time starters job at LDE opposite Jared Allen for 2011...Helped Vikings amass 50 sacks to tie for the NFL lead and part of defensive line that produced Allen’s Vikings-record and NFL-leading 22.0 sacks...Vikings 50 sacks in 2011 ranks 3rd in team history...Signed contract extension in 2011 off-season...Productive player who provides quality depth along the Vikings star-studded defensive line...Notched sacks in 3 of the final 4 regular season games in 2009...Was the last Viking to sack Packers QB Brett Favre.
2011 Took over at full-time starter at LDE, opening all 16 games...Posted career-best 8.0 sacks, ranking 2nd on team...Helped Vikings tie for NFL lead with 50 sacks as a team, the 3rd-most in Vikings history...Part of line that produced 40.5 of the 50 team sacks...Started opposite Jared Allen at RDE who set the Vikings single-season record with 22.0 sacks and led the NFL...Ranked 2nd on team with 40 QB hurries, trailing Allen’s 45...Started season fast with 4.5 sacks in the opening 5 games...Tied career-high with 2.0 sacks vs. Detroit (9/25) and Arizona (10/9)...Had a forced fumble in each of the final 2 games.
2010 Helped Vikings defense rank #8 in the NFL, the 3rd straight season with a top-10 ranking in the League...Started a pair of games at LDE in place of Ray Edwards, vs. Buffalo (12/5) and vs. NY Giants (12/13)...Saw action in all 16 games...Notched 1st sack of season when he caught Shuan Hill vs. Detroit (9/26)...Recovered a pair of fumbles vs. Buffalo (12/5) to go along with 4 tackles, 3 QB hurries and a pass defensed in win over Bills...Replaced Edwards in the 2nd half of game at Washington (11/28) where he notched a sack of Donovan McNabb and added 3 QB hurries in the win.
2009 Tied career-best with 4.5 sacks on the season...Posted sacks in 3 of the final 4 regular season games...Played in all 16 games and both playoff contests...Ranked 4th on team with 13 QB hurries...Had 1.5 of the Vikings 8.0 sacks against Green Bay (10/5), which was 1 sack shy of the Vikings team record in a game...Posted 3 tackles at Arizona (12/6).
2008 Saw action in 15 of the 16 regular season games as All-Pro DE Jared Allen’s primary backup…Had a team-best 7 QB hurries in the Wild Card Playoffs vs. Philadelphia (1/4/09), also registering 2 solo tackles, and a tackle for a loss…Started Wild Card game in place of injured Ray Edwards, his lone start of the season...Notched his 2nd sack and 1st forced fumble of the year when he knocked the ball free from Kurt Warner at Arizona (12/14)…Saw extensive action vs. NY Giants (12/28) and posted career-high 7 tackles...Sat out at Detroit (12/7) with knee injury, the 1st game of his NFL career he has missed.
2007 Earned spot on Pro Football Weekly’s All-Rookie Team and started 5 games...Opened the final 4 straight games at RDE and started 1st career game at Detroit (9/16) at LDE...Ranked 3rd in the NFL for sacks among rookies with 4.5...Burst onto the scene with 2.0 sacks in the regular season opener vs. Atlanta (9/9)...Sacked Packers QB Brett Favre (9/30) on the day he broke the NFL TD passes record.
COLLEGE His 6 career blocked kicks set a UT record and his 4 blocks in 2003 tied a single-season record...2006 NCAA runner-up in shot put as a junior and won Big 12 shot put title in 2005 and 2006...Won Big 12 shot and discus titles in 2006...Holds the school record in the shot put at 68-4.25 and ranks 3rd in UT history with a discus mark of 195-10...Helped Longhorns win 2005 national championship with Rose Bowl win over USC...Earned consensus 2nd-Team All-Big 12 honors as a junior in 2005.
PREP All-State in football and track at Splendora (TX) High...Won Class 3A discus title as a junior and senior and shot title as a senior...Had best throws in all Texas classes as a senior at 215-2 in the discus and 66-2 in the shot...Had #40 jersey retired at Splendora High in 2004.
