The season may be long over for the Minnesota Vikings, but Jared Allen is still making an impact for his team.
Allen, who set a franchise standard with 22 sacks for the Vikings, was named the Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year the magazine reported Wednesday.
"Jared Allen is a motor guy who just goes and goes and goes and goes. He's a guy who you can't ever not account for-even when the play looks like it's done. You have to always get help on him. He's just a slippery defensive end, which makes him dangerous to every quarterback," Bears fullback Tyler Clutts told sportingnews.com.
Allen, who came within a half-sack of breaking Michael Strahan's all-time mark for the Giants, edged DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys by just two votes.
Ware, a linebacker, had 58 tackles and 19.5 sacks this past season for the Vikings, who struggled to a 3-13 mark.
Sporting News polled 632 NFL players, coaches and executives for its honors.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was selected the magazine's Rookie of the Year on Monday, while Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress was named Comeback player of the year on Tuesday.
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