Show him the money, and Vikings' Griffen pays off

If Everson Griffen gets another sack Sunday, keep an eye on the Vikings sideline.

While Griffen does his celebratory sack dance in the middle of the field, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who claims to know a flashy dance step or two, will be there on the sideline, unsuccessfully trying to mimic Griffen's every move.

Griffen's signature "Sack Daddy" dance is a combination of "Riverdance" and something out of WWE. The muscle-bound defensive end gracefully slides to his left, then back to the right. After a clap and a couple of quick bunny hops, he flexes at the crowd.

"Every time he [does it], I try to copy it," Patterson said. "But it [doesn't turn] out too good."

Given how often Griffen has gotten to the quarterback in recent weeks, you would figure Patterson would have that dance down by now.

A starter for the first time in his fifth NFL season, Griffen is finally getting his opportunity to shimmy his way out of Jared Allen's sizable shadow. After getting the thumbs up from new head coach Mike Zimmer after he was hired, the organization bet big on Griffen, signing him to a five-year, $42.5 million contract even though he had started only one game in his career.

The returns are early, but Griffen is rewarding the Vikings for their investment. He has performed his sack dance in three consecutive games. And with a career-high three sacks during Sunday's 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Griffen has surged to second in the league with seven.

It wasn't easy for Griffen, a fourth-round pick from USC in 2010, to remain patient as he backed up Allen, who this season could crash into the top 10 of the NFL's career sack list, and fellow defensive end Brian Robison, who is a pretty good pass rusher in his own right. Even today, Griffen, who is as hyper as they come, isn't quite sure how he was able to sit still for so long.

The Vikings tried to keep him busy as a backup, subbing him in as a pass-rushing specialist who could play with both speed and power while rushing from any spot along the defensive line. That important situational role allowed Griffen to record 17½ sacks in his first four seasons, including a career-high eight two seasons ago.

But after watching film of the Vikings when he arrived in January, Zimmer saw enough to conclude that Griffen was not only a one-trick pony who could only race after the quarterback. He saw a player who could set the edge against the run, too, and Griffen has done just that.

"Everson, since the day that we walked in, he's kind of been excited about this regime defensively a little bit, about how he can go from just being an athlete to being a football player," Zimmer said. "He's been very, very diligent about buying into what we're preaching, and it's not just about running up the field and sacking the quarterbacks."

Griffen said it was more than the money that convinced him to stay in Minnesota. He felt Zimmer and his experienced coaching staff, which includes veteran defensive line coach Andre Patterson, would give him the best opportunity to reach his potential.

Griffen saw Patterson had coached Pro Bowl pass rushers such as John Randle, Chris Doleman and Elvis Dumervil and has since tried to soak up as much knowledge as he can. Griffen often pops into Patterson's office and the 26-year-old keeps Patterson's phone buzzing throughout the evening with questions and observations from film study.

"He's locked in during the meetings. He's locked in on the field. And he wants to do things right," Patterson said.

It has certainly showed up on the stat sheet. Griffen has 5½ sacks more than Allen, whom the Vikings allowed to sign with the rival Chicago Bears after they decided to commit to Griffen. And with Griffen often finishing off plays created by teammates such as Robison and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, the Vikings have climbed to sixth in the NFL with 20 sacks.

In the process, Griffen has quieted some of the critics who questioned his big contract.

"That's what this whole thing is about, proving people wrong," he said. "But I'm not done proving people wrong. I want to earn the respect of players around the league and just go out there and dominate. I know what I'm capable of with the help of my teammates."

Maybe then he will get to show off the "Sack Daddy" to any quarterbacks who haven't seen it already.

"I'm going to keep on using it until the wheels fall off," Griffen said with a smile.