Matter of fact, one of the best in the league.
Several of Greenard’s team-high 12 sacks last year happened in a blink – as did many of his 80 pressures, which ranked third in the league behind the 83 by Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson, per PFF – but none as sudden as the sack that reverberated on the video board at U.S. Bank Stadium in mid-December.
On a third-and-9 halfway through the first quarter against division foe Chicago, Greenard “got home” in 2.41 seconds. It counted as the eighth-quickest sack in the NFL last season, according to Next Gen Stats.
The Vikings leader off the ball also functions as a leader of men, if you will.
“He’s definitely a leader, a very vocal leader on the defensive side of the ball,” Turner added about Greenard. “He leads by example, leads by just looking out for the younger dudes. And also he just makes plays. … No matter how big his name is going around, he never gets too high (on himself). He just always works hard every day and just leads by example. He’s gonna let you know what you need to be better at, too, so me and him have a real good relationship.”
As for the 22-year-old, he discerned elements of both players’ finest qualities in his own wheelhouse.
“Physically, a little gifted,” Turner offered up unpretentiously. “And a high IQ for the game. I’m still learning going into Year 2, but I feel like being the youngest out of [the three], and including the younger guys in the (OLB) room, we could all just learn from J.G. and Gink’ – from both of their strengths and both of their weaknesses as well – and just see how they do their due diligence every single day.”