The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Vikings News

July 23, 2012

Vikings' Allen has wins on his wish list

By Shane Frederick The Free Press

— Jared Allen will report to training camp in Mankato later this week with a new defensive coordinator and a new position coach.

But the Minnesota Vikings defensive end doesn't expect much to change for him. Coming off a 22-sack season and missing the NFL's single-season record by a half-sack, why would he?

"It's always a personal goal (to get the record), and if I'm fortunate enough and blessed enough to break it one day, I'm going to try to break it again," Allen said during last month's minicamp at Winter Park.

"But personal goals never get in the way of team goals. Our ultimate goal is to win a championship, otherwise there's no point in playing the game."

In the offseason, the Vikings hired Alan Williams to run the defense and Brendan Daly as defensive line coach.

Williams and Vikings coach Leslie Frazier worked together on the defensive staff at Indianapolis. Williams came over from the Colts, where he was defensive backs coach, and replaced Fred Pagac, who has returned to linebackers coach with the Vikings.

Daly, who replaces Karl Dunbar, is starting his second stint in Minnesota, last working with the team from 2006 to 2008. He was with the St. Louis Rams for the last three years.

"(Daly is) very energetic and very out there," Allen said. "The philosophies are still the same, so it's not someone coming in here trying to teach me to be a spinner.

"It's not what I'm going to do. Our philosophies are the same, so that way it's going to mesh. And Diron (Reynolds, assistant defensive line coach) is still here, so we have some continuity in our room."

As for Williams, Allen said he communicated with him in the offseason and is still getting to know him. Likewise, Williams said he is still waiting to figure out how to tailor the defense around Allen and others, also mentioning Chris Cook and Chad Greenway.

"There will be a few wrinkles," Williams said. "I'm not going to tell everybody ... what those wrinkles will be. But my plan is to build a defense around the strength of our guys when I have fully figured what everybody does well."

Allen said he's excited to work with and learn from the new coaches.

"For me, the game of football is always evolving, so therefore I'm always trying to evolve and keep my craft at what I do within the set box of what I'm capable of doing."

Does that mean 23 sacks? Twenty-five? More?

"I don't know if two a game is possible," Allen said. "I think 25 is possible. Someone will eventually get it."

 

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