Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and other NFL players are enjoying themselves at the American Century Golf Championship this weekend in Lake Tahoe, Nev., but it won't be long before Allen is butting heads in practice with his team's mammoth new left tackle, No. 4 overall pick Matt Kalil.
Fitting the mood of a weekend in Tahoe, Allen – who led the NFL in sacks last season -- joked with "NBC SportsTalk" on Thursday about what might be in store for the rookie if he tries to make a name for himself at the expense of the four-time Pro Bowl selection.
"Just don't touch me, I'm too old to deal with that -- too old to deal with overzealous rookies right now," Allen said. "Keep your hands off my face at practice, don't grab my jersey, and we won't have a fist-fight. That's pretty much what it is."
On a more serious note, Allen assessed the Vikings' chances for improvement after a rough 2011 season. It's a far cry from a few years ago, when quarterback Brett Favre's presence in 2009 and 2010 raised expectations in Minnesota.
"I truly don't know what our expectations are, and that can actually be a good thing because there's no preconceived notion of where you have to get to," Allen said. "So you kind of just work your butt off, and everybody goes out there and lays it on the line, and everybody is working toward one common goal -- and that's to win each game. When you have Brett, the expectation goes through the roof that you're going to make it to the Super Bowl, so anything less than that is unsatisfactory. Coming off a 3-13 season, no one really expects us to do anything, so we can fly below the radar and really just focus on being a solid team and try to put win after win together."
