Allen, Kalil forming 'working partnership'
MANKATO, Minn. — Quarterbacks, receivers, explosive playmakers such as Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin; those are players that usually draw the eyeballs of fans in the early going at training camp. Fans also want to see how first-round picks look in their first training camp, but when that first-rounder is an offensive lineman, the attention is often elsewhere.
But Matt Kalil is hard to miss in his first camp with the Minnesota Vikings, standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 308 pounds. His matchups with All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen are must-see events, especially Monday when the Vikings had their first practice in pads and helmets. Other than quarterback Christian Ponder assuming the role as starter and Peterson working his way back from knee surgery, the training camp battles between Allen, the defensive end who missed the league record for sacks last season by just a half-sack, and the No. 4 overall pick Kalil offer a bit of intrigue in training camp for Minnesota.
Ponder, who's backside is being protected by Kalil, is certainly keeping an eye on the matchup.
"First day in pads against Jared Allen I thought went really well," Ponder said. "Coach (Leslie) Frazier called a questionable sack there at the end that Jared had, but (Kalil) looks good and he looks good in helmets without shoulder pads. But when we put on shoulder pads today, he's a specimen."
Which is one reason eyes are drawn to the hulking Kalil and the popular Allen.
Allen, who had 22 sacks last season, is the veteran in his ninth training camp. Kalil, while a top pick and immediately penciled in as the starter at left tackle, is the rookie still trying to prove his worth. When the pads are on in the warm weather of training camp, intensity can be ratcheted up a notch. Allen joked while speaking with NBC SportsTalk before training camp opened, saying, "Keep your hands out of my face, don't grab my jersey and we won't have to fistfight."
Allen's early warning was more in jest. He isn't here to get into a personal battle. He understands Kalil's development is important to getting him his eventual goal of winning a championship.
"I don't know why everybody thinks it's an internal competition," Allen said. "I need him to be the best player that he can be so I can win a championship. Everybody on this team has to play at the highest level. I wish we could have 22 All-Pros. Our chance of winning a championship will go up. That's why I said for him the competition doesn't come from who's beating who. It's a working competition. It's a working partnership to where I'm going to help him get better and he's going to help me get better."
And aside from the "questionable" sack on Monday, Kalil has held his own against perhaps the top pass rusher in the league, demonstrating exactly why the Vikings made him their top focus in the draft. Minnesota allowed 49 sacks last season, the fifth-most in the NFL. The Vikings believe they've upgraded two spots on the offensive line by picking the big tackle out of USC. Charlie Johnson slid to left guard to make room for Kalil, who was an All-American in his two years as a starter for the Trojans.
For his part, Kalil isn't getting into personal competitions either. He knows he has the perfect training partner in Allen.
"He's a great player," Kalil said. "I'm going to learn a lot from him. It's exciting to keep going up against him every day…He's definitely going to help me out, maybe give me a glimpse of what I'm going to face in games. Maybe not as good a talent, because when it comes to Jared Allen, he's as good as it gets. But I'll feel more at ease going into games and be more prepared."
So, the two engage in a daily show for the fans, with the intent on making each other better. Allen knows the two can help each other, especially if Kalil is as good as advertised.
"Again, my goal isn't to beat Matt Kalil," Allen said. "Me beating him and touching Christian on the butt 16 times doesn't do anything for us, you know what I mean? I approach training camp the same way. Each day I have something fundamentally that I want to get better at that I have to prepare myself for the season. If I can help him with tips, like ‘Hey, man, don't do this or don't do that.' That's what it's all about, trying to get each other better. I don't have a direct competition with him.
"As long as he doesn't punch me in the face and grab my jersey when I'm coming around the edge I'll be fine."
Just a word of warning to the rookie.
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