Jared Allen super defensive protecting his gal pal

Jared Allen, the Vikings' "Sax Machine," appears to be in love.

The defensive lineman was very protective of his girlfriend last week at the Mall of America. During a break in taping his weekly FOX Sports North segment and an autograph session at the Vikings Locker Room shop, Allen showed me his truly defensive side. He was agitated because his girl was upset that I was shooting video of her. I was actually shooting video of a woman who attracted my attention because she seemed to be following Allen, although she was hanging back from the crowd and FSN's Ann Carroll's crew shooting Allen being entertaining at Rybicki Cheese and LoveSac Life.

Allen gruffly ordered me to stop videotaping his girlfriend, calling my actions "just weird." As I identified myself as media in a public setting, Allen walked away, protectively putting his arm around her shoulder. At this point, I'm pretty sure Allen didn't recognize me, although he would later say that he knew who I was the whole time.

Moments later, we had an unexpected chat at the Locker Room. I thought Allen was on his way to greet yelling fans behind me when he approached. While feeling not in the least threatened by Allen, I couldn't resist making "Jaws" theme sounds at startribune.com/video.

"Hey," Allen said. "I didn't mean to kind of jump on you back there. Some people just aren't comfortable on camera." I told him I totally get that, although my well-known discomfort with being photographed never stops media from doing so. (On the video you'll see photographer Tony Nelson, who also shot Allen for Rebel Ink magazine, unable to resist capturing what he wrongly assumed was an unpleasant encounter.)

I even teased Allen by saying I was pleased to finally have footage of the woman with whom he's supposed to be seen. "And I am with her," he said, describing the woman as the "love of my life. You caught her off guard."

Given that too many professional athletes treat their relationships with women like another sport, I asked Allen whether he was as attentive to this woman's feelings when she wasn't around. "I'm a good man is what I am," Allen said. "That's all that matters."

Because he clearly likes this woman, all I could say was When's the wedding?

Allen evaded that one like he was pushing a lineman out of the way.

See, Allen's not nearly as crazy in real life as he acts on a football field, where he told ESPN: "God, I want to absolutely hurt the guy across from me." Allen doesn't like to go to bed angry, considering how he dealt with our skirmish. Our exchange ended before I thought to ask him if the girlfriend has one of his "Sax Machine" T-shirts.

Thank goodness, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and First Lady Mary Pawlenty walked by fashion designer Christian Siriano's Mall of America book signing.

Until then, the only mildly interesting aspect of this event was that there were, inexplicably, almost as many mall cops as members of the public on hand to see this "Project Runway" crybaby.

FOX9/FM107 personality Jason Matheson told me later that when he walked by, "There were 14 people there. They acted like he was Elvis! There wasn't that much security for the Backstreet Boys when they were hot."

Siriano was relegated to the Nordstrom court probably because the mall wasn't expecting a fierce turnout for the quote fashion designer unquote.

Although, Siriano loves to call attention to himself, he complained that I was shooting too much startribune.com/video of him. While hoping something interesting would transpire, I was collecting footage for a video montage of Siriano smoothing his hair, which is tragically LOOK AT ME, and adjusting his shirt. Maybe he needs a different shampoo and laundry detergent?

Bored with Siriano's act, I was leaving when I looked down from the second floor to see Minnesota's First Couple.

The guv humorously modeled the fashionable pants he bought at Fleet Farm and not in New York, he noted, while daring to be in the vicinity of the fashion twit. (Twit is my word, not the guv's). He also showed off a shirt stained "with last night's dinner" that I found more enthralling that Siriano. Pawlenty better enjoy walking around a mall with an unnoticeable security detail; presidents don't get to do that.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on FOX 9 Thursday mornings.