The difference of opinion between Jared Allen and Leslie Frazier over playing time philosophy is, well, amusing. And even the fact that Allen claims he wasn't told about a "hockey-style" mentality of rotating players in, while Frazier insists Allen was told multiple times, is amusing to us. From Frazier on Thursday: "Believe me, we've talked about this a number of times. So contrary to what Mr. Allen had to say, we've talked about this subject. We're going to try to keep our guys fresh. We want him fresh. He knows. We talked about it even this morning."
But we will say this: Allen is right about being on the field as much as possible. Guys obviously need a break sometimes, and Allen acknowledges that. But a break for the sake of a break -- or to preserve someone's energy for some mythical play in the fourth quarter? Not buying it. Allen was on the field for nearly 95 percent of defensive snaps last season, and he had 22 sacks. He should be the one to decide when he needs a break. We're not talking about a medical staff being understandably cautious when it comes to something like Adrian Peterson's itch to get on the field.
Of course, all of this could just be a plan that sounds good on paper but gets harder in the heat of battle. As Frazier also said, "We always go into it every season talking about we're going to try to cut his reps down. And then lo-and-behold, it doesn't always work that way."
Your thoughts on the subject as you somehow realize the first preseason game for the Vikings is exactly a week away.
