When he was five, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen had his tonsils removed. Since then, he has undergone zero surgical procedures, despite a lifetime of playing football.
That’ll change, eventually. Now that Minnesota’s season has ended with a one-and-done playoff appearance, Allen will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.
“It’s not good,” Allen said after last night’s game, via Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com. “My inside game wasn’t as good as I would have liked for it to have been just because I really didn’t have as much power in my hump. . . . But you fight through it and you’re never fully healthy. I’ll get it cleaned up.”
He plans to delay the surgery until after an upcoming trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. Some may wonder whether Allen should risk aggravating the condition. But given the level of intensity displayed during the game, he’d probably be putting the thing at greater risk by trying to kill a horsefly with a rolled-up newspaper.