Let's get physical

After getting Sunday off, the Vikings went through their hour-long morning walk-through at Blakeslee Stadium on Monday. But this afternoon, the pads finally go on.

"It will be good to see where we're at," defensive end Jared Allen said after the walk-through. "Pads are a necessary evil. You gotta get you body used to that kind of contact, and you get to see the young guys and where their technique is at. It's a very good evaluation tool."

Head coach Leslie Frazier said Monday afternoon's practice will feature a lot of contact between the offensive and defensive lines, but the backs and receivers won't be tackled to the ground. Expect more intense, "live" situations to take place on Tuesday.

"We're all excited to play football the way we play on Sundays," Frazier said. "It will give us a better chance to evaluate our players as well."

Frazier said Tuesday's full-pad practice will include work on red-zone and third-down situations, "both are critical areas we want to improve on."

Allen, meanwhile, said he feels healthier than he's been in two years, thanks to surgery on the left shoulder that bothered him last season. He said he tested the shoulder in the offseason, swimming and lifting weights, and planned to arrive in Mankato with no "excuses or limitations."

"I feel great," he said. "I feel young. I feel in shape."

Meanwhile, today's Free Press has a story on tight end Kyle Rudolph, whom the Vikings hope will take another big step in his third season, just as he did in his second.