The Facts: NFL players aren’t contractually required to take part in any offseason work other than a minicamp in June, which is Allen had been working out in Arizona rather than Indianapolis the last few weeks. That changed this week, however. Allen is back with the Colts after receiving a text message from HC Chuck Pagano last weekend. “We need you here,” Pagano wrote. “Period.”
Diehards Line:Allen was in Arizona working on ways to cut down on the lower-body injuries that have plagued him through his first three seasons in the NFL. Allen has missed 20 games because of them and said his trip to Arizona was designed to help him “serve this team in a better way.” As Profootballtalk.com suggested, staying healthy would also be good for Allen personally as he tries to make the Colts pay up to keep him beyond the fourth and final year of his current contract. Still, Allen was back in town a few days later. "I knew coach was serious," he said Wednesday. ... Teams can’t force players to attend the workouts and they aren’t allowed to punish players for not attending, but it’s hard to blame Allen if he felt like Pagano’s missive carried more weight than just a friendly note that the team wanted to have him around this month. “I felt bad about it,” Allen said. “I always want to be around the guys, and especially with the new additions, help them understand the culture of this locker room and where we believe we’re going. That’s where coach was coming from. He needs me here for that.” And now he has him.