It’s hard to get the last word in on the loquacious Minnesota Vikings DE Jared Allen.

So when Allen was alerted Wednesday that Jacksonville Jaguars LT Eugene Monroe wasn't pleased that Allen had hit his QB, Blaine Gabbert, on a play in which Allen was later called offsides, Allen fired back.

"I don’t read the papers, so I don’t know what he said," Allen said. "He’s just an O-lineman whining about getting his quarterback hit and upset they lost the game. ... I ain’t got time for that. I’m not worried about them. You know what, they get a free play. First of all, I don’t think I was offsides, but [the ref] didn’t blow the whistle until after his guy got sacked. So, it happens.”

Big play Matt: RB Matt Asiata had two kickoff returns (for a total of 40 yards) on Sunday, as the Jaguars were trying to kick away from Percy Harvin. And none was bigger than the second one, which came on a kickoff with only 20 seconds to play in the game. He took it to the Vikings' 31-yard line to help set up the game-tying kick by Blair Walsh, which went through the uprights with no time remaining.

“We talked about [where we needed to get to for Walsh] because we knew we were going to have a shot,” special teams coach Mike Priefer said. “Especially after the return that Matt Asiata had -- to me, that might have been the play of the game -- to give us that little shot in the arm to say we might have a chance here [to win it].”

Many happy returns: Defensive coordinator Alan Williams spent 10 years in Indianapolis working with the defensive backs (along with coach Leslie Frazier in 2005-06), and Sunday’s game will be a homecoming for him.

"Ten years is the longest I've been anywhere in my life," Williams said. "It was 10 very good years at Indy. It'll be nice to go back and play in the RCA ... I was going to say RCA Dome. Lucas Oil ... I'm in trouble."

Goodell backs his players’ right to speak: Commissioner Roger Goodell backed the first amendment rights of his NFL players -- Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo and Vikings P Chris Kluwe -- in regards to their support of voting against the marriage amendment. Kluwe has been outspoken about issues in the past, both inside and outside of the league, so he especially appreciates Goodell’s support.

"I think it's great that Commissioner Goodell is backing our right to speak out on issues that are important to us ... and thank you for not fining me for the whiteboard stuff, and the ref stuff, and the bounty stuff, and anything else I did," Kluwe said in an email to the Pioneer Press.

AP supports his kicker: K Blair Walsh said that RB Adrian Peterson knocked his helmet sideways as Walsh jogged out onto the field to kick a game-tying field in the closing seconds. Peterson was trying to fire him up but didn’t realize he turned his helmet.

“I didn’t realize that,” said Peterson, laughing. “I didn’t know I hit him that hard. But I said to him, ‘I know you’re going to make this kick. You’re going to make this kick.’ I didn’t [think] for one second that he was going to miss it, and he went out there and did a great job and put us in position to win.”

Player updates: All the players were present for Thursday’s practice except for CB Antoine Winfield, who was absent to attend the funeral of his brother, who was murdered last week in Akron, Ohio. Coach Frazier expects Winfield back at practice on Friday.

C John Sullivan sat out practice with an ankle injury that has bothered him since the game on Sunday. Frazier said Sullivan was a little sore from yesterday’s practice and he was held out as a precautionary measure. Frazier expects him to be ready for practice on Friday and for the game on Sunday.

CB Chris Cook (biceps), S Andrew Sendejo (ankle) and WR Jarius Wright (ankle) were limited in practice on Thursday.

For more Vikings news and notes, follow Joe Oberle on Twitter @CBSVikings and @joeoberle.