To play, or not to...

Vikings coach Brad Childress said Tuesday that he planned to have starting quarterback Brad Johnson play the entire first half. Presumably, then, the rest of the starters also will play a half.
That is an interesting decision, given the physical and demanding preseason the Vikings players have already endured. There is no right or wrong way to handle the preseason. But informal chats with league sources and other writers indicate that the Vikings will play their key players longer than most of the other clubs.
Why is Childress playing his starters through the first half? Perhaps because he has installed a new offense and defense. Perhaps to fine-tune the communication from the booth to sideline, and from coaches to players. Childress himself says it's because there will be 11 days between the Vikings' final preseason game and their regular-season opener.
Regardless, Childress potentially opens himself up to a major preseason finale disaster if his key players are out there too long and someone suffers an injury.
Fair or not, that's always an issue for the unfortunate teams that endure the loss of a starter in the final tuneup before the regular season.
We will find out soon enough.