Little piece on Jason Allen and how he has added speed to his game by eliminating second guessing himself and playing with more confidence. http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/SPORTS/807250332/1002/SPORTS
Nice read, thanks for the link. Jason Allen needs to step it up huge this year, and he has all the tools to do that. I feel with the new coaching and him knowing where he's playing, and being able to just play instead of standing around second guessing himself, JA should have a great year and we'll finally see the results we expected when we took him in the first round.
God i hope that is right and that he plays like that. It would be a huge boost to our secondary if was able to start playing with some confidence in his abilities.
For some reason I tend to coddle our draft picks, just hoping they work out, and defending them furiously on these forums. It worked with Vernon, it worked for half a year last year with Brown (after two games remember all the chants of "BUST!"). I still got Roth, Crowder, and Allen on the agenda! But Jason showed us last year, he can make plays. Keep him in a consistent position, put him on the field, and he's going to make plays. Remember, he's been yanked around like 4 times since he's started (from S to CB/S, then just S, to CB, back to S) in two years. That's crazy. And if takes time to develop rookies, imagine if they've been yanked 4 times with 3 systems.
His athleticism and tackling ability will see him accumulating a lot of tackles and getting his hands on a lot of balls, if you simplify the system a bit. He could definitely end up with Brock Marion type production.
This is the best part.... Exactly right. That, plus the simplified scheme, less thinking, and two years of NFL experience mean we have a great Free Safety in Jason Allen. I'm convinced this is his breakout year.
Man...I hope it is his break out year. What a boost the secondary would get if he produces like we thought he could when he got drafted.
Man I hope he breaks out this year. Always known he has the physical ability. Its just a matter of using all that ability.
Id love to see this be a breakout year for him. Such high expectations for him. He showed glimpses of being a special player last year, so hopefully he can build on that and have a great season this year. We need him to. We need all the help in the defensive backfield we can get.
It would be great to have big years from both Bell and Allen at the safety spots, that would go a long way to helping our defense. Having a guy like Allen coming over the top on a guy like Moss will really help the CBs, with both allen and bell providing strong run support as well.
He started steping up at the end of the year last yaer and I hope he can carry it over to this year and get better there is no reason he can not be a probowler
I think if he is taught well and they give him an entire season at safety, he'll be a very solid player. It will also help if Jeremiah Bell can come in at full speed and stay healthy. The more continuity and consistency you have with your own PT and the players around you - the better chance you have to play effectively. I hope the best for him.
I think that is very accurate. Those two playing to their potentials, and all season will only help the young guys up front gel and become productive. It also allows different blitz packages..
This might be diplomatic, but I don't think it is flattering. I haver to wonder what the ... is. I have felt all along he was stunted by bad management of his positional developement. He is a hitter and with the speed can close quickly once the decision is made. I look for an exciting year from him.
Well...if the coaches could wring pro bowls out of Roy (S) Williams and he couldn't cover a statue, then I have hope for Jason Allen, especially with Todd Bowles coaching him, that guy can squeeze the blood out of a talentless turnip. The thing about Jason Allen is, you have to live with his mistakes, and amplify his good plays because athletically, he is step for step with Randy Moss, professionally he pretty much will be a first year starting safety in the NFL.
i think he's in a tough spot. not physical enough to be a safety, not quick enough to be a corner. hope im wrong, we desperately need him to be good.
A REALLY good read, I even bookmarked it. I'm very happy to hear that Jason Allen has confidence in his play and feels that he should prove all doubters wrong. One thing I was most happy to read that he was a Safety. Its about damn time we have him settle on one position and learn.
He is just too athletic to not be a decent safety. When he wasn't second guessing things at UT he led the team in tackles. He'll be fine.
Oh my goodness, I think the exact opposite. He is plenty quick to play corner and a great, physical hitter at safety. His problems come from other sources, imo. I feel his lack of processing power upstairs hurt his reaction time and assignments at safety (especially when he had to make defensive calls), and that at cornerback his technique never got developed because the kept bouncing him back and forth to safety so he relied mainly on his speed instead (which can only help so much if you are totally in the wrong place). Overall, though, he seems a natural safety and plays better with everything in front of him, taking an angle and SMACKING someone or picking the ball off. Bpk
Seth, gotta disagree bro.. I think Jason is a fierce hitter, who is plenty big and strong enough to play safety. If I recall, one of the intial worries about him was his willingness to lay on the leather, and thus endanger his own health. finsane.. yea, I was alluding to that.. after I watched the first presser with Jason, I came away shaking my head.. he came off as a ten watt bulb in a hundred watt box..
I think thats been Jason's major problem, its not his physical ability, its the fact that he cant read offenses and cant learn his team's defensive schemes. I dont think he even picks up the basics, like where to line up, whether or not to cover TEs, #3 and #4 receivers, ect.
JMO, but I think he is one of the players most effected by the coaching carousel Miami has been going through. With a simplified defensive scheme and better coaching he may break out and fulfill everybodies expectations. Well maybe not everybody but most everybody. If he and Bell play well and stay healthy it will eliminate one postion we don't have to address in the draft next year and beyond.
