Atlanta Falcons: Ricardo Allen is doing everything the right way
Atlanta Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen is showing everyone why he deserves to be starting.
The Atlanta Falcons are going to have one of the NFL’s youngest defenses in 2016. And they very well could be the leagues’ No. 1 youngest when final rosters are set, so that is something that you shouldn’t take lightly.
Having youth is always good. It’s much better to have the league’s youngest defense rather than the league’s oldest but there are definitely some cons when it comes to youth.
Having a lot of young players means that they don’t have the experience needed to succeed at the highest level. It’s rare that a first or second-year player steps right in and puts on a show but Falcons’ free safety Ricardo Allen did just that in 2015.
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Sure, he didn’t have a pro bowl caliber season as a first-year starter, but what he was able to accomplish shouldn’t be taken for granted. Allen worked extremely hard to transform himself into a safety after starting his career out as a cornerback and gave everything he had on the field.
Allen led the team in interceptions (3) and finished with a very respectful 69 tackles, five pass deflections and forced a fumble. One of Allen’s three interceptions came on week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles in the closing seconds on Monday Night Football to end the game.
Allen is making the best of his career after failing to make the team as a rookie. Allen was cut and signed to the practice squad but was given the chance to play free safety by Dan Quinn.
We have no idea how many hours Allen spent learning everything there is to know about the free safety position, and all the time he spent in the gym to prepare, but what we do know is that his hard work paid off.
And on a defense that is full of projected first and second-year starters, having a guy with the work ethic of Allen is huge.
Allen has already taken rookie strong safety Keanu Neal under his wing and that has team moral at an all-time high. Allen pulled Neal aside on day one and let him know that he was going to help him with anything he needed.
Allen still has a lot to learn about how to play in the NFL. But if anyone on this Falcons’ defense is going to put in the time and effort that it takes to succeed, its Allen.
Next: Top 10 moments from Falcons' 2015 season
This might be an extremely young defense, but with guys like Allen on it, age is just a number. It’s the metal age that wins you football games.