S Will Allen (Official Thread)

[Buckskin86]

Will Allen Says Browns Still a Rival, Confident in Batch- Cleveland radio

 

[Buckskin86]

Reliable Allen fills big shoes at safety for Steelers
November 24, 2012
By Dan Gigler / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Will Allen, left, has been effective in filling in for injured safety Troy Polamalu this season. "What he's done is just fit into the defense == he's playing physical, he's playing fast, he's communicated well," Ryan Clark said of Allen.

Keenan Lewis called him a "goofball." Ike Taylor made fun of his shoes. Ryan Clark questioned whether or not he's an American, mocking his fondness for European-style clothing.

And, despite having quietly and competently stepped in to replace one of the most unique talents to play defense for the Steelers -- possibly ever -- he enters and exits the locker room each day with the bare minimum of media attention.

Will Allen might be an odd end on the Steelers defense, but he has been a stabilizing force on a unit that initially struggled to fill the void left by Troy Polamalu, as the perennial all-everything strong safety has missed most of this season with a calf injury.

"I think he's done a great job ... in Troy Polamalu's absence," defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said Thursday after practice. "Allen has made a lot of tackles all over the field. ... He is just a really solid veteran and professional that can go in there, get the job done and let your defense function."

cont...

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories...-at-safety-for-steelers-663415/#ixzz2DEqOL9tD

 

[Buckskin86]

Behind the Scenes with Steelers? Will Allen, aka ?Frenchy?
Posted on Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
Written by Theresa Villano


Pro Player Insider?s Theresa Villano was able to catch up with Steelers?s #26 Will Allen. In Part I of Allen?s interview he spoke of some life changing stories behind his foundation, volunteering, teammate Troy Polamalu?s hair, and the Steelers? season thus far. Now,in Part 2, we dive into Will?s behind the scenes insights into the Steelers locker room. We will also find out some of his favorite spots in Pittsburgh.

Steelers Locker Room Insights:

PPI: Which one of your teammates has the cleanest or messiest locker?

WA: By far I have the cleanest locker in the locker room. I am so anal and I am a stickler. Everything has to be clean. I probably have the cleanest locker which is always stocked with hand sanitizer and Lysol spray. I spray it to keep away the germs. I get my helmet and shoulder pads sanitized and cleaned every week.

PPI: Are you one of those Guys that has hand sanitizer clipped to your key chain right now (chuckle)?

WA: NO, but it is definitely in my car. I always have some around!

PPI: The equipment managers must hate you?

WA: They actually love me. They really don?t have to worry about me because I clean up after myself.

WA (cont.): The messiest would be Adrian Robinson. I remind him every week to keep his locker clean. I give him a hard time about it every week, because he is a rookie. It seems to be working. I tell him, ?Take care of little things off the field and you?re more responsible for the bigger things.? I tell him, ?the little things and discipline will transfer into taking care of things on the field.? It?s all carry over?it?s the small things (chuckle).

cont...

http://proplayerinsiders.com/part-ii-locker-room-insights-with-steelers-will-allen/

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m52TjR6nU-g"]Will Allen Pittsburgh Steelers - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

A look at the Steelers' unrestricted free agents
Posted: Sunday, December 30, 2012
By Mike Bires [email protected]

Times pro football writer Mike Bires looks at the Steelers? 17 unrestricted free agents and their chances of being re-signed

BRING ?EM BACK

Will Allen, S: He may be 31 next year, but he?s a solid backup and special teams contributor. He?s an extremely intelligent football player who?s rarely out of position.

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/s...cle_2c8c1efe-523f-11e2-9b47-0019bb30f31a.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Jan 29, 2013
Will Allen, Ohio State football standout, to vist Dayton schools
Joe Cogliano
Senior Reporter- Dayton Business Journal

Pittsburgh Steelers? Safety Will Allen plans to drop in on kids at two local schools on Wednesday.

The Dayton native ? who played football at Wayne High School and Ohio State University ? will makes stops at Wogaman Elementary and Louise Troy PreK-3 School in Dayton to stress the importance of education and literacy.

Allen serves as a statewide ambassador for After-School All-Stars Ohio, which provides free, after-school programming to more than 700 school children between Columbus, Dayton and Toledo.

He was chosen in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and went to the Steelers in 2010.

Allen has 250 tackles in his nine-year NFL career.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/blog/2013/01/will-allen-ohio-state-football.html

 

[Pro]

Will Allen Raffle!

Will Allen, former Buckeye and #26 on the Pittsburgh Steelers will be selecting two (2) winners who enter into his foundation raffle. The Will Allen raffle prepares students academically for college and job/career opportunities, while helping the students develop character and integrity.

Each winner will receive both a pair of game-worn cleats and football gloves signed by Will. They will come with a letter of authenticity. The gloves and cleats were worn during the 2012 season. A great piece of memorabilia for any Steelers or Buckeyes fan!

http://gamedayraffle26.com/

:osu:

 

[Buckskin86]

Cowboys to bring in Will Allen and Justin Durant
March, 24, 2013
By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

The Cowboys with only $102,000 in salary cap space available will bring in two free agents, strong safety Will Allen and linebacker Justin Durant, for visits to Valley Ranch on Monday, according to a source.

Allen started seven games for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and finished with five pass breakups and one forced fumble as Troy Polamalu's backup. Allen has played in 130 games in his career with 33 starts.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowb...boys-to-bring-in-will-allen-and-justin-durant

 

[Buckskin86]

Cowboys agreed to terms with S Will Allen, formerly of the Steelers.
The Cowboys have their veteran safety, and it isn't Michael Huff. Allen, who started seven games a year ago while filling in for an injured Troy Polamalu, will at least push Matt Johnson for the starting free safety job. Johnson missed his entire rookie year due to hamstring injuries while Allen has 130 games of NFL experience. Mar 27

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/2827/will-allen

 

[Buckskin86]

Cowboys' safety Will Allen: In Monte Kiffin's 4-3 scheme, 'everything starts with the defensive line'
Staff Reports
Published: 28 March 2013

Cowboys safety Will Allen recently joined RAGE on 105.3 The Fan. Here are some highlights from the interview:

On Monte Kiffin?s 4-3 defense:

?It?s all about the d-line. Everything starts with the d-line. As you know, we have great guys. They get after it. (Anthony) Spencer and (DeMarcus) Ware get a lot of sacks, and that?s what it?s about. Getting pressure on the quarterback and everyone doing their jobs. It?s dominated by those guys up front and the guys on the back end not giving up a lot of big plays. That?s what you can expect. You can expect a lot of sacks, the linebackers making aggressive plays and the guys in the secondary hitting hard and not giving up big plays. That?s what?s going to help us. That?s how Monte Kiffin and all of the guys that have been in the Tampa 2 defense, that?s how it?s thrived. Look at the Chicago Bears last year, they ran it primarily and killed it with turnovers. They fell short of making the playoffs but statistically where they were, it?s just all about the guys up front. That?s what?s exciting about it. That?s what lured me there. I look at those guys up front, and I?m like why not play on the back end for those guys. It?s going to give me time, and I?m going to create time for them. It?s going to be fun.?

On why he decided to sign with the Dallas Cowboys:

?It was tough. I did have other offers, but it was the best choice. I?m very happy about it. That may seem clich?, but I really am. Dallas is a special place. It has great tradition. Coach (Jason) Garrett, Mr. (Jerry) Jones and the whole family. It?s going to be exciting this year. Monte Kiffin, reuniting with him. I know the defense. I know what to expect. I think it?s going to be a fun year. It?s going to be an exciting year, and I?m looking forward to it.?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/da...everything-starts-with-the-defensive-line.ece

 

[Buckskin86]

Cowboys tidbits: Why Will Allen makes it
May, 6, 2013
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas ? Here are a couple of Cowboys quick hits to tide you over for a little bit:

Unless he completely flames out in the offseason and early in camp the way Brodney Pool did last summer, safety Will Allen will be on the Cowboys? roster this year. In addition to the $65,000 signing bonus he received on the one-year minimum salary-benefit deal worth the $840,000, he was guaranteed $555,000 of the base salary. His cap number this year is $620,000. Linebacker Ernie Sims signed the same deal but minus the signing bonus and guarantee, which would seem to keep him on a roster bubble through camp.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4708386/cowboys-tidbits-why-will-allen-makes-it

 

[Buckskin86]

Will Allen pleased to be reunited with Monte Kiffin
May, 15, 2013
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

GRAPEVINE, Texas ? Will Allen came in as a fourth-round pick at Tampa Bay with Monte Kiffin as his defensive coordinator in 2004. Nine years later, Allen has been reunited with Kiffin, who is in his first year as the Cowboys? defensive coordinator,

?Monte?s a trip, man, but it?s fun,? said Allen, who signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys after starting eight games for Pittsburgh last year. ?I?m excited about it. I understand the defense and I understand the expectations and the standard, and I want to be able to convey that message to the guys here and help this team build and grow. I?m excited.?

Allen played five years under Kiffin in Tampa Bay. In 2006, he started every game and had a career high 77 tackles. He played for Pittsburgh from 2010-12.

Why sign with the Cowboys?

?It?s a number of things,? he said. ?It?s the opportunity to play with Dallas, the opportunity to be in the system again and the challenge of being able to start in this league. I started eight games last year with the Steelers and I see a great opportunity to start with the Dallas Cowboys and compete and help this team win.?

cont...

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowb...l-allen-pleased-to-be-with-monte-kiffin-again

 

[Buckskin86]

Old hat: 70s nothing new to Will Allen
May, 20, 2013
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas ? If Monte Kiffin ever feels his age, he can turn to safety Will Allen to feel young again.

Allen?s defensive coordinator last year in Pittsburgh was Dick LeBeau, who is older than Kiffin.

LeBeau turns 76 in September. Kiffin turned 73 in February.

?You wouldn?t know (they are that old),? Allen said. ?Those guys bring a lot of energy to the table. They bring a lot of wisdom. Coach LeBeau doesn?t have a call sheet. He does it all with his brain and heart. It?s awesome to play for two of the greats, to learn from two of the greats.?

Allen played for Kiffin from 2004-08 in Tampa Bay before signing with the Cowboys this offseason, and spent the last three years with LeBeau with the Steelers.

Kiffin is the architect of the Tampa 2 scheme. LeBeau is the father of the 3-4 zone blitz. The two schemes are vastly different, but Allen sees a benefit from having played in both systems as the Cowboys move from a 3-4 to a 4-3 this year.

?I can use both traits and both characteristics about how to be successful,? Allen said. ?I?m not just using one coach?s tutelage. I?m learning from both men, and both are great.?

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4708891/old-hat-70s-nothing-new-to-will-allen

 

[Buckskin86]

June 12, 2013
Allen wants to bring Steelers-like accountability, hitting to Cowboys in training camp

New Cowboys safety Will Allen remembers his first lesson when he got to the Steelers: you better hit.

?The first thing Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor and those guys said to me, when I walked in the defensive back room, was if you don?t stick your face in the thing, you can?t be on this defense,? he said. ?If you aren?t ready to hit ? we don?t care about interceptions ? if you aren?t ready to hit, we don?t need you.?

That?s the attitude he now wants to bring to the Cowboys when they put on pads in training camp in Oxnard next month.

?That?s a mentality,? Allen said, talking to reporters Wednesday at Valley Ranch. ?If you aren?t trying to hit, you can forget about it. So that?s my mentality at all costs. I don?t really care. That?s the mentality that they have there, and hopefully I can bring that here and get some guys to follow.?

New defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin?s 4-3 scheme will ask for physicalness out of the defense, particularly the cornerbacks and certainly the safeties.

Allen knows because he played for Kiffin for five years in Tampa Bay before going to Pittsburgh.

?When we get pads on, that?s something we?re going to have to pride ourselves on,? he said. ?That?s just a creed we have to live by as a defensive back room and as a defense. Not only do we have to play hard, we have to hit hard and be mean, too. That?s one thing I learned ? those Pittsburgh guys are mean on the field, to everybody. It?s not just taboo. It?s not something you just say. You really believe it. You really mean it. It?s your mind set. This is your life.

?Cause everybody?s accountable to each other. And hopefully we can build that same accountability here on the back end, everybody from Brandon Carr to Mo Claiborne. I don?t care how you bring them down, but we?re going to hit.?

Read more here: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.co...o-cowboys-in-training-camp.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Buckskin86]

ESPN Dallas considers Will Allen the favorite to be the Cowboys' starting free safety.
Allen, 31 on Monday, signed a one-year deal in March, and he has 33 career starts under his belt through nine seasons. The veteran will face competition from second-year S Matt Johnson, but Johnson wasn't overly impressive in OTAs and minicamp. Barry Church has a firm grip on the strong safety spot. Jun 16

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/2827/will-allen

 

[Buckskin86]

TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT NEW DALLAS COWBOYS SAFETY WILL ALLEN

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ljXLjh3g2o"]Will Allen: Monte Kiffin is full of surprises - YouTube[/ame]