Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen was fined just over $9,000 for a hit he made on Buccaneers running back Charles Sims in Monday night's game, according to an ESPN.com report.
Allen said he thought Sims was still in bounds on the second-quarter play. The Falcons were penalized 15 yards on the play in which Sims’ 32-yard gain was overturned on a replay. However, the penalty still was enforced.
Allen was also called for an unnecessary roughness penalty for a hit on Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn supported the hit on Brate.
“I thought he did exactly what we teach him to do,” Quinn said. “We really emphasize shoulder-tackling, so the strike zone for us is from the shoulders down to the knees.”
Allen appeared to hit Brate in the shoulder area.
“I thought it was being taught exactly what it is,” Quinn said. “If the receiver drops at the end, that would be really difficult to change your target at the split-second, but what I am pumped about is I see our tackling techniques, which we know are safe, which we know are effective, really coming through.”
Quinn spoke to Allen about the play on Brate.
“Coach just told me, ‘Man, don’t change your style,’ “ Allen said. “I wasn’t going to anyway. I know what we teach and I know the right thing to be hitting. I’m not out there to hurt anybody. I’m just trying to enforce my spots.”
Allen is territorial about his position on the defense.
“If you throw it to my spots, I’m just going to enforce that that’s not a good spot to go to. I’m not trying to go at the head. I’m not trying to hit anybody in the head. I’m going to do it until they tell me I’ve got to change my style of play and I probably still want.”
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