Ricardo Allen could let the growth of his game do his talking, and it would be loud because guys just don’t go from being drafted in the fifth round as a cornerback to cut as a rookie to starting 33 of 35 games as the Falcons’ free safety ever since.
It all adds up to quite a conversion project, yet the way Allen’s taken the yoke of leadership might qualify as a more impressive metamorphosis.
Coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Richard Smith speak of him taking command of the secondary, practically raving about the way Allen’s running the show.
He sure didn’t begin his NFL career that way.
“I didn’t say anything all year,” Allen recalled of his first season, spent almost entirely on the practice squad. “The majority of the time I kept my head down and walked past everybody. I always was quiet … because I felt that I was good enough to play and I didn’t feel like I was getting the opportunity at that time.
“When people were in there eating lunch, I made sure I ate fast and went into the weight room because I was going to use every bit I could to get better than the people they thought were better than me.”
Soon after Quinn was hired in 2015, he and his staff switched the 5-foot-9, 186-pound former Purdue star cornerback to safety in the 1015 offseason.
That has worked out.
Allen played in 15 games last season, starting 14, and in every game this season. His 90 tackles ranked third on the team, and he added two interceptions with another in Saturday’s playoff win over the Seahawks.
Even last season, though, he wasn’t especially vocal. That’s been achieved through mutual agreement.
Soon after the past offseason hiring of Jerome Henderson as the Falcons’ defensive passing-game coordinator, he had a chat with Allen.
“Coach Henderson said, ‘Rico, we understand that you’re a quiet guy and you like to be by yourself, but we know that you know this defense inside and out and you know what the offenses are going to do against us,’” he recalled.
“‘So we need you. It might be out of your comfort zone, but you’ve got to come out of your comfort zone and be a leader.’”
Sure enough, “he has stepped up,” cornerback Robert Alford said. “We’re always back there talking. He’s telling me what he sees, maybe what routes he expects and he’s usually right.”
Allen was front and center at Purdue, earning All-Big Ten honors in each of his four seasons for the Boilermakers.
Yet he didn’t get to use leadership skills in 2014.
Defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, who joined the Falcons in the same draft class after playing in the Big Ten at Minnesota, said, “that first year … he was kind of down, depressed.”
Allen disputes that word choice, yet knows where Hageman’s going.
“I was disappointed, in a sense, mad,” said Allen, a native of Daytona Beach, Fla. “He may have said that because my rookie year I probably talked to four people the whole year.”
While he may lack the prototypical size of a safety, Allen’s a click slower than most NFL cornerbacks. He has ball skills, though, a wonderful mind for the game and confidence galore. He’s anything but quiet now.
“He’s done an awesome job of communicating and being that vocal leader,” said starting strong safety Keanu Neal, a rookie.
Rookie cornerback Brian Poole echoed that.
“He started helping me from the jump. The first day I walked in he kind of took me under his wing and showed me the ropes, helped me learn the defense and all the techniques,” he said. “He’s been awesome.”
Much as Quinn preaches about diligence and attention to detail best preparing the Falcons to play because it instills confidence, Allen’s methodology has emboldened him as a leader.
Being vocal may not be natural, yet he’s made it seem genetic. “Rico” is comfortable barking back there.
“Yeah, because people trust me,” he explained. “I take the time for preparation. I go home and I do extra, and they know the majority of the time when I make a call, it’s right. When I call something, usually they’ll play it because they know that I know it.”
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