Lichtenstein: Allen Rewards Ryan's Faith, Shines In Jets' Opener
By Steve Lichtenstein
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Forgive me if most of my Jets posts harp on the negative. The bitterness has grown internally as years have passed without my favorite NFL team reaching the Super Bowl, and this forum allows for its release.
After watching the Jets open Season No. 46 since Joe Willie pointed his finger toward that Miami sky, it would have been easy for me to focus on all that went wrong in their 19-14 home victory over Oakland on Sunday.
As Jets coach Rex Ryan stated afterwards, this should have been a blowout if not for the penalties, turnovers and missed opportunities. Those types of errors will get the Jets obliterated next week in Green Bay, who possess an All Pro quarterback instead of a rookie playing his first NFL game.
But the Jets pay Ryan to win, and this was rather an important one—really. A loss in front of their most difficult stretch of opponents they'll likely face this year would have put Gang Green in a tough spot.
And there was one player whose development took me by surprise and deserves some extra attention.
No, it's not quarterback Geno Smith, who did not, in my opinion, make any sort of leap to begin his sophomore season. Facing the team that surrendered the most points in the AFC last season, Smith exhibited the same pros (arm strength, escapability) and cons (ball security, poor decision-making) on Sunday that have made him such a huge question mark for the Jets going into the year.
The player I'm referring to is cornerback Antonio Allen, who excelled in his first regular-season game at that position.
When the Jets moved Allen from safety in the preseason, I thought it was a panic move, like when Ryan tried running back Joe McKnight in the defensive backfield or had Tim Tebow get reps at tight end.
Back then, Jets cornerbacks were dropping like flies, with Dee Milliner sidelined by a high ankle sprain, Dexter McDougle placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL, and Dimitri Patterson jettisoned after going AWOL from the Giants game.
All that was left was reserve Darrin Walls, slot corner Kyle Wilson and a bunch of not-ready-for-prime-time players. So Ryan took a flier on Allen.
Allen was the Jets' seventh-round selection in the 2012 draft and spent half that year on the practice squad. Though used mostly at linebacker at South Carolina, Allen made his mark as a strong safety in the pros.
He showed no fear when matched up against the likes of New England's Rob Gronkowski or New Orleans' Jimmy Graham. Those guys won their share of battles, but Allen did contribute a huge pick-six off Tom Brady in the Jets' classic 30-27 overtime victory over the Patriots.
Allen's playing time decreased some after the Jets picked up aging Ed Reed off the street in mid-November and it was expected that first-round pick Calvin Pryor would take over the starting strong safety role this season. However, Allen was certainly someone who Ryan could trust as a backup or in a three-safety dime scheme this year.
But to ask Allen to all of a sudden learn how to play cornerback, where he would need to go one-on-one with all the speedsters in the NFL?
Insanity, I thought, especially after watching Cincinnati's A.J. Green torch Allen a few times in the Jets' second preseason game.
I then thought the experiment would truly end when, in the next game, Allen sustained a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Giants.
Nope. The meaninglessness of the final exhibition game proved to be beneficial in getting Allen the time he needed to clear all the protocols and regain his starting slot against the Raiders.
Ryan's faith was rewarded. Allen was terrific, beaten on just one ball over his head for a 17-yard gain in the second quarter by Rod Streater, who runs a 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. Allen was on the opposite side of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's two touchdown passes—after an awful Smith interception set Oakland up deep in Jets territory in the first quarter, Carr took advantage of a Wilson blitz and hit Streater, who then benefited from two uncalled Raider penalties to scoot into the end zone; and in prevent-defense time, James Jones made a terrific catch over Walls at the right pylon.
Allen was credited with one pass defended, but where he really made a difference was limiting yards after the catch.
"This just in," said Ryan. "No. 39 can tackle."
Twice in the fourth quarter, with the Jets holding just a 13-7 lead, the Raiders went at Allen on third downs hoping to get their receiver out in space to beat Allen one-on-one. Allen wrapped up Denarius Moore and then Jones short of the first-down marker to force punts.
That Allen was able to master tight coverage techniques was imperative in a game where Ryan unleashed all his exotic blitz packages on Carr. The rookie was only sacked twice, but he was harassed all day. The Raiders were limited to 90 yards passing before the final two-minute drill.
The Jets' rush defense, as expected, was stalwart (15 Raider carries went for a mere 25 yards) but their inexperienced secondary was supposed to be their Achilles heel. Allen's play gave Jets fans another reason to give Ryan the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his defense.
Of course, greater challenges lay ahead, starting with the offensively-diverse Packers. Allen has the size and tenacity you'd like in a corner, but his speed deficit will surely be targeted by the league's better QBs the Jets will face in the coming weeks.
However, you can't lay Sunday's results all on the Raiders' ineptitude. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to give the Jets some credit.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
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