Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor is now out for at least two weeks and maybe longer with a fractured right ankle so that now means that Cortez Allen will start and play in his place until he returns. Curtis Brown now becomes the third corner moving forward, and while most are writing that he will play the nickel slot position, that is simply not the truth.
When Brown enters the game he will play outside predominantly in the nickel defense and Allen will slide inside to his customary slot position. This was exactly what we saw for 15 plays Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and what we will see moving forward.
Allen has the most experience in the slot and it makes sense to allow him to resume that role. So when you are looking at potential matchups this week against the San Diego Chargers, Allen will face whoever lines up in the slot for them when they use three or more wides.
Looking at the Chargers game against the Cincinnati Bengals from this past Sunday they used Danario Alexander, Malcom Floyd, and Seyi Ajirotutu at different times in the slot, so it is hard to key in one matchup in particular. All three are big boys, though, so Allen, Brown, and Keenan Lewis will have their work cut out for them if the Steelers can\’t get pressure on quarterback Philip Rivers.
