End-of-season player exit meetings are not something that we are often privy to as outsiders of the football world. Generally, we only get a glimpse into that world when a player is asked by a reporter how the meeting went, if the player is willing to discuss it.
Still, it’s not generally a hard concept to grasp, and we have a pretty good feel by now of how Mike Tomlin and his staff likes to operate, and we see all the game film, so it’s not an overly difficult project to simulate. If we were to administer the end-of-season player exit meetings, it might go something like this.
Player: Will Allen
Position: Cornerback
Experience: 10 Years
Safety Will Allen has been in the league for so long that Mike Tomlin was his position coach once upon a time. A fourth-round selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, Allen spent his first two seasons being coached up by Tomlin, who was the defensive backs coach in Tampa Bay from 2001 to 2005.
As the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin reunited with his former player five years later when the team signed him as a free agent in 2010. After filling in admirably for Troy Polamalu for seven games in 2012, Allen saw an opportunity to land a starting job, so he joined the Dallas Cowboys to start the 2013 season.
The Cowboys weren’t satisfied with him, however, and he was demoted after two starts, and released after three more games. The Steelers quickly signed him as he boosted the special teams waiting for his chance to play.
That opportunity came during the Week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills, during which rookie safety Shamarko Thomas twisted his ankle attempting to tackle Stevie Johnson.
Thomas was the dime back at the time as a third safety who occasionally covered in the slot, but after the injury, he didn’t see another snap on defense.
That was due to Allen’s performance filling in.He played close to 400 snaps in the final eight games of the season for Pittsburgh, which also goes to show just how frequently the Steelers were in sub-packages last year.
In all, Allen finished with 35 tackles in Pittsburgh, playing particularly well against the run. He also forced a fumble, recovered another fumble that he nearly returned for a touchdown, and intercepted a pass intended for Calvin Johnson.
There’s no mystery over whether or not the Steelers like Allen, or over how Allen feels about being in Pittsburgh. He would have never left if he wasn’t offered a starting opportunity elsewhere. And at this point in his career, if he were offered another starting job, he might not even take it.
The Steelers have already re-signed Allen on what is likely a one-year, veteran-minimum contract, where he will likely serve as the quarters safety again, unless the team intends to let him compete with Thomas for the starting safety spot next to Polamalu that figures to be vacated by Ryan Clark.
Allen’s ability to play the run well allowed the Steelers more flexibility in using six defensive backs without compromising their ability to stop the run excessively. He may have had a breakdown here and there in coverage last year, but, frankly, so did everybody else. As of this writing, he and Jason Worilds are the only free agents the Steelers have yet to re-sign with just a day to go before free agency opens.
Previous Articles In This Series
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – QB Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – WR Antonio Brown
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – WR Emmanuel Sanders
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – TE Heath Miller
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – T Marcus Gilbert
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – G David DeCastro
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – G Ramon Foster
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – T Kelvin Beachum
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – RB Le’Veon Bell
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – C Fernando Velasco
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – FB Will Johnson
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – DE Brett Keisel
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – NT Steve McLendon
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – DE Cameron Heyward
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – OLB LaMarr Woodley
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – OLB Jason Worilds
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – ILB Lawrence Timmons
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – ILB Vince Williams
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – CB Ike Taylor
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – CB William Gay
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – S Troy Polamalu
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – S Ryan Clark
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – WR Jerricho Cotchery
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – RB Jonathan Dwyer
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – QB Bruce Gradkowski
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – C/G Cody Wallace
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – TE Matt Spaeth
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – G/T Guy Whimper
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – RB Felix Jones
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – CB Cortez Allen
