Allen turning corner for Steelers

By F. Dale Lolley

PITTSBURGH – Steelers cornerback Cortez Allen lined up opposite fellow corner Will Gay, who was working as the wide receiver but with big pads on his hands.

Defensive backs coach Carnell Lake called for them break and Gay took off from the line of scrimmage, taking a jam from Allen and running down the sideline in the after-practice drill. Lake would then loft a high, arching pass down the sideline and Allen would turn and try to make the interception while taking a shot from Gay’s padded hands.

Then they would switch positions and go through the routine again.

“It was something Coach Lake wanted to get us working to play deep balls better, to get us in better position, learning how to get our heads around better,” said Allen. “It’s fine tuning. It’s been working good for us.”

That it has.

Allen looked as if he was mimicking the drill in last Sunday’s 17-9 victory at Jacksonville when he mirrored Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson down the sideline on a deep pass and made a leaping interception, his second in the last two games.

READ MORE: http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20141009/SPORTS0403/141009422#.VDizzhbMXaK

I really thought early on he would be a bust. I sure hope I'm wrong. It's refreshing to have a corner who can catch. I believe that if Ike caught half the balls that hit his hands he would be considered a great corner.

Lack of pass rush definitely hasn't helped. I do get frustrated with Gay at times, but overall he has been our best defender all season. I miss having guys like Woodson and Lake.

Steelers Put CB Cortez Allen On Right Side In Nickel At Start Of OTAs

While it’s still a little bit too early to write the Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart in pen as we sit here in May, we are already starting to get a glimpse as to how a few things might shake out in the secondary now that cornerback Ike Taylor has retired and Cortez Allen is back healthy...

to read rest of article:

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/05/steelers-put-cb-cortez-allen-on-right-side-in-nickel-at-start-of-otas/

I'm crossing my figures that Allen turns it around this year. He played very well up till last year, so I really hope his poor performance was injury related. Might be a cool thing to see both Allen and Mitchell play up to their potential and turn the secondary into a strength. Not saying this will happen, but a man can dream, can't he?

kirklandrules wrote:

I'm crossing my figures that Allen turns it around this year. He played very well up till last year, so I really hope his poor performance was injury related. Might be a cool thing to see both Allen and Mitchell play up to their potential and turn the secondary into a strength. Not saying this will happen, but a man can dream, can't he?

i dont think its too far fetched at all that they both improve.

Cortez Allen is going to be fine. Just hoping that Senquez progresses enough to play in nickel by midseason.

kirklandrules wrote:

I'm crossing my figures that Allen turns it around this year. He played very well up till last year

I've said this a bunch in the past elsewhere, but not here at STX, so I'll give it another go.......when did Cortez play good? I remember like, 4 plays total where he made something good happen, and the INTs he's got were all made on either poorly thrown balls, or when the WR slipped or ran the wrong route. As far as I'm concerned he's still a rookie and hasn't done shit.

tony hipchest wrote:

i dont think its too far fetched at all that they both improve.

No where to go but up at this point, so I agree, you're in no way exaggerating.

if he's not cortez island by week 1, BUST!!!!1

I expect Cortez to show more improvement than Mitchell.

Cortez Allen could give Steelers defense a big lift

June 3, 2015
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

They have the Big Three on offense, so what to call Cortez Allen, Jarvis Jones, Shamarko Thomas and Ryan Shazier on defense?

The UnFab Four? The Expectant Quartet?

Opinions are all over the place on those four young players, many of them rash, impatient observations from those who do not take into account injuries and/or the learning curve in the NFL. Similar comments were heard when Troy Polamalu did not start a game as a rookie in 2003.

Like Polamalu, perhaps Shazier will blossom in his second pro season. Like Greg Lloyd, Jones could overcome his early injuries to become a dominant right outside linebacker. And like Keenan Lewis, Shamarko Thomas might just be a late bloomer.

The Steelers certainly could use big seasons from those three and would love to make it four-for-four, which would go a long way to rebuilding the kind of defense it had for much of the 21st century.

What of Cortez Allen?

Did the Steelers overrate the cornerback when they signed him to a five-year, $26 million contract before last season, or overreact by doing so after they saw Lewis become a free agent and leave them? Or were they correct in identifying his talent and he just did not live up to it in 2014 when he was benched as a starter after just seven games?

to read rest of article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/06/03/Cortez-Allen-could-give-Steelers-defense-a-big-lift/stories/201506030095

Hawaii 5-0 wrote:

Cortez Allen could give Steelers defense a big lift

June 3, 2015
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

They have the Big Three on offense, so what to call Cortez Allen, Jarvis Jones, Shamarko Thomas and Ryan Shazier on defense?

The UnFab Four? The Expectant Quartet?

Opinions are all over the place on those four young players, many of them rash, impatient observations from those who do not take into account injuries and/or the learning curve in the NFL. Similar comments were heard when Troy Polamalu did not start a game as a rookie in 2003.

Like Polamalu, perhaps Shazier will blossom in his second pro season. Like Greg Lloyd, Jones could overcome his early injuries to become a dominant right outside linebacker. And like Keenan Lewis, Shamarko Thomas might just be a late bloomer.

The Steelers certainly could use big seasons from those three and would love to make it four-for-four, which would go a long way to rebuilding the kind of defense it had for much of the 21st century.

What of Cortez Allen?

Did the Steelers overrate the cornerback when they signed him to a five-year, $26 million contract before last season, or overreact by doing so after they saw Lewis become a free agent and leave them? Or were they correct in identifying his talent and he just did not live up to it in 2014 when he was benched as a starter after just seven games?

to read rest of article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2015/06/03/Cortez-Allen-could-give-Steelers-defense-a-big-lift/stories/201506030095

I'd also add Tuitt as a surprise contributor.
Saw an OTA picture of him kneeling next to Heyward; definitely looked like a monster when compared to last year.
If 3 of our young and very much needed contributors on defense (Shazier, Cortez, Shamarko, Tuitt) really up their game, our defense will be very good.

It's time to shut up about Cortez Allen.

It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out. Remember how down we were about Gay a few years ago and he turned into a solid DB?

I'm interested to see what happens now with the new regime. The old scheme was "You don't need good corners when you have a hard blitz" but as the blitz was slowed down, our secondary got exposed.

Lokki wrote:

It's time to shut up about Cortez Allen.  

never...

Cortez Allen Arguably Most Critical Piece On Steelers’ Defense

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/06/cortez-allen-arguably-most-critical-piece-on-steelers-defense/

Allen’s play at CB critical for Steelers

Published: June 16, 2015
By F. Dale Lolley

PITTSBURGH – When talking about the potential of the Steelers defense in 2015, the conversation usually doesn’t get far before Cortez Allen’s name comes up.

The fifth-year cornerback might be the most important piece to the puzzle when it comes to Pittsburgh’s chances of turning around a pass defense that ranked 27th in the NFL last season. Allen, 26, appeared in 11 games last season, making seven starts. He recorded 41 tackles, two interceptions and had 11 pass defenses, which doesn’t look bad until you consider he was constantly picked on and drew nine penalties.

Often, he was in position for a play, but found himself coming up just short of making an interception or knocking a pass away.

The rollercoaster ride finally ended when Allen was pulled from the starting lineup midway through the season, then suffered a broken thumb in practice that required surgery and eventually landed him on injured reserve.

It was not what the Steelers envisioned when they gave Allen a five-year, $26-million contract extension at the end of training camp last year.

The poor season and contract were the last thing on Allen’s mind as the Steelers opened their three-day mandatory mini-camp Tuesday. He’s intent on being better this season.

to read rest of article:

http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20150616/SPORTS0403/150619547

Being in the right position wasn't his problem.
His ball awareness was.
He often reacted and turned to find the ball too late allowing the receiver to make a play.