My Combine Mission: Bring Back Marcus Allen
INDIANAPOLIS 鈥� There are degrees and meanings of these meetings we hear about between prospects and teams at the NFL Combine.
Damon Webb, for instance, is a late-round, under-the-radar free safety from Ohio State who met with the Steelers鈥� position coach, Tom Bradley, for an 鈥渋nformal.鈥�
But Justin Reid, the silky smooth center fielder from Stanford, younger brother of NFL free safety Eric Reid, had a 鈥渇ormal鈥� sitdown with Mike Tomlin.
Ronnie Harrison, the hard-hitting strong safety who learned to play free safety with national champion Alabama, had both, an informal meeting with an assistant coach before he was scheduled to sit down formally Sunday night with the head coach.
Jessie Bates, the fast, physical and smart free safety at Wake Forest, he also had a formal meeting scheduled.
With Tomlin?
鈥淭he owner, the GM, all of them,鈥� said Bates. And he wasn鈥檛 trying to sound cocky.
Clearly, and without doubt, the Steelers are looking at free safeties. There are several others to discuss at a later time. However, I was sent on a mission to come home with a strong safety 鈥� specifically the strong safety from Penn State, Marcus Allen.
Why Marcus Allen?
鈥淲hen he comes here you鈥檒l find out,鈥� Penn State receiver DaeSean Hamilton told me on Friday.
鈥淢arcus, he鈥檚 a big ball of energy. I love Marcus. He has a smile on his face all the time. He always has a lot of energy and he鈥檚 always bringing it. He has fun with all of us, with every teammate, everyone in the locker room. He鈥檚 one of the most vocal and outgoing people on the team.鈥�
Funny, I had just run into the great Rod Woodson here and he said that what he wants to see most out of the DBs in their workouts on Monday is how the Power 5 guys interact with the guys who went to lesser athletic programs.
鈥淭eam unity is soooo important in the league,鈥� Woodson said.
The Steelers have a guy like that in Maurkice Pouncey, I told Woodson.
鈥淢aybe they need one on defense,鈥� he said.
But it wasn鈥檛 Woodson who ordered me to bring back Marcus Allen 鈥� or 鈥淐hico Hendrix,鈥� as he鈥檚 known to the cool kids.
鈥淐hico. Chico Hendrix,鈥� repeated Penn State linebacker Jason Cabinda. 鈥淏ig social media guy. I鈥檓 not sure where it originated, but that鈥檚 what we call Marcus. The kids know.鈥�
And that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 getting at. While watching Allen rock foe after foe with a striking ability that鈥檚 more solid and sure than anything we鈥檝e watched this past season from the Steelers, my daughter asked if I was watching the famous Marcus Allen.
No, I told her. That guy retired a long time ago.
鈥淣o,鈥� she said. 鈥淢arcus Allen, the guy on social media who plays in college. He鈥檚 hilarious. If he could be on JuJu鈥檚 team, that would be so awesome.鈥�
Yeah, the bring-Marcus-to-Pittsburgh directive came from my teenage daughter.
鈥淥h, that鈥檚 cool,鈥� Allen said Sunday after I relayed the story. 鈥淭hat would be real cool. Anywhere, any team that takes a chance on me, it鈥檚 going to be a blessing. But, JuJu, he鈥檚 definitely a cool guy.鈥�
Has Allen heard from the Steelers?
鈥淚鈥檝e heard from a lot of teams,鈥� he said.
Allen might be a personality, but he鈥檚 clearly a businessman. Some of these guys don鈥檛 tell reporters their meeting plans, per the teams鈥� requests. Few prospects honor those requests, though, because they鈥檙e only human and they鈥檙e excited and at this point in their nascent NFL careers they think they should probably answer to the media.
Allen鈥檚 too savvy for that. After all, he鈥檚 going into broadcast journalism after football with his Penn State degree.
But he does have Pittsburgh ties. A lot of them. He works out near his home in Maryland with Sean Davis. And, Allen鈥檚 father was born in Homewood, grew up as a close childhood friend of Curtis Martin, who became Allen鈥檚 godfather.
And Malik Golden, Allen鈥檚 safety-mate at Penn State for three years, is with the Steelers.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 my boy,鈥� Allen said.
Why is he your boy?
鈥淲e played on the same team at Penn State,鈥� Allen said with a look that kind of identified me as being among the unhip.
Dang it.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 my MAN,鈥� Allen clarified. 鈥淎nybody at Penn State (is my boy). I get along with everybody. But me and Malik, we have a bond as well. We talk to each other. I鈥檓 a loving guy.鈥�
I told Allen that he might not love me after my next question.
鈥淎-ite,鈥� he said, ready to be tested.
One interception in your four-year career as a safety. Why only one interception?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 like to make excuses,鈥� Allen said, 鈥渟o I鈥檓 just going to say I had one interception in my career. That鈥檚 something that I definitely want to work on. And, that鈥檚 that.鈥�
Are teams talking to you as a linebacker type?
鈥淚鈥檝e talked to a lot of teams about safety,鈥� said the 6-2, 215-pounder. 鈥淏ut if that鈥檚 what they look at me as, I have no problem. Right now I鈥檓 here doing DB drills.鈥�
Allen went on to explain that he hopes to show teams he鈥檚 more than a box safety. That鈥檚 how he was used at Penn State and might explain his dearth of interceptions.
It also might explain his 328 tackles, which ranks fifth in the tradition-rich annals of Penn State football. He was the team鈥檚 鈥渆nforcer because I鈥檓 physical,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I can play in the deep end. I can play half. I can play middle third. I can cover. Those are things I can do and I can showcase my talents here at the Combine, me opening up my hips, all that good stuff.鈥�
Allen made the turning-point play of the post-Paterno Penn State era in 2016 by blocking a 45-yard field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter that would鈥檝e given Ohio State a seven-point lead.
Allen blocked the kick and teammate Grant Haley returned it 60 yards to reverse the score. It sent the Nittany Lions on their way to the 2016 Big Ten Championship and marked a significant turnaround for a program that had lost nine games in the two years (2012-13) after Paterno left and before Allen arrived.
A second post-Paterno coach came in with Allen in 2014, and Penn State lost six more games in James Franklin鈥檚 first year and six more in his second. The magic, it appeared, was leaving State College.
And then Allen blocked the kick.
鈥淏ut this isn鈥檛 about me,鈥� Allen said from the podium Sunday. 鈥淲inning that game is what meant a lot for me. It put the whole team, the whole Penn State organization, back on the map.鈥�
鈥淢e, Christian Campbell, Grant Haley, Troy Apke, we all came in at the same time, at a time when Penn State was at its lowest point,鈥� Allen said of the departing secondary. 鈥淲e all stuck together and made sure that we were going to work hard and get Penn State back on the map. And it鈥檚 crazy that we really saw where it was to where it is, and we鈥檙e a big part of that.鈥�
Want to know what crazy is? Me covering Apke鈥檚 dad when he played at Pitt back in the 1980s, and now trying to find out for my daughter if the next great social media star of the NFL will be coming to Pittsburgh.
Of course, Allen would do more than just star with JuJu Smith-Schuster in social media. He would join a team that appears to be looking for a free safety with ball skills, but really needs a striker who can tackle 鈥� consistently, reliably and without prejudice. And no college safety I watched this past season strikes the rising blow the way this seemingly cordial young man from Penn State does.
鈥淚 appreciate that,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淚 definitely take a lot of pride in that. That鈥檚 something I thrive on. Anytime I get a good hit, I鈥檓 going to get juiced up.鈥�
That鈥檚 what big hits do. They juice up the player, the team, and, frankly, the stadium.
But Allen looks like way too nice of a guy to be juicing up NFL stadiums.
鈥淚 know. I know,鈥� he said with a gigantic smile. 鈥淎 lot of people say that. It鈥檚 cool, though, because it changes once I go out on the field.鈥�