Allen's versatility key to job security with Dolphins

Photo by J. Pat Carter

Miami's Jason Allen catches a pass June 7 during Dolphins' camp in Davie, Fla. Allen, a former Tennessee star, was Miami's first-round pick in 2006 and is gaining favor with the new Dolphins staff.

DAVIE, Fla. - It's only a marketing slogan, but for former University of Tennessee defensive back Jason Allen the words being used to usher in the Bill Parcells Era in South Florida could just as easily apply to him.

"A New Beginning."

Everywhere you look in the tri-county area stretching from Palm Beach to the Keys, there are billboards emblazoned with those three words above photos of Parcells, the Miami Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations, first-year general manager Jeff Ireland and first-year head coach Tony Sparano.

They are being tasked with turning around a franchise that finished 1-15 in 2007, and the 25-year-old Allen is hoping to be one of the catalysts behind that turnaround.

Sparano is the third different NFL head coach that Allen is playing for in as many years.

He was drafted 16th overall by the Dolphins in 2006 and is playing in his third different defensive system, intent on proving the naysayers and those describing him as a bust wrong in 2008.

"There's so much more that I have to . . . you say prove, show what I'm capable of doing," said Allen, who is battling Chris Crocker for Miami's starting free safety job. "You can do it on the practice field, but it all comes down what you do when the lights come on on Sunday or Monday Night Football."

Nobody has ever questioned Allen's athleticism or physical ability in the secondary, especially since he has proved that he can play both safety and cornerback in college and the pros. Nick Saban clearly saw enough of Allen when he coached against him in the SEC while at LSU to convince the Dolphins to make him their first selection in 2006, Saban's second year in Miami.

In 16 games as a rookie, all in a reserve role, Allen made 13 tackles and had one interception on defense, adding another seven tackles on special teams.

But when Saban abruptly resigned at the end of the season to take the head coaching job at Alabama, Allen was left to prove himself all over again to yet another different head coach in Cam Cameron, who tried switching him back to cornerback.

Midway through the 2007season, Allen found himself way down the depth chart and Cameron and defensive coordinator Dom Capers decided to move him back to safety to see if that could spark something in him.

Allen made his first NFL start against the New York Giants in London and had five tackles and a forced fumble.

Three weeks later he picked off Donovan McNabb twice in Philadelphia and finished the season with 53 tackles (46 solo) and a team-leading three interceptions in nine starts.

"It was big. Anytime you get an interception or make a big play, it's a confidence boost," Allen said. "Going into the season, three interceptions, it was a confidence boost for me. It's something to boost me into this year, something to build on going into this year here."

Cameron and Capers have moved on, replaced by Sparano and Paul Pasqualoni at defensive coordinator.

Todd Bowles is Miami's new defensive backs coach and the defense being installed by Pasqualoni and his staff is much more of a "player-friendly" scheme than the two systems Allen played in before.

He compares it to the defense he played in with the Vols.

Through the first three weeks of training camp, Allen was lining up next to strong safety Yeremiah Bell with the first unit and looked comfortable out there.

The week before Miami's third preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Crocker began taking reps with the first team and started at free safety in the last two preseason games.

Two days before the preseason finale at New Orleans, Sparano was pressed again about the situation at free safety, and he gave Allen a vote of confidence by complimenting him on the versatility he showed against the Chiefs by lining up at safety and cornerback.

"I've been really impressed with Jason. I'm not telling you any secrets now, you guys were there, you've seen it," Sparano said. "In the game the other night Jason Allen played in the dime package, he played in the base as the safety, and he also played as a corner (on the boundary) during the course of that game. That's really difficult.

"The defense, in what we do, has been a little bit easier for those safeties as a whole, not just Jason, and I think Jason has done a really nice job working at it. He's spent a lot of time with Todd Bowles."

Allen's hard work will be put to the test Sunday in the season-opener against the New York Jets at Dolphin Stadium.

The Jets so happen to have a quarterback by the name of Brett Favre running the offense, and by all accounts he is supposed to be fairly decent at picking apart secondaries.