Allen’s absence from Miami’s lineup inexcusable

By Hugo Guzman  |   Wednesday, October 04, 2006  |  Comments( 20 )

Miami Dolphins
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Like most fans and media members, I am absolutely perplexed by the fact that rookie safety Jason Allen has yet to be inserted in the Miami Dolphins' starting lineup.

Now, don't get me wrong. I understand that the Miami runs a fairly complex defense. I also understand that current starters Travares Tillman and Reynaldo Hill are essentially the quarterbacks of the defense, responsible for making pre-snap adjustments and other fairly complicated decisions. Lastly, I am aware that Allen missed 10 days of camp and has a history of being a bit slow to learn defensive packages (he had similar struggles early on in his college career at Tennessee).

But, c'mon!

The simple fact is that Miami's two starting safeties have demonstrated a clear inability to make plays in the passing game. Meanwhile, the Dolphins' 17th overall pick from the 2006 drive has yet to make a single appearance through four regular-season contests. How can this be possible?

One of the problems has to do with Nick Saban's insistence that the safeties are playing well. He has alluded to that on several occasions, although even he has admitted that the bulk of their contributions have come on running plays. The simple fact is that, through four contests, Tillman and Hill have zero interceptions and zero fumbles forced. And perhaps most damning of all, they have zero passes defended between the two of them.

One play that seemed to accentuate the utter lack of playmaking ability at safety was a 30-yard completion to Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson this past Sunday. It set up the Texans' second touchdown of the fourth quarter and put them ahead 17-6. On that play, quarterback David Carr was hit by Vonnie Holliday as he threw. As a result of the pressure, the pass was a bit of a wobbly duck and hung for a while, giving Tillman ample time to make a play on the football while Johnson and cornerback Will Allen battled for position.

It was essentially double coverage and Tillman seemed to have a clear path to the football; yet somehow, the starting strong safety failed to make a play on the football, instead hitting Johnson in the back as he fell to the turf with the football in hand.

No interception and no pass breakup; just another disappointing result turned in by one of the Dolphins' starting safeties. Now keep in mind that Allen is slotted as a free safety, so he wouldn't necessarily step in to replace Tillman, but the point of the matter is that, while Miami is in desperate need of a playmaker at the safety position, the Dolphins' first-round selection languishes on the bench.

Obviously, there is a learning curve involved; but, seriously, at what point does Saban decide to bite the bullet and start Jason Allen? If the Dolphins continue their losing ways on Sunday versus the New England Patriots, the answer should be "immediately".

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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 20  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
phinsman		10:00 AM
10/04/2006
I agree it would be nice to see Allen on the field however, I don't want to see him out their against Tom Brady. That would be...
No.2
JW		10:17 AM
10/04/2006
IMHO Jason Allen was a mistake. His hold out for an extra year as an unproven talent that had recent hip problems is...
No.3
BCOD		10:45 AM
10/04/2006
A little harsh on Marty Booker. To look at all the teams problems and then single out Booker as the biggest problem- that's...
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