Arden Zwelling
CFL.ca
Iron sharpens iron.
That’s the axiom tattooed on one of the towering walls at D1 Sports Training, the Peyton Manning owned gym in Chattanooga, TN where Taurean Allen spent the month of May running countless one-on-one drills, lifting weights daily and honing his skills ahead of his first CFL training camp.
Where the Calgary Stampeders are hoping that Allen, their second selection (13th overall) in the 2010 CFL draft, will be sharp is on the grid iron where he will be counted on to contribute to a defence that was the Stamps’ Achilles’ heel in 2009.
Although Calgary was second in the CFL offensively, averaging 28.6 points per game last year, their defence was second worst, allowing an average of 368.1 offensive yards per game and intercepting just 13 passes all season.
Stampeders defensive coordinator Chris Jones thinks Allen will help plug some of the defensive holes opposition quarterbacks were exploiting and maybe grab a few interceptions while he’s at it.
“What I’ve been really impressed with is Taurean’s talent. He’s very athletic – very fast,” Jones said. “He’s doing an extremely good job for us. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he performs when the live bullets start in the pre season.”
The time Allen spent at D1 Sports Training – along with fellow Stampeders Karl McCartney, Fernand Kashama and Derek Watson – was Jones’ idea. His friend operates the facility and teaches many of the same defensive techniques that Jones utilizes in Calgary.
That allows some of the Stampeders’ rookies like McCartney and Allen to get a leg up on training camp.
“It’s not just weight training – they have the ability with the indoor facility at K1 to run routes and do one-on-one coverage and do a lot of football related stuff,” Jones said.
That’s not to say that Allen didn’t already have an incredibly strong football pedigree.
At Laurier, The Etobicoke, Ont. native backstopped a Golden Hawks defence that finished second in the OUA and sixth in the nation in 2009, holding opponents to just 335 yards and 17 points per game. His 16.5 tackles were a career high and earned him an OUA first team all-star selection, his third in four years at Laurier.
Allen credits the coaching staff at Laurier for much of his development as a young football player, including veteran head coach Gary Jeffries and defensive backs coach Dwayne Cameron, who was hired as an assistant coach with the Hamilton Tiger Cats during the off season.
“I had great coaches […] they definitely helped hone my skills and helped me get to where I ultimately needed to be,” Allen said. “The defensive scheme that we played showcased my talent and put me in a great spot where I could get to where I am now.”
One of those talents is Allen’s blurring speed, which he showed off at the CFL’s March Evaluation Camp where he posted a blistering 40 time of 4.44 seconds, just .13 shy of Steven Turner’s CFL record of 4.31. Allen also finished second to Turner in the short shuttle, coming just one one thousandth of a second short of Turner’s 4.03.
“We certainly like guys that can run,” Jones said. “Defensively, I feel like you have to have the ability to really move in order to play on the CFL field.”
Allen – who will wear number zero for the Stampeders this season – is joining a team that won the Grey Cup in 2008, but fell short of returning to the big game in 2009 — losing 27-17 to Saskatchewan in the West final. Besides shipping standout wide receiver Jeremaine Copeland to Toronto and replacing kicker Sandro DeAngelis with rookie Rob Maver, much of the Stampeders nucleus remains the same for 2010.
The multitalented Allen will be looking to compliment that group and fill in wherever he’s needed.
“I want to bring my versatility to the game – I think I’m a valuable asset. If anything were to happen in the game, I could go in there and take over at a moment’s notice,” Allen said.
Although he played cornerback for the Golden Hawks, Allen has been taking reps at safety in Stampeders training camp, competing with CFL veteran Wes Lysack to replace former safety Milt Collins who is shifting to linebacker this season.
Lysack clearly has the edge in experience with eight CFL seasons under his belt. But, according to Jones, that rookie from Laurier playing out of position has been holding his own.
“Taurean has looked extremely good at the free safety spot. He’s picked it up really well,” Jones said. “He has the ability to play both the middle of the field and drop down into man coverage.”
Allen’s ability to adapt shouldn’t be surprising – the communications major has been in this situation before. He was shifted from wide receiver to cornerback in 2006 in order to play for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.
Playing multiple positions – including a significant role on special teams – is just part of the gig for the versatile 23-year-old.
“It has been a bit of an adjustment, but it’s not as bad as I thought,” Allen said of the switch from cornerback to safety. “In the Stampeders defence we do a lot of different stuff with the free safety, but I’ve been getting really acclimated with it thus far and I feel pretty comfortable doing it.”
The next step in Allen’s development will be to exorcize the small tendencies that have developed in his game throughout four years of being the best player on the field in college.
The brief look down the field before securing the ball for an interception, the small step forward in coverage looking for a pick off, the stray hand on the jersey of a receiver in coverage – all college tendencies that can lead to blown coverages, penalties and touchdowns in the much faster CFL game.
“The little things that I got away with in college, those little fundamental flaws that I possessed – I’m not really getting away with them now,” Allen said.
To his credit, Allen’s coaches believe he can make the necessary adjustments quickly.
“He has to get to where he’s going to be more consistent. He’s been hot and cold as far as catching the ball and the little things about the game,” Jones said. “It’s basically concentration – that’s the thing. If he learns to concentrate I think he’s going to have an outstanding career.”
