By: Jessica Costello
SteelerNation.com
Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive back, Marcus Allen has switched up his game. From safety to inside linebacker, Allen's energy is unmatched. Allen's position coach, Jerry Olsavsky backed that up during a Zoom call on Monday with the team.
"Marcus likes hitting people so playing linebacker is no problem for him," said Olsavsky. "He hasn't done a lot of drills over his lifetime to play linebacker, but he is doing a fine job. Bringing Marcus into my room really pumped up the room. He got the other guys excited. He got the defense excited. You see a guy and say that guy can do some stuff. The hard thing about football is running into people and Marcus has no problem doing that so I have no problem coaching him." - Steelers.com
Allen was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth-round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
"He is a high-energy, football playing son of a gun. That is what you like. That is probably why we drafted him. I remember when I got in the league, they say it takes a couple of years for a player to develop. Hopefully that is what we are seeing right now. We're going to see Marcus in his third year develop into a professional," Olsavsky said.
Team officials say Allen made the move in training camp from safety to inside linebacker.
"Marcus has a professional attitude where he is going to go run into people. You can't have enough of those people on the football field. I am so happy to have him in my room it's not even funny. Maybe that is where I get my energy from," Olsavsky said.
Team officials say Allen is expected to give the Steelers depth inside but ultimately it will be Vince Williams and Devin Bush who will be the starting inside linebackers.
"Vince is a professional," said Olsavsky. "Just like Dr. (Jim) Bradley is a professional. Lawyers are professional. Vince is a professional. Every year he does something different and comes back and people are like, Vince should be gone. Not only is he the same, but he acquired another skill."
"People don't understand Vince Williams is a very intelligent person. He loves playing football. He recognizes his weaknesses and goes after them with a vengeance. If it were eight years ago, we might say Vince is going to play four years and go away. That is not the same Vince. The person is the same, but the football player has gotten a lot better because in his down time he has really improved himself," Olsavsky said.
Do you think the Steelers have all these guys in their 'highest-potential' positions, Steeler Nation? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
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