CJ Allen Feels Prepared to Lead Indianapolis Colts Defense
CJ Allen Feels Prepared to Lead Indianapolis Colts Defense
The Indianapolis Colts entered the NFL Draft last week in desperate need of adding talent to its linebacker room.
Chris Ballard was not overly aggressive in free agency addressing the position, only adding Akeem Davis-Gaither to the mix. Jaylon Carlies is still in the mix, but he has struggled staying healthy and was drafted with Gus Bradley as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Allen brings a lot of veteran leadership and experience. He was the quarterback of a vaunted Georgia Bulldog defense that has turned out NFL player after NFL player. There have been a lot of linebackers recently that have had success in the NFL, and Allen is poised to be one of the next ones.
“I can do it all. So I think the Colts scheme, you know, it fit my ability to the best. So if you want to drop back and play zone, we can do that. You know, that’s what we can do. So it really don’t even matter whatever coach I’m with.” Allen said to Jake Query on Tuesday afternoon on Query & Company.
At Georgia, Allen served as the team’s “green dot” player, meaning he handled the communications from the sidelines and relayed that information to the other ten players on defense. He is going to be tasked with the same responsibilities with the Indianapolis Colts.
“I don’t see it as a as a just pressure anything. It’s just something coach kind of just you know, honing in or us about man, it shouldn’t be pressure. You should be honored to be able to have the responsibility and for me, when I have those types of responsibilities on me essentially make me want to just prepare harder, work harder, and grind harder because I’m honored to have that green dot in the back of my helmet for sure.” Allen stated.
During his conversation with Jake Query, CJ Allen also discussed:
- Why he decided to enter the NFL Draft and not stay at Georgia for one more season
- Whether he anticipated being a first-round pick or not
- Pre-draft communication with the Indianapolis Colts
