Grading Antonio Allen’s Cornerback Debut

Aug 4, 2014; Cortland, NY, USA; New York Jets free safety

(39) walks to the locker room following training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday night, Antonio Allen debuted as a cornerback. The Jets experimented with the idea during practice during the past week, and decided to roll it out during the game against the Bengals. Allen has spent time in his football career as a SAM linebacker, so Rex Ryan and company felt it would be a good fit.

So, how did he do? Quite well.

The one play that stood out, obviously, is the long pass to A.J. Green. And the end result looked like this:

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Allen appears to get torched on the play, with Green being wide open. But, Green clearly pushed off on the play, although it wasn’t captured on the Bengals’ broadcast, which is the one from NFL Preseason Live. Antonio Allen had excellent coverage on him until Green pushed off. So, it’s difficult to hang this one on Allen.

Antonio was not responsible for any other completions on the night. As Craig Hoffman mentioned, the less you talk about a cornerback, the better. Other than the one play to Green, we did not hear Allen’s name at all. I would give Allen a grade of “A-“.

What do you guys think?