Tag: DT Jonathan Allen

Jonathan Allen glad Commanders got the win

Allen is not surprised by Casey Toohill’s success.

Jonathan Allen wanted to make a big play and got his wish.

“I was glad I was able to be a part of that play and help my team come home with the win yesterday.”

A part of the play? Did you notice what Allen had to do to make the play?

Atlanta had just scored to draw within 24-16 early in the final quarter against the Commanders Sunday in Atlanta. A pass interference call against Benjamin St-Juste put the ball at the one-yard line for a closer two-point attempt.

This time, Allen dug in head up over left guard Matthew Bergeron. At the snap, both fired off into one another, but Allen knocked Bergeron to the inside. Allen now had 240-pound fullback Keith Smith charging forward at him. Allen pushed off Smith to the outside and instantly met running back Tyler Allgeier in the hole; Khaleke Hudson then showed up to help out, ensuring Allgeier was stopped short of the goal line.

Allen was making his weekly appearance Monday with the “Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan.

“We forced turnovers when they got down inside the red zone. I think it was a good (defensive) performance, I won’t say great when you give up 400 yards. But overall, we did what we had to do to get the win.”

“When I first came out of college, I still had the Alabama mindset. Early in my NFL career, even if we won, I wouldn’t be happy unless we dominated. But the NFL is not like college. I’ve learned to really appreciate every win in the NFL because it’s tough.”

Atlanta drove 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown in their opening possession. Allen expressed, “The most dangerous part for a defense in the NFL is the first 15 they script. They have a game plan, an idea of how we are going to line up in certain situations. Then they have a precise plan of how to attack us…as a defense, we have to be better in the first 15.”

When asked about Emmanuel Forbes being benched, Allen said he and Kendall Fuller both told Forbes to stay focused and he will be ok. Both talked of how they failed at times early in their career and learned from it.

Allen also expressed he believes in Casey Toohill and was not surprised by the plays Toohill made when getting snaps at defensive end Sunday.

Allen said he told his defensive teammates Sunday to go out there and have fun, to play fast and for your teammates. He clarified by saying, yes, there are several things to still clean up, but he is glad they got the win.

Commanders Jonathan Allen: ‘the defense has to play better’

Allen promises the defense will be better.

One defensive starter feels the Commanders let the Eagles off of the hook, Sunday before falling 34-31 in overtime.

Jonathan Allen, said, “…the defense has to play better.”

The Commanders defensive tackle was making his weekly appearance on the “Sports Junkies” 106.7 The Fan Monday-Friday 6-10 am.

Allen expressed frustration and feels the good thing is this week, they are scheduled to play the Bears on Thursday night. Thus, Allen feels the short week forces the players to forget Sunday’s loss quicker and move on to the next challenge.

Losing such a close, hard-fought NFL game can be tough on a player’s sleep. Allen expressed that Sunday’s loss definitely kept him awake at times in the night. But he then added that he has learned that “in the NFL, you don’t want to permit one game to become two games and then three games.”

“We’re definitely frustrated we let that (game) go, but you got to take what you can from it and move on to the next game,” explained Allen.

Allen praised the Eagles offensive line, saying they are all five very good starters, and perhaps they may even have two Hall of Famers, and they play together so well.

“I feel like we played good in stretches, but this is the NFL, and you have to play good for all four quarters,” exclaimed Allen. “They made the plays when they needed to; hats off to them.”

“One thing I am going to say, though, is this is the NFL. We have a bunch of guys who are going to work our butts off to get this right, and we are going to get it right.”

Allen then pointed to the defense in particular, in how they have allowed too many points against Denver, Buffalo and Philadelphia.

“We are going to get this fixed, and we are working our you know what off every day to get back to what we know is good defense.”

“We HAVE to win this. This is a MUST-win game.”

Jonathan Allen on Commanders loss to Bills: ‘I put it on the D-Line’

Allen keeping it real as always.

Who gets the most blame for the Commanders embarrassing 37-3 home loss to the Bills?

Jonathan Allen without hesitation responded, “I put it on the D-Line.”

Allen was making his weekly appearance this 2023 season on the “Sports Junkies” Monday mornings on 106.7 the Fan.

Allen told of arriving home Sunday evening around 6 p.m. ET, finding the Cowboys were losing to the Cardinals. Allen then watched the rest of that game and said he went to bed early to get some rest, as he had already turned his attention to Week 4.

Monday is no time for sulking over a tough loss for the former 17th overall pick of the Redskins in the 2017 draft. He has a routine, and he was getting right back to it following his interview Monday morning with the “Sports Junkies.”

Monday afternoon for the defensive tackle was scheduled to include some heavy squatting, a massage, and also a session in the Hyperbaric chamber. This is a room where the air pressure inside is raised to a level that is higher than normal air pressure. The increased air pressure in the chamber helps the lungs collect more oxygen.

The idea behind the chamber is an athlete the size of Allen (over 300 pounds), who has exerted himself so heavily in an NFL game, will recover quicker as increased oxygen reaches the body’s tissues.

Allen blamed the defensive line, expressing they allowed Bills quarterback Josh Allen too much time to get out of the pocket, making it harder on his teammates in pass coverage.

“As a defensive lineman, we have to be better, and I have to be better myself,” emphasized the always-responsible Allen. “I have to make sure I am doing what I need to do in staying in my rush lane, making sure he doesn’t have a place to run.”

“I feel like when you have four first-round picks on the defensive line, we are expected to make some of those plays. Again, we have four first-round picks, so we need to get the job done. The D-Line has to play better, and we are going to play better.”

“I mean, we lost 37-3. I think you can safely say everybody on the team failed.”

Jonathan Allen: ‘It’s definitely a new era’

Jonathan Allen calls this “by far” the most complete team he’s been on in seven NFL seasons.

Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was himself, taking responsibility for the slow start Sunday.

Allen was making his weekly appearance this 2023 season on the “Sports Junkies” Monday mornings on 106.7 The Fan.

Rather than talk of how the offense had only scored 3 points, Allen told of how the defense made things hard for the team, getting off to a slow start and giving up touchdowns on Denver’s first three possessions.

He said he enjoyed “being able to come back after playing so poorly defensively in the first quarter and tighten things up and give our team a chance to win.”

Then Allen quickly praised the offense, “Hats off to our offense; they played a great game. Guys made plays when they needed to, and it was great to get the victory.” He feels “it’s definitely a new era.”

Allen credited the Broncos offense for making plays and also added the Commanders defense contributed by having some communication errors, and they were “not gap sound” at times.

Down 21-3, Allen declared, “On the sidelines nobody was screaming at each other; nobody was defeated. Let’s just calm down, slow down; it’s an 18-point game, there’s lots of game left. Let’s do it one play at a time.”

When the offense suddenly scored on their last two possession of the first half, Allen said he saw the score had become 21-14, and he thought, “We’re good.”

Having Chase Young back in the lineup was an encouragement. Allen said, “It felt great! I’m looking forward to having a fun season with him.”

“This is by far the most complete team I have had (in the NFL),” Allen expressed. “It’s going to be a fun season.”

Regarding linebacker Jamin Davis’ improved play, Allen pointed to the fact that Davis actually only started one year in college, and the transition to the NFL can be very difficult. But he sees Davis playing faster and sees a good year for Davis.

He also pointed out Daron Payne is really living up to his performance of last season, and this is why the team signed Payne to his new lucrative contract.

Emmanuel Forbes is a rookie Allen really likes thus far. “You would think he has been in the league five or six years. He is level-headed, calm, just a ball player. I love it.”

When Denver scored on the Hail Mary attempt as time expired, Allen said, “I was so tired I didn’t even know what to think at that point. The way the ball bounced, I guess they got lucky. I really don’t know what to say about that.”

Allen is excited about new Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. He said he was impressed with Howell’s preparation this last week and that the team is believing in Howell’s ability and leadership.

The rest of the team can learn by listening more to Jonathan Allen; that much is altogether certain.

Jonathan Allen wanted to win for the Commanders fans

Jonathan Allen always tells it like it is. And he was happy to give Washington fans a home win.

Jonathan Allen was himself Monday, feeling secure enough to not give the expected answers, but tell it like it is.

Allen was making his weekly appearance this 2023 season on the “Sports Junkies” Monday mornings on 106.7 The Fan.

Jason Bishop began stating the Cardinals were basically starting a third-string quarterback and that he knew Allen would not publicly admit it had been a must-win game. Allen, without hesitation, responded, “No, we definitely felt that. This was definitely a must-win.”

Allen said he reminded some teammates that when Washington played the undefeated Steelers in 2020, “I’m pretty sure they weren’t looking at us as a serious threat when they were 11-0. And we won.”

“Cakes,” asked Allen about the home crowd Sunday, being such a predominantly Commanders home crowd, unlike recent seasons as fan support had dwindled. “That was the best crowd support at FedEx I’ve seen in my career. When the fans come out and support like that, I want to win for them. I want to play harder for them.”

“We are happy to give them (Commanders fans) the win, to give them something to take home for the rest of this week until next week. It was a really fun game for us.”

Asked by Eric Bickel how the defense was so dominant for most of the second half, Allen expressed, “The DBs were locked in, the linebackers were locked in, and the defensive line. We were all locked into our job. Coach Del Rio puts his trust in us. We’ve invested a lot of (draft) picks to the line. So it is on us to put pressure on the quarterback and make everyone else’s job easier. We want that challenge, that opportunity.”

Allen and his wife traveled around the world last offseason and he told of how they hiked in tremendous heat and at high elevations at times as well. JP asked regarding the Commanders having to play in “the Mile High City” against the Broncos in Week 2.

“We are in the NFL. We get paid millions of dollars. It’s our job to be ready to play in the altitude. At the end of the day, I get paid to do a job. I’m not going to let altitude stop me from doing that job.”

Don’t you just love Jonathan Allen? Don’t you just love his manly attitude about work?

I wonder what a Commanders roster of 53 players with the attitude of Jonathan Allen could accomplish in the NFL?

Questions increasing regarding Commanders defensive line

Injuries piling up along the defensive line.

Suddenly the strong is much weaker.

The strongest unit of the Washington Commanders team has no doubt been the defensive line. Media and fans wondered Tuesday why the front office determined to keep 11 defensive linemen on the 53-man roster.

There is now no question why. Thursday, the Commanders announced Efe Obada is joining Phidarian Mathis on the injured reserve List. This means both Mathis (calf) and Obada (knee) will miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season.

Oh, there’s more. The most consistent and productive member of the defensive front four, Jonathan Allen, is battling Plantar Fasciitis.

Consequently, Abdullah Anderson was re-signed to the active roster.

At the roster announcement press conference Tuesday, Ben Standig asked Coach Rivera regarding injuries and Chase Young. Coach Ron replied,

“We’re not gonna talk about that. We’re gonna talk about where we are right now. We’re going forward with this right now; this was a good day.”

Suddenly, Chase Young being a contributor is again a question. After being the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year, the Commanders have gotten almost nothing from Young.  In 2021, there were issues with Young in the offseason, and he produced nothing more than frustration for the coaches in 2021. Then, came his bad injury, ending his season.

This spring, many fans insisted Rivera was so out of line to not provide Young the fifth-year option. Are you folks still going to maintain the same position?

Obada and Mathis are definitely gone for at least four games. Might Young miss the opener? Will Allen fully recover or be limited during the season? How much will Young produce this season?

Is it any wonder Rivera is already concerned?

Commanders Jonathan Allen battling Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is not an easy injury to deal with.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Saturday that Jonathan Allen is battling Plantar fasciitis.

Rivera then added that it is not serious.

Allen has been a Pro Bowler his last two seasons and was also voted by other players into the Top 100 current players in the NFL.

Plantar fasciitis can quickly become very limiting, very painful and become a major issue if not treated properly early enough.

A man of Allen’s weight (300 pounds), and having to push off with his feet every single play, this could quickly become a serious issue if Allen does not get enough physical therapy and rest.

Plantar fasciitis was for a long time thought to be an issue primarily of inflammation. However, in recent years, studies on the tissue of those suffering from Plantar fasciitis have found it to be a matter of actual tissue death.

Certain shoes that have too small of a toe box actually restrict the tendons, muscles and blood circulation in the feet. Biopsies on some patients experiencing bad heel pain have revealed actual dying tissue.

Toe mobility and joint mobility are essential movements in physical therapy, helping the patient to address the actual root of the problem and not merely the symptoms.

The Commanders, of course, do see Allen as vital to their regular season success. It is certainly not essential that Allen continue to play this preseason. Perhaps Allen could simply undergo physical therapy throughout the remainder of the preseason and be permitted to sit out Monday’s contest at FedEx Field against the Ravens.

Commanders’ Mason Brooks and Phidarian Mathis battled Tuesday

One undrafted rookie stood out Tuesday.

Tuesday was Washington’s first day in pads, and now more know of Mason Brooks.

Head coach Ron Rivera had the team doing some one-on-one work in pads. Thus, the linemen in the trenches squared off with intensity.

The Commanders signed Brooks as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL draft. The right guard out of Ole Miss made an impression Tuesday against defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis — Washington’s second-round pick in 2022.

The defensive line has been getting the better of the offensive line thus far in training camp. It should not be surprising. Look how much the Commanders have invested in the defensive line over the offensive line.

But when Brooks got the best of Mathis, offensive coach Juan Castillo became very excited for Brooks. So they ordered the two to go at it again, and Brooks again got the best of Mathis, this time driving Mathis to the ground.

Following practice, Mathis was asked about his day.

“It was a good day, man. I feel like the defense came out strong; we played physical, just helping the offense get better today. I think it was a great first day.”

As for the battle with Brooks? Mathis replied,

“It’s just a lot of excitement, man. It’s just the first day getting back at it; just talking a little trash. It’s just trying to get each other better.”

Mathis went down in the season opener last season, spending the rest of the season on injured reserve.

“It was long, it was kind of heartbreaking, just for the first game to go out like that. But at the same time, it was a big humbling experience, just sitting out, getting to watch those guys go out every Sunday and play. It made me look at the game differently. You just never know when it’s your last play, so you got to take everything serious. Never take this game for granted.”

Mathis realizes it is a privilege for him to have fellow tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne:

“Their game is just flawless. Those two guys together, man, they’ll attack a lot of offenses. It’s a blessing for me just to be behind those guys learning each day, just watching their game so I can add it to mine.”

Mathis said he is actually “reminding myself I can do this. This is why I got drafted here. Showing everybody that I was the second pick for a reason. I’m just coming back for what I left on the table. I left a lot out there.”

Mathis hopes to play much more in his second season.

“Whenever my name is called, I’m just trying to go in there and do my job and help out the team.”