Keenan Allen must handle success now By Michael Gehlken This story is about Keenan Allen. So, it seems safe to say, the Chargers wide receiver wont be reading it. He probably will learn about this story second-hand. Friends from home, family members or fans will send it to Allen, as they have done with previous articles via text messages, phone calls and through Twitter. Then, it will be Allens turn to do as he has done. “Ill click on it,” he said. “I just wont read it. Just look at the picture.” And on he goes. The youngest player on the Chargers roster, a rookie who was 20 when drafted in April, is among the teams biggest surprises this year. Allen has caught 23 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns the past four games, a run that becomes more impressive when considering his growing pains months ago. Moving forward, confidence management is key. He struggled in the early portion of his NFL career but didnt get too low, trusting his success would come. Now that it has, he knows he cant get too high. Ignoring the press “goes along with it,” Allen said. “Not reading articles. Not getting into the media with what theyre talking about. … Just staying out of that. Just try to get better. Keep staying humbled. Keep staying grounded.” Doing so was easy during organized team activities in the spring. Allen, 21, was constantly humbled. He entered OTAs too heavy at 216 pounds. His route-running and overall play were considered sloppy, and he heard about it. A coach would get after him, yelling at and yanking him from a rep in front of the team, sentencing him to the last place he wanted to be: the sideline. One teammate said that, at times, the treatment seemed too harsh for the crime, but there is no doubt the point the Chargers were out to make and no doubt their lesson landed. Allen took responsibility for the immaturity. He says that regaining his work ethic helped him enter training camp at 202 pounds. Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt noticed a big difference between the Allen in camp and the one in OTAs, he said. I think it became more serious for him, Whisenhunt said. I think he realized the way he was going wasnt going to get him playing time. A lot of that is the leadership you see at that position, guys who are serious about the position. Danario (Alexander), Malcom (Floyd), Vincent (Brown), Eddie (Royal) — those are serious guys. You look at that and say, Ive got to change something about the way Im doing it. Now, he understands. Guys are counting on him. Its been a different approach for him. Its great to see a young guy grow up. On Sept. 15, in Philadelphia, the Chargers began to see what they had in Allen. He is a gamer. Malcom Floyd suffered a season-ending neck injury at the start of the third quarter. Two plays later, Allen made a diving 18-yard catch to convert a third-and-8. In the fourth quarter, he cut sharply on an in route to catch a 16-yard pass over the middle on third-and-7. The drives he extended led to a touchdown and field goal, respectively. Tight end Antonio Gates shook his head in the locker room this week when discussing Allens growth. A knee injury sidelined Allen for the end of his 2012 season at California. He was reportedly clocked at 4.71 seconds in his fastest pro-day attempt at the 40-yard dash, which didnt help his fall to the third round. I knew he was good, but Ive never seen this, Gates said. I didnt think it would evolve this fast. He is making plays in the game, and Im like, Wow. ... You dont really expect it. They talk about his speed and this and that. The boy can play football, and he can get open. All that stuff about speed. If you can play and get open, thats what wins games for you. Thats what makes plays for you. You can get a dog to run and jump. You know what I mean? Thats what this league has underestimated. Chargers wide receivers coach Fred Graves rode Allen when he was struggling. Despite Allens progress, the push for more hasnt stopped. Veterans see the potential in the receiver. They encourage him to keep going, remind him that success in the NFL isnt about stringing games together. Its about the long haul, about season after season. In a short span, quarterback Philip Rivers has come to trust Allen on the field. He can have a conversation about what to do during the game should a scenario arise, Allen will say he understands, and then during the game, sure enough, hell prove it. I say this: Its been impressive what hes done, Rivers said, but he can be even better. In Week 6, Allen played the first Monday Night Football game of his career. He caught a career-high nine of 12 passes for 107 yards and a 22-yard touchdown. The performance earned him publicity and Pepsi Next Rookie of the Week honors. Coach Mike McCoy saw Allens father at one of the Chargers games this season. He said dont let him read the newspaper, McCoy said. We always tell him to just keep on going. Hes doing what he is supposed to do. Thats why we brought him here. It was nothing new to us. He had a very successful college career. We tell him, Dont read the clippings; you have a long way to go.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 15:56:34 +0000
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