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Cardinals' quarterback still seeking deal after Allen signs with Dolphins
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Associated Press[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DAVIE, Fla. - Defensive back Jason Allen signed a six-year contract with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday, ending a 10-day contract impasse between the team and its first-round pick.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Allen, who was selected 16th overall, and the Dolphins agreed late Monday to the deal that reportedly includes up to $9 million in guaranteed money. He was on the field with the team Tuesday morning for the first of the day’s two scheduled workouts.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“It’s been a big relief for to be back here, come back home so to speak,” Allen said after the practice. “Been looking forward to coming down here. Very excited to be back around the guys in practice. I hadn’t had full pads on since October.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With Allen’s signing, only Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart — the No. 10 overall selection — remains as a holdout among this year’s first-round draft picks. Allen stayed in contact with the team during the holdout, even studying film of each practice in an effort to not slide too far down the learning curve.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“He’s excited about it and I think the other players are really positive about the fact that he’s here,” Dolphins coach Nick Saban said. “We just spoke with him every day and tried to get him better so we could get him ready to play. And he has to compete with the other guys who have been here to earn his spot.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Also Tuesday, the Dolphins waived injured cornerback Will Poole — who missed the entire 2005 season after reconstructive knee surgery and reinjured the joint last week in camp. Poole tore the ACL in his left knee during a minicamp in the spring of 2005, but Saban said the team hopes to re-sign him if he clears waivers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“That’s certainly our intention with Will, so he may be able to come back,” Saban said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Allen led the Southeastern Conference with 123 tackles in 2004, becoming the first non-linebacker in at least 35 years to lead Tennessee in that department.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The first Tennessee player to be taken in the opening round since 2002, Allen played only the first five games of his senior season because of a dislocated hip. He worked out daily in Atlanta during his holdout, doing so in midday heat and under a steamy sun — simulating the camp conditions in South Florida.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Right now everything’s mental for me, catching up from a mental standpoint with the plays and the days I missed,” Allen said. “That’s the biggest adjustment right now.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Even though Allen will have as many as four practice days before the preseason opens against Jacksonville on Saturday night, Saban indicated Allen will not be ready to play in the first exhibition.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Very similar to the way we did Ronnie Brown last year, I have a theory that a guy probably ought to practice for eight or nine practices before you put him in that kind of situation,” Saban said. “We’ll probably use a similar philosophy.”[/FONT]
Cardinals' quarterback still seeking deal after Allen signs with Dolphins
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Associated Press[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DAVIE, Fla. - Defensive back Jason Allen signed a six-year contract with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday, ending a 10-day contract impasse between the team and its first-round pick.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Allen, who was selected 16th overall, and the Dolphins agreed late Monday to the deal that reportedly includes up to $9 million in guaranteed money. He was on the field with the team Tuesday morning for the first of the day’s two scheduled workouts.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“It’s been a big relief for to be back here, come back home so to speak,” Allen said after the practice. “Been looking forward to coming down here. Very excited to be back around the guys in practice. I hadn’t had full pads on since October.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With Allen’s signing, only Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart — the No. 10 overall selection — remains as a holdout among this year’s first-round draft picks. Allen stayed in contact with the team during the holdout, even studying film of each practice in an effort to not slide too far down the learning curve.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“He’s excited about it and I think the other players are really positive about the fact that he’s here,” Dolphins coach Nick Saban said. “We just spoke with him every day and tried to get him better so we could get him ready to play. And he has to compete with the other guys who have been here to earn his spot.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Also Tuesday, the Dolphins waived injured cornerback Will Poole — who missed the entire 2005 season after reconstructive knee surgery and reinjured the joint last week in camp. Poole tore the ACL in his left knee during a minicamp in the spring of 2005, but Saban said the team hopes to re-sign him if he clears waivers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“That’s certainly our intention with Will, so he may be able to come back,” Saban said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Allen led the Southeastern Conference with 123 tackles in 2004, becoming the first non-linebacker in at least 35 years to lead Tennessee in that department.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The first Tennessee player to be taken in the opening round since 2002, Allen played only the first five games of his senior season because of a dislocated hip. He worked out daily in Atlanta during his holdout, doing so in midday heat and under a steamy sun — simulating the camp conditions in South Florida.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Right now everything’s mental for me, catching up from a mental standpoint with the plays and the days I missed,” Allen said. “That’s the biggest adjustment right now.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Even though Allen will have as many as four practice days before the preseason opens against Jacksonville on Saturday night, Saban indicated Allen will not be ready to play in the first exhibition.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Very similar to the way we did Ronnie Brown last year, I have a theory that a guy probably ought to practice for eight or nine practices before you put him in that kind of situation,” Saban said. “We’ll probably use a similar philosophy.”[/FONT]