Penn State DC Tom Allen talks defensive depth chart, progress of key players (full press conference)

what what have you seen from him thus far that led you to believe that would be the right fit and now that he's at linebacker what have you seen yeah I think um you know his his size you know um we felt like that uh he had the length and the frame to be able to uh put on the good weight as as he grows but obviously right now he's already you know close to 220 lbs you know as a safety which is a it's a big old safety you know and I've um in in my past I've always had a um strong inclination to take safeties and move them tobacco just because you get the athleticism that you're looking for ability to play In Space the way the game is played now and uh the guys that have the frame ability to do that you know sometimes you don't know until you get them on campus how they're going to respond and stuff so we just felt like that that would allow him to be able to um you know have a chance to help us you know we've had some some injuries at that position had some guys that uh that U we just need to step up so to me I feel like that he's actually transitioned really really well um more natural there than I would have thought sometimes you don't know they're going to be in the Box how physical they're going to be with taking on blockers use his hands extremely well obviously now he's become a very athletic uh linebacker uh but with a big frame you know so to me I feel like he's got a great future there I'm excited we made the move he's is well I think he sees it's a great opportunity for him to be able to get on the field sooner and uh I feel like he's going to be able to you know as the season progresses really you know help us in that area Tom when you when you have uh like two safeties plus the hybrid guy on the field the two linebackers what how is their job different than it would be if they had if it was a normal you know four three yeah know I would say uh that part is not different you know um basically the biggest change is is having that body type you know in your in your look that that safety body type yeah at the lon position but as far as the mic in the wheel uh they really there's a lot of carryovers and so we can actually do a lot of things where we'll we'll sub out a Sam for that line position and use a lot of the same Concepts so it really doesn't change for the two guys that are either in the Box one thing I think it does do though it kind of allows them to to stay in the Box you know and be able to um have less moving Parts if that makes sense in regards to what the offense may do to you so um I feel like that in the way I coach the backers is it's guys you have certain things that you do to play in the box and you play out of the box there's still going to be times when especially the will he'll be out of the box as well so but the mic is pretty pretty much guys is going to stay in in that area so uh not near as many differences as you might think and we try to keep a lot of carryover so we can do multiple things with the you know both packages and feel really good about it how does having Abdel and his style on the other end impact an ey yeah I think it's uh it's a great thing anytime you have uh guys with various skill sets you know compliment each other guys that they have to deal with on both sides uh affects the ability for them not to be able to hey I'm just going to slide the protection to one guy you know that's obviously going to give that other guy opportunity so I think the compliment is huge um and I think that those two guys are going to play well off each other with without question and we need them too no doubt about it so but I I think they're both special players and expect a big things from them uh Tom about denies specifically what did you want to see from him this fall camp and do you feel like you've seen that so far you know I think the biggest thing is is when you're a year older and you know you want to elevate your game you know and there's a you know when you have a really good season year it doesn't mean that you just I just got to do the exact same thing so I can just try to be the same I want to be willing to be better you know and I think that's what we're trying to do is just get to the point where uh you feel like that hey you're you're progressing as a player to me you every year you got things you need to work on and uh to me that's what he has had and that's what we've been focusing on and to me I think he's done a really good job for us as well I think the bottom line is it's all about making plays on the game day and that that position for us is huge and uh but his size is really uh one of his strengths without question he's a he's a tough match up on all tight ends in the Big 10 and that needs to be the case you know so I want him to be disruptive I want him to be just um absolutely a guy that they have to feel like that they got to do something to handle you know schematically take him out coach what has Tony roas shown you through training camp you know just great consistency you know uh I think that all his hard work this off season is showing up uh his his size his speed uh his ability for him to make plays you know he flashes he shows up uh and I think that's a big big part I mean backers got to got to be that way they got to be productive and they got to got to lead I think he's still working on him growth in that area you know but I think it also takes time you know Kobe's really kind of taking over that role on top and uh you know I think that uh he's able to to get in there with those guys and just and just focus on doing his job you know which is fine and he's still young you know so but you definitely see him flash make you know when there's pressures on the quarterback or you know plays in space but to me it's about his athleticism and his speed is what's going to be his biggest strength Just sh the leadership of Dona and why do you think that it's important for him to still be a captain yeah it's just an awesome thing to see him be bor for that because he's so respected by his teammates uh it's his consistent work ethic his consistent effort and and how he practices his attention to the detail he's so smart man he's got such a great football IQ he's a really good football player and no matter where he could play all three of our linebacker spots which is that's tough to say you know even both mentally and physically and he's got it he's bigger than he's ever been you know and uh I just think that he's his is his consistency and his ability to not allow anybody around him to sell for anything less than their best he holds him accountable and I think that's a hard thing to do but it's a quality of a great leader how has Tamir picked up will yeah I tell you what he uh um Tamir is a guy that I feel like really flashed uh he has got great speed um I think he's learning the defense really really well I think he's going to be a guy that can play really in my mind he's he's a three position guy you know because of his length and his size and uh um I think he's got a good football IQ and I think he cares a whole bunch and so he's he's picking it up well you know I think he's going to be able to be a guy we've we've challenged all of our guys to play at least two positions and a couple them we've asked him to learn three and so but like I said once you learn in the Box out of the box it's kind of really the two things that they kind of stick out to me if you can do that you can pretty much play all three so but but he's tamir's a he's a really talented player that I I see him he's he's playing his best football right now what made KJ a deserving captain wow I mean just it's uh the standard he places upon himself uh he's Relentless I mean everybody I mean it was obvious to the whole team that he's he's the guy that deserved to be in one of those spots and I think the votes reflected over that and uh but it's it's constant you know he's so hard on himself he's so um such a perfectionist in in everything some still a fault which is a good thing because I think that's that's often you just have to help him be able to flush a mistake and not dwell on but at the same time I feel like he's he's really uh he elevates everybody around him I think that's what to me is is what great leaders do what great players do and it doesn't matter it's in the waight room during jog TRS during practice in a locker room uh he's earned that respect and I think he's I think I I know I said it before he's his preparation and the way he goes out his business is as good as I've seen Tom the the team posted a video the other day it said grind here look at Camp shine here Beaver Stadium sold out that mindset of the more that you hustle here the more that you grind when kind of nobody's watching how much do you Embrace that or enjoy that kind of oh love it I mean I call it dirty hard work in the dark and I think it's you got to be willing to do that you know when no one's watching over the summer practices before practice ear the morning when no one else is around guys coming in here doing extra work uh to me that's what makes this program what it is you know that's that blue collar work ethic it's just that toughness that grit that fight I think that's uh that's what makes this place special and and to me that's you know we're playing on National stage every week so I think it's pretty easy to make that correlation to what's going to happen when you do you know get a chance to be seen and and the whole world's watching you know so I do feel like that that uh the guys have bought into that and they recognize that um you know when they're doing all that work with each other and by themselves and whatever they're doing on their own uh when they're working with the team I mean it's it's what has to be done in order to have that opportunity to shine when it counts the most has Lonzo Ford changed your perception of the depth of the defensive there's no question he's a guy that honestly I wasn't you know because of the injury you know I I know uh we had watched him when he was at ODU uh where I was at previously and really liked him but then the injury was one of those where the guy from that position is hard to know how he's going to come back so I would say a very pleasant surprise you know and he's playing at a high level right now and he's going to definitely be in the rotation and uh I'm really excited about him and to me he he helps you solidify a group where you you wanted to have strength there but he's a big guy that there's no question my mind's going to give us very very meaningful SPS steps have you ever had five five no I haven't you know so but uh you're going to need them all I'm telling you in this league you know in this kind of season the length we're going to have you going need them all is there a Str speaking of the defensive tackles is there almost a bit of a strategic move to have guys that are a little bit lighter around that 280 285 and then guys that are you know 300 yeah there's no question I mean it's uh uh we would favor the twitch over the mass you know now if you get both that's a great thing you know so it's hard to get that you know both that size the 300 plus and the twitch and we would we would definitely you know favor the twitch first you know because of what we do schematically and uh I'm all into that bought into that I believe in that so to me that's kind of where you see those body types there and you try to get them to you know the 290 at least range you know if you're 280 285 you know that's that's solid you know but you like to get closer to 290 if you can you know but at the same time um as long as they're strong and can hold point and still be able to have the lateral quickness and the movement that we want then they can be very effective in our defense and so to me the movement is a big part of what we do and uh I think that's why you see guys in more favor of that kind of you know weight range than they do the beiger ones James mentioned earlier in Camp that one of the things that he liked last year Manny Diaz was able to play with a lot more man coverage and be take away the easy access throws against soft coverages how hard is that or how easy is that to transition a part of a defense in terms of of like changing the percentages that you're you're calling something yeah I mean I think you have to be careful with that um and it really kind of depends on you know once you're with them and you kind of figure out what our strengths are um and and I'm I'm a huge believer in taking away easy access roads without question you know when I was you know working with the officite side of the ball as a head coach that was the first thing we look for you know when you're evaluating opponent is where are the you know the access thr are going to be able to take based on their structure that they have so uh and teams that didn't give it to you that way was always more challenging you know so but at the same time you also have to have a mixture I I believe to be able to uh play a little bit of you know several different concepts to be able to allow yourself to be more versatile in that so to me it just depends on you know the strength of your guys you know the quality of your guys up front and the ability for them to be able to do multiple skill sets of techniques that we want to be able to do in our defense so we're going to play to our strings and that we're figuring that out here as we go every single week have you have you sorted out the fourth safety and fifth safety like you come yeah we're getting closer yeah we're very very close to that so it's still I'd say it's a once we get into game week next week we'll feel better about that but yeah we're getting close do you do you get joy from designing defenses I'm thinking specifically in coverage it just it seems like at times there's there's moments where things happen and it seems like that something specific or intentional so I guess like how much do you enjoy the process of Designing plays for defense oh there's no question I mean that's kind of that's what excites me you know watching film and trying to figure those things out and uh you know there's the balance between doing all those things and what can you guys execute you know so a lot of things look great on paper they're good on the board but you got to be able to execute them you know so but yeah to me it's all about causing indecision with the guy under Center that's what everything is about you know and making him have to Pat the ball one or two extra times you know and make him have to question what he's seeing pre snap you know so trying to do a good job of that that's easy said than done sometimes but but yeah to me that's that's kind of the fun part of of being a DC is just trying to game plan and scheme and trying to figure out a way to get that extra thanks s appreciate you guys