Getting to Know the 2012 Steelers: Safety Will Allen

During the course of training camp, we will be giving our readers a look inside the roster at the players that will attempt to make up the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers. Today, we take a look at veteran safety Will Allen.

PRO (114-26/5-0): Signed a three-year contract with the Steelers on March 8, 2010…standout special teams performer and experienced defensive back with versatility to contribute at either safety position…has played in 98 career regular-season games with 26 starts…has seen action in four career playoff games (two with Pittsburgh, two with Tampa Bay)…has totaled 202 career tackles, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown, and seven passes defended…has 74 career tackles, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries on special teams in his eight seasons in the NFL…originally entered the league as Tampa Bay’s fourth-round selection (111th overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft.

2011 (16-0/1-0): 9/11 at Baltimore: Saw action on special teams…9/18 vs. Seattle: Saw action on special teams in his 100th career game…9/25 at Indianapolis: Saw action on special teams…10/2 at Houston: Saw action on special teams for the 10th consecutive game…had one special teams tackle…10/9 vs. Tennessee: Saw action on special teams…10/16 vs. Jacksonville: Saw action on special teams in his 20th game as a Steeler…10/23 at Arizona: Saw action on special teams in his 105th career contest…had one special teams tackle…10/30/11 vs. New England: Saw action on special teams…had two special teams tackles…11/6/11 vs. Baltimore: Saw action on special teams…11/13 at Cincinnati: Saw action on special teams in his 10th game this season…11/27 at Kansas City: Saw action on special teams…12/4 vs. Cincinnati: Saw action on special teams and on defense in his 110th career game…12/8 vs. Cleveland: Saw action on special teams…had one special teams tackle…12/19 at San Francisco: Saw action on special teams and on defense…12/24 vs. St. Louis: Had three special teams tackles…1/1 at Cleveland: Had one special teams tackle…AFC Wild Card 1/8 at Denver: Saw action on special teams.

2010 (14-0/2-0): Saw action on special teams and in the secondary for 14 games in the regular season…missed two games because of a concussion…finished the regular season with seven tackles…added 12 tackles and one fumble recovery on special teams…saw action on special teams for two postseason contests, but missed the AFC Championship due to a knee injury…had two special teams tackles in the postseason…9/12 vs. Atlanta: Made his Steelers debut in the secondary and on special teams…had one special teams tackle…9/19 at Tennessee: Saw action on special teams for the second consecutive game…had one special teams tackle…9/26 at Tampa Bay: Played in his 85th career game…saw action on special teams and at safety…had four tackles…had one special teams tackle…10/3 vs. Baltimore: Played in his 86th career game…saw action on special teams and in the secondary…10/17 vs. Cleveland: Played in his fifth consecutive game on special teams and at safety…10/17 vs. Cleveland: Played in his sixth consecutive game on special teams…had one special teams tackle…10/31 at New Orleans: Saw action on special teams for the seventh consecutive game…11/8 at Cincinnati: Saw action on special teams for the eighth consecutive game…played in his 90th career game…had two special teams tackles…11/14 vs. New England: Was inactive due to a concussion…11/21 vs. Oakland: Was inactive due to a concussion…11/28 at Buffalo: Saw action on special teams…12/5 at Baltimore: Saw action on special teams…12/12 vs. Cincinnati: Saw action on special teams…had one special teams tackle…12/19 vs. N.Y. Jets: Saw action on special teams…had two special teams tackles…12/23 vs. Carolina: Saw action on special teams…also saw action in the secondary…had one tackle…had two special teams tackles…recovered his first fumble of the season and third of his career on special teams…1/2 at Cleveland: Saw action on special teams and in the secondary…had two tackles…had one special teams tackle…AFC Divisional Game 1/15 vs. Baltimore: Saw action on special teams for his third career postseason game (first two were for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)…had two special teams tackles…AFC Championship Game 1/23 vs. N.Y. Jets: Was inactive due to a knee injury…Super Bowl XLV 2/6 vs. Green Bay: Saw action on special teams for his fourth career postseason contest.

2009 (8-2/0-0): Played in eight games during the 2009 season with two starts (vs. N.Y. Giants and at Washington) before being placed on the Reserve/Injured List on November 11…9/13 vs. Dallas: Posted one tackle in season opener…9/20 at Buffalo: Had three stops and one special teams tackle…9/27 vs. New York Giants: Made first start of season and led the secondary with a career-high 13 tackles…10/4 at Washington: Recorded one tackle…10/11 at Philadelphia: Notched two tackles…10/18 vs. Carolina: Saw action in the secondary and on special teams…10/25 vs. New England: Saw action in the secondary and on special teams…11/8 vs. Green Bay: Tallied one tackle

PERSONAL: In the spring of 2006, developed “Quest for Real Life Success”…Quest is an after school program designed to prepare students for life after high school…formulated the Will Allen Foundation in May 2008, which performs charitable work in Tampa and in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio…served as a celebrity escort and model in the Fashion Funds the Cure show to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation in 2008 and 2009…took part in three-day seminars at both the Harvard Business School and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as part of the NFL’s Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program in February and March 2008…spoke to students at Turkey Creek Middle School in Plant City about the importance of physical activity and sound nutrition during a Buccaneers and American Heart Association “What Moves U” fitness rally in January 2008…during the “Buccaneers Day of Giving” in December 2007 and December 2008, joined other players by surprising 30 local needy families with Christmas gifts, and then joined them on a shopping spree to a local department store…escorted cancer survivors during the SAKS Fifth Avenue “Key to the Cure” Fashion Show to benefit the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in October 2007…celebrated the start of the 2007 season at the Official Season Kickoff Party presented by Miller Lite…in 2006, was on hand with several teammates to help collect toys for the Metropolitan Ministries annual toy drive by signing autographs at the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent in exchange for the donation of a new, unwrapped toy…visited children in the University Community Hospital Pediatric Care Center to sign Buccaneers pennants for them for the holidays in 2005…in October 2005, teamed up with several teammates, the Home Depot and the United Way of Tampa Bay to landscape the front of Potter Elementary School in Tampa as part of the NFL/United Way Hometown Huddle in an effort to inspire volunteerism throughout the community…joined several teammates at the North Shore Retirement Home in 2004 to sing holiday tunes and pass out Buccaneer pennants… As part of Thanksgiving 2004, stuffed and distributed food baskets at Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Food Tent…made an appearance at the North Tampa Boys & Girls Club with other members of the Buccaneers Rookie Club to run the Gatorade Youth Football Clinic during the 2004 season…has two younger brothers playing college football; Steve for Army and Chris for Ball State…attended Wayne (Huber Heights, OH) High School, earning Associated Press Division I All-Ohio, Super Prep All-Midwest and Rivals.com Top 100 honors…also played baseball and ran track..son of Keith and Monica Allen…born Will Allen on June 17, 1982 in Dayton, Ohio.

His Role with the Steelers in 2012: Allen showed his moxie last season with his play on special teams, and while he played in all 16 games during the regular season, he didn’t get a start, and that’s probably going to be the case in 2012. He only had 9 tackles, but again, his contributions will be on the kick units. I expect to see him on the roster, but not in a major role.