Among all of the impressive accomplishments that helped Eric Allen make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the fact that he maintained his elite level of play so he never had to move from cornerback in his 14 seasons stands out.
From his first game as a rookie as part of Buddy Ryan’s fierce defenses in Philadelphia in 1988 to his final game as a savvy veteran for the Oakland Raiders in 2001, Allen shut down opposing receivers as well as anybody.
“I take tremendous pride in that,” Allen said. “But to be able to be on the corner from day one to the last game of my career, being a starter and being an effective player, it means a lot. … I’m not a DB, I’m a corner. I’m not going to be all snobby. But it’s different positions.”
And few played it as well as Allen and now he had gotten the ultimate recognition when he will be officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday.
“I played against a lot of really good corners. I think Eric was one of the smartest I’ve played against,” said Rich Gannon, who played against Allen early in his career and was a teammate at the end with the Raiders when Allen and Charles Woodson would match up against Jerry Rice and Tim Brown in heated practice sessions.
“He was really clever. He jumped certain routes, recognized certain things. He’s one of those guys, if you’re going to throw in his direction, you better see him. You just can’t put your foot in the ground and think the receiver’s got separation. He’d bait you. He’d act like he got beat or he was off. He had great recovery skill, good recovery speed. There just wasn’t a lot of weakness in his game.”
Allen credits his preparation for his success that included six Pro Bowl berths, one All-Pro selection in 1989, two second-team selections and 54 interceptions.
Allen grew up playing both ways and envisioned himself as being Marcus Allen, growing up in San Diego. Those running back skills paid dividends in the NFL with nine interceptions returned for touchdowns, including one in a playoff win for Philadelphia over New Orleans in the 1992 season and a league-leading four in the 1993 season alone.
“That always seemed like a requirement for the position, don’t just intercept it but when you catch it, run. That’s your opportunity to show your moves,” he said. “So when you get the ball, it’s your time to turn to Marcus Allen. It was a requirement. If you play the cornerback, if you catch the ball and you get to try and score.”
Allen’s career started in Philadelphia in 1988 with his rookie season ending with a playoff loss in the famous “Fog Bowl” game at Chicago. It ended with another famous playoff loss when the Raiders lost to New England in the “Tuck Rule” game following the 2001 season.
“That’s crazy,” he said. “I talk about that a lot too. Two things that were definitely beyond our control.”
Allen’s biggest memory of the Tuck Rule game came just before that fateful play when he overheard Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis discuss the play call that had a slant as the first option.
Allen told linebacker William Thomas to cover the first open widow and Allen was there to jump the route if Brady waited — which is exactly what happened but Woodson forced what was called a fumble on the field only to get overturned on a replay that still haunts the Raiders from that game today.
When coach Jon Gruden was traded away from Oakland a few weeks later, Allen decided it was time to retire and missed the Raiders run to the Super Bowl in 2002.
“I just thought that was maybe the perfect time to book end my career,” he said.
All that was left was the wait for the call from the Hall of Fame that came earlier this year when former Arizona State teammate Randall McDaniel delivered the news.
“The people around me, my circle, it really kind of relieved for them,” Allen said. “I was never panicked or ever in a situation where, oh, man, I’m not going to get in. I came to peace about this a long time ago, Whenever I get in will be perfect.”
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