Carolina Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera expects new signing Jared Allen to play well and quickly for the NFC South side.
The Panthers traded away a sixth-round pick for the veteran pass-rusher due to the fact their best defensive end Charles Johnson went down with a hamstring injury at the weekend against the New Orleans Saints.
The NFC South side don't know how long Johnson will be out for, so they were quick to grab Allen once they knew he was available to use him as a viable replacement. Due to this urgency, Rivera expects the former Chicago Bears defensive lineman to get up to speed quickly.
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He said via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review: "“We didn’t want to wait when we found out there was an opportunity. [Allen’s] a pass-rushing specialist. He plays the run very well; he’s a physical guy.
"He’s got good size, good hand strength, he rushes with violence, he doesn’t just sit there and work one way or the other. He’s got counter moves. We watched a lot of tape on him today to make sure this could potentially be a fit for us.”
Allen is a two-time NFL sacks leader, with his highest sacks in a single season being 22 during the 2011 campaign for the Minnesota Vikings. However, he hasn't had the same kind of impact on opposing offenses since that year.
The Panthers will be relying on Allen to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks until Johnson is able to make a return. He'll probably start this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so the team will be hoping they can defeat another divisional rival and move to 4-0.
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