""Father Time isn't really nipping at his heels because he was never a 4.3 guy," said Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton, referring to Allen's time in the 40-yard dash. "He's like a designated hitter in baseball or a great three-point shooter in basketball. Those players are always going to be there, and he has the ability to make them.""
"Allen, who could make NFL history Sunday when the Chargers play at the New York Giants, runs his routes with surgical precision and has Houdini hands, typically emerging with the football even when a defender is superglued to him. "I don't count on my speed to get open," said Allen, 33. "It's more like, in close spaces I've got to win.""
Keenan Allen relies on precise route-running and exceptional hands rather than top-end speed, allowing sustained productivity as he ages. Technique and tight-space competitiveness enable catches even when closely covered. Allen needs seven more receptions to reach 1,000 career catches, poised to do so in fewer games than any player to date. He has scored touchdowns in each of the Chargers' three wins this season, including a remarkable 20-yard reception off a sidearm throw that prompted stunned reactions. A family member who first quarterbacked him likened his continued impact to a veteran star maintaining elite skills late in a career.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]