BY NICK ST. DENIS
Antonio Allen is young, and Calvin Pryor is even younger, so New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is making sure the pair of safeties gets in the appropriate workload during OTAs.
Ryan said the first-rounder Pryor, whom he expects to contribute "in a big way for us," worked with the first-team defense Wednesday. Ryan also opted to give the third-year centerfielder Allen the bulk of the starter reps alongside Pryor.
It wasn't a strike against nine-year pro Dawan Landry, but rather an opportunity to get the youngsters some much-needed action.
I’ve got to get these other two to work together and communicate together," Ryan said, via NJ.com. "That’s why you throw (Pryor) out there. You leave him out there with the ones and let’s see what happens. Make him communicate with the other guys that are working. We’ll see how it goes.
“I think it’s good that (Allen) is out there, too. We know he needs to step up and communicate better. So we’re putting him in that situation. Because who is the rookie going to lean on? He’s going to look over at his partner. And if Landry’s out there, you’ve got a tendency to just let him run everything.”
The three will duke it out for spots in the starting lineup, though it will likely be a by-committee group in which Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman use any combination of two, and sometimes three, of the defensive backs at given time depending on the situation.
Follow Nick @NickStDenis
Follow AFC East Daily @AFCEastDaily
