Active roster transactions from final cutdown to opening day usually don't receive a lot of buzz. But the Green & White's Tuesday signing of the player know as "Double-A" seemed to be well-received by Jets Nation.
"I'm glad they're excited," safety Antonio Allen said this week. "I'm excited as well. I'm blessed to be here and have another opportunity."
Allen, a seventh-round draft choice of the Jets in 2012, re-signed with the team as a free agent after Houston released him on final cutdown day Saturday. He didn't get his old locker back — he's across the room from where he used to dress — but he did get his old uniform No. 39.
"I didn't expect to be back here," he said. "You never know where you're going to end up."
Allen ended up on injured reserve with an Achilles injury that wiped out his 2014 season and left for the Texans as an unrestricted free agent shortly after Mike Maccagnan came in as general manager and Todd Bowles as head coach. But it's what Allen did in 2013 that gives him a special spot in fans' hearts. He's the answer to a number of current Jets trivia questions:
Who's the last Jet to return an interception for a touchdown?Allen, who picked off Tom Brady and the Patriots for a 23-yard score at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 20, 2013.
Who's the last Jet to score off of a blocked punt?Allen, on an end zone recovery at home vs. Oakland on Dec. 8, 2013.
Who recorded the last two blocked punts for the Jets?Allen, who blocked the Marquette King punt he recovered vs. the Raiders ... and Allen, who blocked a Matt Bosher punt in the Monday night game at Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2013.
"Of course. you always remember your good plays," Allen said. "But you never want to dwell on the past. and hopefully I can do the same this year and in the years to come."
As for whether he'll get a chance to do that on Sunday at MetLife in the season opener against the Bengals, that remains to be seen. He could be deactivated until he gets Bowles' and Kacy Rodgers' defense down, or he could be thrown into the fray right away on Brant Boyer's special teams.
"They're just trying to fit me into the scheme any way they can," Allen said. "If I'm active Sunday, that's what it'll be. If I'm not, that's what it'll be."
