Before Jonathan Allen became a first-round draft choice of the Washington Redskins in 2017, he rooted for them as a prep football star in Ashburn, Virginia, about 30 miles from the District of Columbia. Given that background, the NFL team’s recent decision to drop the nickname and be identified as the Washington Football Team until a new one is selected would likely give Allen a more personal perspective on the change than his teammates.
“As a supporter of the Redskins,” Allen said, “and this is coming from a person who was a Redskins fan before I was actually a player, growing up in the area, as a true fan, your loyalties don’t change regardless of what goes through. Like I said, all the Redskins fans, through the Donovan McNabb era, all the stuff that happened -- the RG III -- so I feel like as true fans, you’ve got to support the team through thick and thin. And as players, it’s our job to give you something to support, so it goes both ways.”
Washington announced on July 13 that it was retiring the Redskins nickname. On July 23, it announced it would be known as the Washington Football Team pending the adoption of a new team name.
1 SUGGESTION FOR WASHINGTON’S NEW TEAM NAME PARTICULARLY EXCITES JONATHAN ALLEN
“I was definitely interested to see what they were going to do with camp being so close,” Allen said in an online interview for Washington’s official website. “I feel like this is a good temporary solution until we do come up with a more long-term name.
“But as a football player, I’m focused on football. I’m focused on getting ready for camp and helping this team win some football games this year, so as excited as I was, it wasn’t high on my priority list because my job is to help this football team win games. That’s all I can focus on right now.”
FORMER ALABAMA PLAYERS HELP WASHINGTON INTRODUCE NFL TEAM’S NAME
Washington will continue to play in burgundy and gold, but the Indian head silhouette that appeared as the primary helmet logo will be replaced by each player’s number in gold.
“I like the numbers on the side of the helmet,” said Allen, who was an All-American wearing that style at Alabama.
Washington has nine other Alabama alumni on its roster – outside linebacker Ryan Anderson, safety Landon Collins, inside linebackers Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton, tight end Hale Hentges, defensive tackle Daron Payne, center Ross Pierschbacher, wide receiver Cam Sims and safety Maurice Smith.
Payne joined Washington as a first-round draft choice one year after Allen did. Washington also spent first-round picks on Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat in 2019 and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young in April.
“Do I think we have potential for growth? Absolutely,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said about the team’s defense, “especially when you look at the defensive line. I feel very comfortable and very confident in those first-rounders we have. …
“We’re going to be aggressive. We’re not going to sit back. We want our defensive linemen going vertical. They’re going to play the run on their way to the quarterback.”
Rivera became Washington’s head coach in January after nearly nine seasons guiding the Carolina Panthers.
The coronavirus pandemic prevented Allen from working in person with Rivera, new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and new defensive-line coach Sam Mills III during the offseason because the NFL limited teams to online work until training camp.
Allen finally can get on the field with his new coaches after reporting to training camp, but the work will be limited to walkthroughs as conditioning work will lead up to full, non-padded practices beginning on Aug. 12 and padded practices on Aug. 17. The training-camp schedule, which doesn’t include any preseason games, was adopted by the NFL and the NFL Players Association in an attempt to get the players ready safely after missing the usual offseason program.
“This isn’t an ideal situation for anybody,” Allen said, “but at the end of the day, it’s a level playing field across the NFL, so it’s just one of those things that you have to manage as a pro athlete and are just going to have to conduct yourself accordingly. …
“The season’s coming. You have to get ready, so it’s going to be interesting to see where everyone’s at. You’re going to find out real quick who’s been training hard and who hasn’t. Like I said, as a pro athlete, it’s your job to be ready regardless of the conditions, so it’s going to be a good time to see where everybody stands.”
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
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