Matthew Stafford largely gets credited for the Los Angeles Rams’ explosive offense, but the play of the offensive line should also be highlighted.
After a down year in 2020, the Rams’ offensive line bounced back in a big way to give Stafford the time to find receivers down the field. Most of the attention was on Andrew Whitworth, who remained effective despite being the oldest left tackle in the league, but it was the play of Brian Allen that really stuck out.
Allen has had a rash of injuries during his NFL career and he revealed that he played through an elbow injury for half of the year, via the Rams’ official YouTube page:
“On the third or fourth play of the Titans game, I partially tore my UCL in my elbow, which is like Tommy John, and nothing that needed surgery or anything like that,” he said. “But it was a minor tear that was kind of aggravating. But it’s the NFL. Everyone’s hurt and dealing with something. I think Tennessee was Week 8 or 9 so that was the first time in the season I was facing adversity with my body.
“Just one of those things that’s annoying – kind of annoying to have to snap with a brace with your arm locked out and things like that, but you figure it out and get through it and the situation is the situation. Just keep getting it stronger. It stopped bothering me probably around the middle of the playoffs. Felt good. I think I took the brace off like Week 15 or 16 maybe, so I wore it for a while.”
Allen playing through such a painful injury speaks to his toughness, but it sounds like it will not be a problem for him for the 2022 season. Allen is set to resume his role as the starting center, preserving some of the continuity on the o-line after re-signing with the team this offseason.
