Antonio Allen is in the midst of one of the most brutal three-game stretches a cornerback can face. In the past two weeks he's seen Jordy Nelson and Alshon Jeffery. On Sunday he'll match up against the NFL's best receiver: Calvin Johnson.
The converted safety (who will remain at cornerback through the season) said the previous matchups will help prepare him, but Megatron is a different beast.
"It helps a lot, but at the same time, he's much faster than probably any of those guys I've been against," Allen said, per NJ.com. "He's probably the best receiver in the league, hands down."
Even with those two stat lines and an admission that Johnson is better than both, Allen isn't backing down.
"I feel like it's going to be a great matchup," Allen said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to not let him walk out of that game with a catch. That's my standard for all the receivers I ever go up against. I haven't seen anything on film yet, but I'm pretty sure he has some weaknesses, just like everybody else, some things he can work on. It's going to be my job to watch the film and try to exploit it."
Johnson has at least one catch in 109 consecutive games.
We should note that Allen talked some smack about Jeffery last week before getting torched. He was much tamer this week in his assessment. Megatron, for his part, is already looking forward to facing the Jets' patch-quilt defense.
On the latest Around The NFL Podcast, the heroes chat with two-time MVP Kurt Warner, debate the NFL's top throwing arms and preview Thursday night's game.