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Philadelphia Eagles OTAs 2012: Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman To Start At Safety, Jaiquawn Jarrett Is Improving

Philadelphia Eagles safety coach Michael Zordich likes what he is seeing from his safeties. While Jaiquawn Jarrett has shown promise, he is still going to be on the sidelines while Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman are starting. Allen will be the starter at strong safety while Coleman will be the starting at free safety.

Zordich said about Allen, "Nate's going to be special. He is a gifted athlete. He can run. He can cover. He can tackle. When healthy, he's going to be a hell of a football player." Allen had his rookie year cut short in 2010 by a knee injury that had not completely gone away last year.

Coleman, whom Zordich benched in 2011, responded in a way that made the safety coach respect him. Zordich said about Coleman's attitude, "He never put his head in the sand. He never quit. He never gave up. He missed a tackle in the Giants game that basically got him benched. He never, ever complained. He just kept doing the same things in the weight room, in the classroom. He took the bull by the horns and eventually got his job back. He proved he could handle the heat."

Jarrett has been using the OTAs to work on his footwork, according to Zordich. "I think he's worked extremely hard on his footwork, which he knows he has to get better at. And just learning the defense and getting comfortable in the defense. That's just because of a lack of experience more than anything else. The kid's a smart kid. He works hard in the classroom."

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