Saleh admits 49ers could have given Allen more help vs. Dolphins

Share

Brian Allen was exposed early and often in the 49ers' blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins last week, frequently overmatched by Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker, who scored two touchdowns. The cornerback, called up from San Francisco's practice squad the day prior, had a rude awakening to his NFL career, but it's not like Allen got a ton of help from his supporting cast.

"Obviously, with every situation, you learn a lot," 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said Thursday when asked if they should have given Allen more help. "Absolutely, there could have been more. I know that we had a certain gameplan going in throughout the entire course of the week and we still thought we, after that first series, did our best to try to give him some safety help. 

"Again, I'll give credit to Brian. He did fight his tail off and it was unfortunate that on a couple occasions, when we felt like we needed to take a shot based on situation and third down, (Dolphins quarterback Ryan) Fitzpatrick did a really good job in making the right read and getting the ball where it needed to go. But, like I said, there's always opportunities to grow and learn as an individual and I look at that situation a little different."

RELATED: Simms explains thing 49ers absolutely must do to beat Rams

Emmanuel Moseley was a full participant in practice Thursday, and the 49ers hope to get Richard Sherman back soon. As the secondary gets healthier, Allen's opportunities likely will dwindle, but that doesn't mean Saleh has seen enough.

"Again, I'm going to say it for Brian," Saleh added. "I'm very proud of the individual and I mean this sincerely. He's got a bright future ahead of him. Sometimes people get thrown into a fire, not that he wasn't ready for it, but there's still a lot of room for him to grow and get better and I'm still excited to work with him on a day to day basis."

Download and subscribe to the 49ers Talk Podcast

Contact Us