DE Jared Allen doesn't think Bears have leadership problem
Chicago Bears defensive end Jared Allen said he doesn't believe the team is missing any leaders in the locker room, according to the Chicago-Tribune.
The leadership on the team and the general environment surrounding it have been questioned since an explosive post-game locker room scene involving wide receiver Brandon Marshall, quarterback Jay Cutler and kicker Robbie Gould, among others, after the Bears' loss to the Miami Dolphins last Sunday, which dropped them to 3-4.
Despite the team's poor record and apparent tensions, Allen doesn't see leadership as a problem for Chicago.
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“I respect emotion,” Allen said Wednesday afternoon at Halas Hall. “It’s raw, it’s real. So guys get emotional? Great. I mean there is always a fine line when someone is just spouting off and acting crazy. But that sure as heck didn’t happen in our locker room. That was just raw, good emotion. I respect guys like that, I respect guys who have passion for the game.
“Everybody handles things differently. The bottom line is that can’t linger. You have to come back and go to work. If that frustration turns into motivation, that’s great. But if it turns into shutting down, then obviously that’s a different avenue you have to try and avoid.”
Allen also said the team doesn't need leaders who "have to stand up at the podium and make some big speech," and that he has no problem with head coach Marc Trestman's system of naming different captains each week instead of having players serve in the role permanently. Former Bears player and coach Mike Ditkacriticized Trestman's captains policy this week.
A potential rift between Marshall and Cutler also made news after Sunday's loss, and Trestman and Marshall have both refuted the idea of a rift in recent days.
Allen is in his first season with the Bears after signing a four-year deal with the team in March as a free agent, having spent the previous six years with the Minnesota Vikings. He has 24 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble this season.
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Chicago is in third place in the NFC North and travels to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
