Rams QB Matthew Stafford Shares Strong Bond With C Brian Allen

It's been just three weeks since the 2021 NFL season began, but Matthew Stafford says he and Brian Allen have had great communication in games.

To begin the 2021 season, Brian Allen has gotten a second chance to serve as the Los Angeles Rams starting center and this time around he looks like a much different player.

Initially, Allen didn’t look up to par when he first got his feet wet in a starting role during the 2019 season. After a serious knee injury that forced him to miss the entire 2020 campaign, Allen has come back and looks like a polished center who possesses the adequate smarts and strength to play the position.

“He thinks like me, which is great," Stafford said Wednesday. "He thinks like the quarterback and sees things the way I see them. He’s making protection calls as I’m thinking them and saying them.”

Allen has faced some of the better interior defensive lineman in the first three weeks, being given the task of slowing down Akiem Hicks, DeForest Buckner and Vita Vea. In three games, Allen has allowed just two pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

"We kind of work together," Stafford said. "We talk through things at the line of scrimmage. I think that’s the way it should be. Just have a conversation up there about what we want to do, how do we want to try to accomplish the goal of the play and go from there.”

Allen began training camp this year as a reserve, but as he continued to impress, the Rams shifted things as he cemented himself into a starting role once again. Through the early stages of the season, Allen has been one of the Rams' unsung hero's for his efforts in anchoring the middle of the offensive line, keeping Stafford relatively clean in the pocket.

Now in his age 26 season, Allen could perhaps provide the Rams their center of the foreseeable future if he's capable of performing in a way that he's shown thus far.

The Rams refrained from drafting any offensive lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft despite the thought of needing reinforcements along the front five. Meanwhile, Allen has been a pleasant surprise in what appears to be a breakout year for the former Michigan State product.

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Continue reading:

• Rams' Wednesday Injury Report for Week 4 vs. Cardinals
• Rams Offensive Line Grades Out Among the Top Units Through Week 3
• LB Terrell Lewis is Poised for Major Role Following Justin Hollins' Injury
• Matthew Stafford Wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week
• SI Power Rankings: Where do the Rams sit Ahead of Week 4?

Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.