Marcus Allen's Had Steelers Blood Since Birth: 'I Always Wanted to Be Like Troy'

Marcus Allen grew up learning from Pittsburgh Steelers legends. Today, he feels confident finding his place in the defense he watched as a kid.

PITTSBURGH -- Marcus Allen's transition from safety to inside linebacker has caught the attention of most. 

The third-year defender out of Penn State has spent most of his first two NFL seasons on the practice squad. Entering his third season in Pittsburgh, Allen isn't looking at anything different - including his position. 

Allen said he was used primarily in the box at Penn State, which allows him to feel comfortable playing at linebacker for the Steelers. He's spent the last two weeks or so working with the group. 

"I feel comfortable wherever they want me to play," Allen said. "That linebacker role is nothing different than playing the dime role at Penn State. Coming down, reading the blocks, reading pullers, setting the edge, all those things. Safeties have to do that in general. In today's football, they come down in the box."

His coaches' biggest takeaway from the change has been Allen's ability to take any player on head-to-head. Inside linebacker's coach Jerry Olsavski said the safety-turned-linebacker "likes hitting people," and will therefore have no trouble adjusting to the role. 

"That's my game. I love hitting. I've been hitting since little league," Allen said. "As far as the physical part of it, I'm not too worried about that. I'm very excited about being in the box and showcase my talents."

Allen confirmed his weight at roughly 215-pounds, roughly 20-pounds less than second-year linebacker Devin Bush. Still, he believes he's going to play fine on the inside. 

What's the latest from Steelers Camp? Send your questions to Noah for Monday Mailbags! Take a second and sign up for a free subscription to AllSteelers+ and submit your questions HERE

Allen grew up admiring safeties in the NFL that loved to hit as much as he does. On the field, he brings an energetic personality and a mentality his coaches are fond of. 

"I try to be myself. I get it from my mom. She's very energetic," Allen said about his energy on the field. "I play with a lot of passion and emotion. It just comes out when I'm out there on the gridiron." 

Growing up, Allen wanted to follow Pittsburgh legends' footsteps, which gave him that passion in his game.

"All the safeties that I looked up to - Troy [Polamalu], Sean Taylor - guys like that that give it their all," Allen said. "I always tried to implement that into my game. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be like Troy."

Now that he's a Steeler, he continues to use the history he grew up admiring to help his development. And despite being a player first, Allen has always been a part of Steelers Nation. 

"I got Steelers history in my blood," Allen said, smiling. "I've been a Steelers fan my whole life ... I've been watching Steelers and being taught about legends since I was a kid."

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.