Nate Allen Talks Complexity Of The Eagles Defense, Biggest Trash Talkers

Eagles safety Nate Allen has been spending his offseason working out at the IMG Football Academy down in Florida. According to the IMG site, Allen has healed from the right patellar tendon injury he suffered last season. He sat down with the camp's social media people for a Q&A this week. Check out their site for the full interview, but here are a couple highlights I thought where interesting.

He was asked about how tough it was to learn the Eagles defense.

Ours is one of the more complex defenses. I'd say 85 percent of our playbook includes blitzes. It's a lot to take in all at once. The playbook has to be more than 150 pages. It can be overwhelming. I remember in mini-camp, they are putting in five new plays every day and you're still trying to learn the ones from yesterday. Once you get out there, though, it gets easier and your football instincts take over.

Juan Castillo has spoken several times this offseason about his desire to simplify the defensive playbook. So it should be interesting to see whether a guy like Jaiquawn Jarrett has an easier time learning it this season than Allen did last year.

He also says that Chad Ochocinco was by far the biggest trash talker he's ever faced.

Ocho Cinco never stops. We played them in the preseason. Kenny Britt talked a bit. Calvin Johnson didn't say much. A lot of guys talk, but Ocho Cinco is on another level. He starts talking at the line and keeps it going until after the play. Even after an incomplete pass, he was talking. In the preseason, it's kind of funny. But I remember him saying things that got guys pretty hot.

He actually answered quite a few other questions and some interesting stuff to say. Check out the full interview over there.