Numerous personal setbacks have fueled Ricardo Allen's inner drive, probably none more than the one the Atlanta Falcons free safety reminded the social media world of recently.
Allen, on his Instagram account, reposted the video of a scene from HBO's "Hard Knocks" in 2014 when he sat down with then-coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff and was told he'd be released but brought back to the practice squad. Allen was a 2014 fifth-round draft pick from Purdue as a cornerback.
"When they told me I was going to be released, you can kind of see I smiled a little bit," Allen said, "because I knew that wasn't going to be like my last little straw.