"Former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum remembers the ease with which Dennis Allen went from player to coach.

A standout free safety for the Aggies, Allen failed to stick with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 1996. Slocum brought him back as a graduate assistant.

"There wasn't any doubt about what he wanted to do," Slocum said. "He was going to coach, and he stepped right into it. It's kind of hard sometimes for guys who just finished playing to make the transition of being a coach and part of the staff. A lot of them think they're still kids. Dennis never had that problem.""