Ricardo Allen on Falcons’ playoff push: ‘If you’ve got a little more to give, just give a little more’

It starts in practice. That was the beginning point of what happened Thursday night, when Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones leapt high in the air to snag a pass from New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

The interception sealed the Falcons’ 20-17 victory, but its significance went beyond that.

‘He’s made that play a hundred times in practice’

“He’s made that play all the time in practice,” Falcons safety Ricardo Allen told Alex Marvez on Late Hits. “He’s made that play a hundred times in practice. He was ready for that play right there.”

The Falcons’ defense was pretty much ready for everything that came its way. That included adjustments by the Saints’ offense, for which the Falcons hadn’t prepared, after losing star running back Alvin Kamara to a concussion.

‘We get out there and we communicate’

“They ended up going to something we didn’t practice at all, they ended up going to a five-wide set,” Allen said. “They ended up going to a lot of 11 personnel, they ended up pushing a lot of 12 personnel. So there was a lot of stuff that we didn’t really practice against, but it doesn’t matter. We get out there and we communicate. And we play ball and we play hard. We swarm to the ball like we always do, good things happen.

“When you prepare hard and you work hard and you give it your all, those are the kind of results that you typically get. … Shoot, it’s almost close to the end. If you’ve been giving so much, just give a little more. If you’ve got a little more to give, just give a little more.”