Allen was victimized several times by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers when he dropped into coverage in the first half of an eventual 24-14 loss. He also appeared a half-step slow and tentative, and afterward admitted that his knee was often sore.
"There's good days and bad days," Allen said Monday after practice. "It gets sore on me, but, hey, I'm not going to make no excuse."
Allen started his first 13 games as a rookie last season but ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee on Dec. 19 against the New York Giants. He had season-ending surgery two days later. He spent most of the 4 1/2-month NFL lockout rehabbing in Bradenton, Fla.
"I feel like my tendons are real tight and I feel like my motion gets a little tight and it's hard to explode off of it and stuff," Allen said. "I've just got to get my [quadriceps] back. My quad is not fully developed yet to where it needs to be."
With Allen somewhere between 90 and 100 percent healthy, as he put it, Page has a chance to grab the starting strong safety spot opposite free safety Kurt Coleman. He has one thing Allen, Coleman and rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett don't have - multiyear experience as a starter in the NFL.
Page started only one game for the Patriots last season, but the 26-year-old started 39 of 53 games in four seasons for the Chiefs.
"It's tough when you get to a team and you have to try to - behind the eight ball little bit - learn the defense," said Page, who the Eagles signed as a free agent earlier this month. "But I think my years in the league help me a lot. Defenses are somewhat similar, it's just terminology and how things are played that are a little different."
