Nate Allen is entering his fifth season in the NFL.

Through the previous four seasons, Allen has been through his fair share of adversity. He continues to battle through it.

Allen, a safety, came back to the Philadelphia Eagles this season on a one-year deal. It seemed unlikely when last season ended.

But here he is once again.

"Yeah. I don't let anything rattle me, man," Allen told CSNPhilly.com. "I can beat myself up and let everybody else beat me up, but yeah, I just know what I'm trying to accomplish and I just come to work every day and the Lord has a plan for me."

Allen, a second-round pick in the 2010 draft, has had plenty of competition in recent years.

He clearly won a starting job in this year's training camp and preseason.

"But it doesn't really matter," Allen told CSNPhilly.com. "Everybody is getting ready for Jacksonville. And like we always say, everybody is always just one play away from starting. So starter, non-starter, we've all got to get ready."

Allen refuses to get comfortable. He never will.

Whether he's starting or a backup, his work ethic will never change.

"Like I say all the time, once you think you're that player you want to be and you've peaked, then that's when the bottom is going to fall out, especially at this level," Allen told CSNPhilly.com. "You've always got to be getting better, even if it's just a little bit every day, because there's always younger guys coming in, faster guys coming in. You always have to be getting better. You can't ever just settle and feel like you're comfortable where you're at, like you've made it."