PITTSBURGH — Cortez Allen shook his head and laughed.

Yes, the third-year Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback heard teammate Ike Taylor proclaim Allen is “going to be (trouble) for a lot of people” when he takes over the starting spot created by Keenan Lewis’ offseason departure.

No, Allen doesn’t want to talk about it.

“I have no control out of what comes out of Ike’s mouth,” Allen said.

What the 24-year-old can control, however, is his work ethic and his confidence. Both appear to be in midseason form.

The former fourth-round draft pick spent his first two years in the league getting his feet set. Now he figures it’s time to show defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and secondary coach Carnell Lake he’s been paying attention.

Ask Allen what makes him effective and he doesn’t point to his height (6-foot-1) or his strength but what is going on underneath his helmet.

“I try not to panic about anything,” Allen said. “I try not to worry about anything. I try to be positive about everything.”

It’s a mindset that took time for Allen to develop. His deep faith played a role. So did four years at The Citadel, where the challenge went far beyond the field. Allen was drawn to the military school because of its high standards both in the classroom and in life. During his first day on campus, he wondered if he made the right decision.

“I was like, `What did I get myself into?” Allen said.

The Citadel is hardly a football factory, having produced around a dozen professional football players in its program history. Allen was determined to join the list. During his first fall on campus, a coach asked Allen and the rest of the freshmen to write about what they wanted to get out of their football careers.

Allen jotted down making it to the NFL, long as the odds seemed at the time.

“I figured that if I work hard, somebody will notice me, whether it’s in the league or in Arena or wherever,” he said.

If that makes it seem his journey to the Steelers was almost preordained, Allen insists that it was not. More than once he wondered if the NFL was just wishful thinking.