Exhibit A (Albert Breer, Sports illustrated): One nugget I picked up the past couple of days is that this decision was very much driven by ownership, with Gayle Benson reaching a breaking point with the team’s struggles over the past few weeks. GM Mickey Loomis, I’m told, didn’t want to pull the plug on Allen yet, but Benson and her group was hearing from the fan base in a way they hadn’t before, and their resolve was strengthened through that, to the point where perception inside the building holds that Allen might’ve been fired Monday even if he’d beaten the Carolina Panthers.