Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Aug. 17, in Pittsburgh.The Associated Press
There remain many signs of Josh Allen being his familiar playful self.
Whether it was opening training camp boasting of his latest Catan board-game conquest; celebrating touchdowns with leaping hip-checks with teammates; and name-dropping Tiger Woods in detailing his off-season golf-course encounters: The Buffalo Bills gregarious quarterback is unchanged in opening his news conferences with a smile and a genial “How’s it going?”
And yet, beneath the “aw-shucks” exterior is a noted level of seriousness guiding Allen’s approach entering his seventh season, and finding himself in the first-time position of overseeing a team in transition.
No longer surrounded by the familiar voices of experience he was accustomed to, with six of eight captains not returning to a roster that opened training camp with 43 newcomers, the 28-year-old stands alone at the top of Buffalo’s leadership chain in representing the face and voice of the franchise.
“I think there’s a level of trying to always be who I am. Be myself. Be as authentic as possible. And everybody knows I’m a joyous guy that likes to have fun,” Allen said last week.
“But there’s times where there doesn’t need to be joking around, you know? Time to get serious,” he added “And, over the years, I’ve found when that is the most critical, and when it’s the hardest to do sometimes, and is the right thing to do.”
The response was telling in its frankness and timing, with Allen showing no hint of his emotions a day after his maternal grandfather died after a summer-long illness.
Allen could have easily skipped his weekly appearance with reporters, especially in the lead-up to a third preseason game in which Buffalo was resting its starters. But he instead chose to honour his responsibilities to the team.
It was no different two weeks earlier when Allen was the only quarterback available for practice, and handled every rep during the near two-hour session.
Tired?
“No, I was excited,” Allen said. “I wanted to keep going. I haven’t been able to throw that much in a long time. … It’s what I love doing the most, throwing the football.”
With all the changes in overseeing a retooled receivers group, after Stefon Diggs was traded to Houston and Gabe Davis’s departure in free agency, Allen has been more intentional on the field during and after practice. More often than in the past, he’ll pull receivers aside to go over timing and route-running expectations to fast-track rapport and chemistry.
Coaches and teammates find Allen to be even more vocal in the locker room, something coach Sean McDermott said was evident after Buffalo stumbled through a preseason-opening 33-6 loss to Chicago. Criticized for not playing up to their standard, the Bills responded with a 9-3 win at Pittsburgh.
“It starts with Josh’s leadership. When players see him model that, they follow suit,” McDermott said. “I believe that Josh looked at this as an opportunity and somewhat of a new chapter and, with that, him taking even more ownership of his role.”
Having already cemented himself as Buffalo’s franchise player in terms of production, wins, playoff appearances and contract, Allen enters the next step of his career arc.
The challenge now is essentially starting from scratch in carrying over past success with the next iteration of a team’s roster as all successful NFL quarterbacks have done before him.
“I think when there’s change, there can be apprehension. But with Josh, he’s taking and embracing it with excitement,” general manager Brandon Beane told the Associated Press.
“I’ve been here every day pretty much and you see him out there grabbing a guy, whether it’s a second-year player, a rookie or a five-year vet, and saying ‘Show me this. Turn here,’” he added. “He’s as invested as anybody and he’s got a desire to win, like we all do. And he wants to see this team get over the top.”
Allen’s competitive desire comes from those who questioned his abilities coming out of Wyoming, and fuelled further by the various ways the Bills have come up short in the playoffs, with three of Buffalo’s past four losses coming against Kansas City.
Now, Allen’s driven by questions as to whether he can carry the Bills even further with a new and younger roster.
“Josh thrives on doubt,” Beane said.
“There’s chips on his shoulders that are never going to go away,” he added. “He could end up in the Hall of Fame one day, and I bet you he enters having to adjust his shoulder because he’s going to enter with a chip.”
It was in June when Allen discussed tweaks he made to his throwing motion to improve his efficiency after a season in which his 66.5 per cent completion rate was the second best of his career and ranked 10th among players with nine or more starts. He then rolled his eyes and smiled when asked if he’d ever reviewed tape of his Wyoming college days.
There’s no secret to how unorthodox and occasionally wild Allen was during his three seasons in Laramie, with red flags raised over whether he could overcome his inaccuracy to be an effective NFL starter.
“I’ll see a video and I’m like, ‘Who’s that throwing the ball?’ And it’s me,” Allen responded. “It’s kind of gross to look at it sometimes, but I don’t think it’s as gross any more.”
The same goes with how far Allen believes he’s grown as a leader, adapting and maturing through experience and discussions with former teammates, and now having to convey that message to his newer ones.
“I think youth can sometimes be a positive thing. Guys don’t know what they don’t know, and we’re able to teach what we want from them,” Allen said. “I’m going into Year 7 now, which is crazy to think about. But I feel like I’m still getting better. I’m still trying to learn a lot and trying to be the best version of myself every time I step in this locker room.”