Where are you on the spectrum??

[TigerJ]

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being Chicken Little ("The sky is falling!" ) and 10 being ready to reserve my Hall of Fame induction ceremony tickets, I'm probably a 7.  I think Josh Allen is going to be at least a solid starter who gives Buffalo a shot at the playoffs most years, and has at least a chance to bring home a Super Bowl at some point

[NoSaint]

1 hour ago, Charles Romes said:

His astonishing combination of size, arm strength and running ability give him a significant margin of error 

 

Agreed. 

 

Though our franchises predisposition to err in new and spectacular ways worries me quite a bit still.

Edited December 6, 2018 by NoSaint

[Dadonkadonk]

20 minutes ago, RocCityRoller said:

In the pre-season I compared Allen's college stats, physical ability and IQ to Brett Favre and got destroyed for it.

 

I tried to explain that every 20-25 yrs a guy comes along that breaks standard stats. I showed that Brett Favre was the last guy to do it, and also argued Josh Allen has all the traits to do it again.

 

After Minnesota, Jacksonville and Miami I stand by it.

 

Josh Allen is in many ways Brett Favre.

 

He will escape pressure that amazes you, he will have the arm to score anywhere on the field, he will make bone headed throws that will boggle the mind.

 

They are both competitors and will never feel out of a game.

 

Brett Favre was a great QB at times and a total mess at others. He was imperfect, but could win a Super Bowl.

He was able to elevate his teams at times, was always positive and had an 'Awe shucks' personality that his team loved.

Brett Favre was never considered a running threat, but could evade pressure like a slick cat covered in motor oil, and had an arm that could make you pay anywhere on the field.

 

This is Josh Allen. And I stand by my original prognosis.

 

But I would like to add

Josh Allen is a better scrambler than Brett Favre

Josh Allen is a better athlete than Brett Favre

Josh Allen has a bigger arm than Brett Favre

 

We have a baby Favre.

 

Develop him. Give him weapons to maximize his strengths, and enjoy the roller coaster ride.

Favre had Holmgren, Gruden, Reid, and Mariucci.  So far, I don't see Daboll as good as any of those guys.

[BisonMan]

The more pre-draft coverage I read, the more I liked Allen. I was both happy and concerned when the Bills picked him. He had high bust potential based on what I knew but, now that I’ve seen him play at the NFL level, I no longer worry about him being a bust.

 

His size, smarts, mobility, intelligence, work ethic and competitiveness remind me more of John Elway than any other superstar QB. He is a lot smarter than Brett Favre. I don’t think Allen makes bonehead plays like Favre. He is inaccurate at times but isn’t throwing into triple coverage.

 

The Bills have the potential to ruin any QB with the talent they currently have. The recent Beane interview tells me they probably won’t.

 

On a scale from 1 to 10, I’m probably at an 8 right now.

 

EdW

[Domdab99]

My doctor said I'm definitely on the spectrum. 

 

Not sure what he meant. 

[BubbaT]

Absolutely loved some of the throws he made last week! Both TDs to Jones were fantastic. I love the athleticism (surprising me weekly) and the compete levels. I just want to see if the missed open receiver  throws are repeated or if there are less of them. I want to see what happens when D coordinators start game planning for HIM to take away his strengths (and not because he's a rookie with weaknesses). That by itself is a good sign. I'm beyond cautiously optimistic. How high is the ceiling is my question. What's he like with improved O Line and receivers? 

[RocCityRoller]

3 minutes ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Favre had Holmgren, Gruden, Reid, and Mariucci.  So far, I don't see Daboll as good as any of those guys.

 

I'm talking about the QB as a prospect and potential.

 

I think Dabs has some chops, but what did he have to work with?

 

The team needs to invest in OL, WR at the least.

 

Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

Back in the day the Bills had Kelly, Reed, Thomas, Wolford, Hull etc in 1985-1986 and it took a season or two for the Bills to put it together.

In 1987-1988 despite the talent on the offense, the Bills were a defense first team.

 

I remember clearly a pre-season article from Rochester's D+C writer Bob Matthews in 1988 into 1989 mentioning that the Bills would not be an offensive power for years to come.

That was the year that laid the foundations for the no huddle.

 

This is a proper rebuild. Drafting a WR in rund 1 or 2 makes sense, since most WR take a year or two to develop. Same with OL.

Any RB can come into a decent passing attack and do well.

 

The point was that Josh Allen is a curve pusher. He breaks statistical molds. Build around him and grow.

 

Try to make him what he is not, and fail. He needs help, and if that is done, he could be a great QB.

 

 

[buffalo2218]

I fall under realist. Passing judgement on either good or bad games he’s had is premature. Like everyone else, I praise the good and hope he can learn and adapt with the bad. Really wished he beat the Dolphins tho.

 

Even tho he didn’t, I saw enough to know the phish are gonna be cellar dwellers for quite a long time. Right there with the Pats when they finally do their rebuild 

Edited December 6, 2018 by buffalo2218

[Aussie Joe]

34 minutes ago, TigerJ said:

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being Chicken Little ("The sky is falling!" ) and 10 being ready to reserve my Hall of Fame induction ceremony tickets, I'm probably a 7.  I think Josh Allen is going to be at least a solid starter who gives Buffalo a shot at the playoffs most years, and has at least a chance to bring home a Super Bowl at some point

 

If he did develop into a solid starter I would be satisfied...

 

But I think he is your boom or bust with not much scope in between..

 

Sign me up for boom... may as well be optimistic until proven otherwise::

[row_33]

I feel a lot better than I should be with a 4-8 team

 

there is hope for the future so this is one of the best 4-8 teams I’ve cheered for

 

i will watch the last four games with interest

 

[BullBuchanan]

I see the scale as a JaMarcus Russel -> Jay Cutler -> Brett Favre -> John Elway progression, even though a lot of people might say Favre was the better passer, i think Elway was the better "quarterback". I think comparisons to these guys are all reasonable based on being big cannon armed throwers with mobility ( besides Russell, but he sucks, so it doesn't matter).

He's already better than Russel ever was, but isn't yet in Cutler territory, though his trajectory seems like it could be at least that good, if he can fix some things. In my eyes anything above that is extremely premature. When Allen makes a great play it looks like it came from one of the greats, but when he misses a 5 yard pass in the flats, overthrows deep balls, or loses pocket awareness it gives me a lot of pause. This is a kid that has a lot of things to work on to get to be in that coveted "top 10" QB spot.

My biggest fear with him is that he's able to become good enough to be a Jay Cutler level QB that isn't good enough to win games in January and beyond, but is too good to get rid of, so we're all sitting here for the next 10 years praying it's the year he finally gets it together. For that reason, I'm pessimistic long term. On the short term side, I'm really hoping he makes massive strides over the rest of the year and the offseason and comes back next year looking like a vet. I don't expect Mahomes, because that just doesn't happen. If he can be young Big Ben, that would be more than I could realistically hope for at this point.

Let's call it a 6 for now.

[folz]

Well, considering that his floor seems to be the best QB we have had since at least Bledsoe's first year with us (2002) and his ceiling could be quite high with the right circumstances, I'm pretty optimistic.

 

One thing I can definitely say (regardless of whether he becomes an elite QB or not) is that the Bills will be a hell of a lot more fun to watch with Josh at the helm than they have been in a long, long time. So, I'm good with that for now and hoping for the best. But the arrow definitely seems to be pointing up after those last two games.

[Success]

I’m just not someone who errs on the side of caution because I’m afraid of disappointment.  If I get my hopes up and they’re dashed, the sun still rises.  It’s fine.

 

Ergo, my hopes are up.  Way up.  I love what I’ve seen from Allen.  With no line, no running game and few weapons, he was about a foot away from a comeback victory on the road against Miami.  His arm is a lightning bolt.  He’s a pure competitor and has a ton of grit and determination.  Seems like a natural leader.

 

Haven’t been this excited since Kelly came back from the USFL and was introduced against the Jets in the season opener.

 

So, there you go.  That’s where I am.

[Stanley Lombardi]

From the left or the right, WOW is WOW.

[metzelaars_lives]

Anyone who isn't at least as optimistic- and really, more optimistic- than they were about Allen now vs. draft day, is just an idiot.  Plain and simple.  If you are just an Allen skeptic because you looked at his numbers at Wyoming last year (and ignored his numbers the year before- his first year as a college QB, when he had actual weapons, put up good numbers and was named the second team all-MWC QB) and decided there's no way he can be good because some geek said so, like a Mike Schopp, and remain a skeptic, then sure, whatever.  But anyone who thinks his stock has DECLINED since draft day is an absolute moron.  A moron.  Again, he is a) a raw prospect- REMEMBER?, b) has been thrown into action way ahead of everyone's ideal schedule because McDermott/Peterman (another thread), c) has as bad an offensive line as any team in the league and d) has as bad a cast of weapons to work with as any QB in the league.  So if you are reading this and you watched each of the last two games and you are LESS optimistic about Allen than you were in April, YOU ARE A MORON.  That's it.  Period. 

Edited December 6, 2018 by metzelaars_lives

[NoHuddleKelly12]

There was a stretch this year where I basically dreaded game day rolling around (rhymes with “elbow injury”) and lest we forget, were on pace to put up historically bad O numbers, with hand wringing on this site reaching a fever pitch. The layoff did him good though, and I couldn’t be happier we have him over the other Josh right now. (I know, still early, but this guy can ball, that’s getting more obvious by the week)

[Mickey]

Offensively, this is a very bad football team. Allen is carrying them. We may have a franchise QB but we definitely do not have a franchise LT, RT, LG, RG, C, TE or WR. We have a franchise RB that is looking more and more like his talent has reached its expiration date. The fact that he can scratch, crawl, heave and squeeze enough points out of this team to at least be competitive is nothing short of miraculous. 

 

We need to worry much less about whether or not Josh is "the guy" and much more about the rest of the roster. Offensively, Josh isn't the final cog needed to fire up a juggernaut, he is the first piece in place on the way to building a real offense. We are on Mediterranean Avenue not Boardwalk.

[TC in St. Louis]

I think he's awesome.  He's got a great arm, and when he gets his footwork figured out, they won't be able to stop him.  Get some receivers.  He'll find them.  And as a runner he is phenomenal.  We have our guy.

[Albany,n.y.]

47 minutes ago, Success said:

I’m just not someone who errs on the side of caution because I’m afraid of disappointment.  If I get my hopes up and they’re dashed, the sun still rises.  It’s fine.

 

Ergo, my hopes are up.  Way up.  I love what I’ve seen from Allen.  With no line, no running game and few weapons, he was about a foot away from a comeback victory on the road against Miami.  His arm is a lightning bolt.  He’s a pure competitor and has a ton of grit and determination.  Seems like a natural leader.

 

Haven’t been this excited since Kelly came back from the USFL and was introduced against the Jets in the season opener.

 

So, there you go.  That’s where I am.

I'm in the same boat. 

 

I've been that way with most of the QBs the Bills drafted over the years since the Kelly era.  I ended up dumping my hopes quickly on most of them, the quickest being JP followed by EJ.  JP was my quickest because I thought Trent Edwards was going to be great.  I was at the NE game when Wolfork took out JP and I stood up & said "Don't get up".  I cheered Edwards entrance and went so far as telling the NE fans I had talked with earlier that Trent in for JP was the Bills equivalent of Brady in for Bledsoe.   It took another 2 years for me to give up on Trent.  In the end he entered a game & I said that it would end with a quick injury exit and I invoked the name of Rob Johnson.  Shortly after Edwards left the game injured.  When Tyrod signed as a free agent I figured he was an adequate place holder who would be better than EJ & Cassell,  and would beat them out in their 1st camp together, but I always felt he was just a guy who you're always trying to replace with a real franchise QB.  I never saw anything to get excited about with Peterman & when he got overhyped before the LA start (which I had the misfortune of attending) I started referring to him as Nathan Marangi because there were people who said he had to be an improvement over Tyrod and it brought me back to the 1970s when fans wanted Marangi to replace Ferguson and finally got their wish when Fergy got hurt and Marangi set records of futility that still stand today, even though Peterman did worse in some categories before his release. 

 

What I want to see from a rookie QB are flashes of brilliance.  Allen is already providing that & I'm super optimistic.  I'm so optimistic I bought his jersey after the Vikings game.  Right now I feel like it's 1986 all over again, that we've found our QB for the next decade or more.  I hope he's a lot more Kelly than Todd, Rob, JP, Trent and EJ.  If he doesn't work out there's always another QB to draft down the road but the rest of the season & going into next year, I'll be pretty psyched up every time I see 17 out there.  

[Chandler#81]

I’m buying in on Allen. 3rd & 7 to 3rd & a Mile would virtually never be converted post Kelly. Allen gives us great opportunity to convert any distance, be it his legs or fantastic arm. Reminds me of Marino od Rogers. No situation can’t be overcome.