From mediocrity to MVP candidate - article on JA by ESPN - nicely done.

[billsfan1959]

7 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Sorry, but I think this is wrong.  Before the season started, I said - and I was not alone - that Allen probably would be a top 10-15 QB and possibly top 10.  I said that sometime by his fifth season, and maybe earlier, he'd be recognized as one of the top QBs in the league.   I'm not saying this to say how talented I am - as I said, other people saw this, too.   All you had to do was watch the parade of great, great plays he made in his first two seasons, the almost unbelievable throws, throws that were as good as the best we see from Rodgers, watch his improvement, watch his leadership, and listen to what his coaches and teammates were saying about him.   It wasn't an absolute certainty that he would become a star, but it seemed pretty likely.  

 

In fact, all you had to was watch Allen's first season in Buffalo.   In May following his first season, I wrote this about him:  

 

It's incredible to watch, for sure, but that doesn't mean people didn't see it coming.   

 

Right. I don't get too worked up over criticisms of Allen. People are entitled to their opinions. However, this mantra that "nobody saw this coming" does annoy me and feels like it is nothing more than a means for people to recognize how good Allen is while while still legitimizing their lazy analyses of his play. 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

The Leap heard round the world in 2018 did it for me--a QB so willing to do whatever whenever necessary to help out the team, was always going to be something special. 

[loyal2dagame]

4 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

The Leap heard round the world in 2018 did it for me--a QB so willing to do whatever whenever necessary to help out the team, was always going to be something special. 

Me too.  I knew Allen was a very athletic QB, but that hurdle made my jaw drop followed by a bunch of curse words. 

It showed he had the drive and determination to do whatever it takes. 

Hopefully he never does it again unless it's to win a Superbowl. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by loyal2dagame

[Shaw66]

16 minutes ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

Right. I don't get too worked up over criticisms of Allen. People are entitled to their opinions. However, this mantra that "nobody saw this coming" does annoy me and feels like it is nothing more than a means for people to recognize how good Allen is while while still legitimizing their lazy analyses of his play. 

Right.  What he's saying is "you can't blame me for not seeing this coming, because his improvement is just so unbelievable."   Well, the only reason it's unbelievable is because you weren't paying attention to what was happening.  If you'd been paying attention, it would have seemed so unbelievable.  

[Scott7975]

Good read.  Thanks for sharing.  I will say though that some of us did see this coming and seen it coming from year one.  That is not because I was a homer.  It was because I seen the "IT factor" in him.  The leadership, the drive to win, the want to be best and even when he is the best, still wanting to improve even more.  That is the important stuff on top of talent.  You can't teach talent and you can't really teach those important things either.  The kid is beyond the full package.  The kid just has a total love for the game and a will to win and do whatever it takes to achieve that.

Edited January 6, 2021 by Scott7975

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

2 hours ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

One comment. Fourth paragraph, it's funny to me as a native California that people outside of California don't realize the difference between the Central Valley and the images of Southern California and the Bay Area in their head. The Central Valley IS Buffalo just with complete opposite weather extremes and a majority Hispanic population. 

 

Excellent comment on the Central Valley. Older Bills fans might know that one other Bills QB came from the Valley--Fresno, to be precise--Daryle Lamonica.

[dma0034]

Lol PFF ranked him as the 5th best QB this year behind: 1. Rodgers 2. Brady 3. Watson 4. Mahomes

 

 

Brady? Really?

[The Wiz]

15 minutes ago, dma0034 said:

Lol PFF ranked him as the 5th best QB this year behind: 1. Rodgers 2. Brady 3. Watson 4. Mahomes

 

 

Brady? Really?

Meanwhile, from the other side of their mouth:

 

 

 

[KGun12TD]

ESPN has little or no merit with me personally. They've become complete and total garbage. I wouldn't give them a click even if its favorable for the Bills.

[JGMcD2]

38 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Right.  What he's saying is "you can't blame me for not seeing this coming, because his improvement is just so unbelievable."   Well, the only reason it's unbelievable is because you weren't paying attention to what was happening.  If you'd been paying attention, it would have seemed so unbelievable.  

Excellent point. 
 

Everyone saw Josh Allen at Wyoming and leading up to the draft. This is how they formed their opinions on Josh Allen. 
 

Then when he arrived in Buffalo they didn’t see him as much. They probably saw some “wow” throws in highlight reels, but were also privy to some lowlight reels where he missed a target pretty bad (a friend of mine who trashes Josh Allen every time he gets sent me one of these videos from Week 1 just recently when Josh overthrew Brown in the EZ as his sole proof that “Josh is bad”).
 

Overall folks saw his Wyoming numbers and some highlights to form their initial opinion. Then they saw some Bills highlights and his numbers weren’t really much different and said “see I told you so.” Instead of watching him actually progress week to week like we have because we’re fans of the team. 
 

Mostly everyone outside of Buffalo formed their opinion, closed their eyes for 3 years, opened their eyes and now are taken aback. Whereas I watched him every week, saw the incremental improvement and I’m not as shocked.

 

Don’t get me wrong, he took like 3 years worth of leaps from last season to this season, but I’m not necessarily shocked. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by JGMcD2

[mykidsdad]

"I forgive him for making me, and so many others, look like an idiot."

 

I was one of the many others....

[loveorhatembillsfan4life]

CincyBillsFan-I had to look for this post because It resonated with me after our last NE Matchup in 2019 night game. I will admit I knew nothing of Josh coming out of college. For me it's been more of the eye test years 1 and 2. Well Josh is ahead of schedule. 

 

Your comments...

 

"Seriously though I agree with those that gave Allen a solid B.  The most important thing was that Allen showed clear improvement and he did. 

 

He's nailed ALL of the intangibles IMO (Leadership, hard work, willingness to learn, being the "face" of the team) and has improved the most on those parts of his game where he struggled the most last year.  Regardless of what happens in Houston I see Allen progressing into an elite level QB over the next 2 years."

 

My reply

 

"I agree with everything you say. It’s right in front of our eyes. We have something special.  Sure there are areas he needs to continue to work on. We know he will. He needs to keep working on his footwork. It’s been sloppy again at times. 

 

But take a look back at the last drive fourth quarter in NE. That was a thing of beauty. He was slinging it around, making great throw one after another. Not to mention the throws to Knox and Smoke.  
 

Coaches and Josh have to figure out how to dial in that play for four quarters. 

 

I don’t need my Qb to make every throw.  I want my Qb to win games, have  a competitive fire in his eyes, take the team on his back and risk his body. The ability for him to hit a big play at any time is so exciting to root for and keeps me interested in every down.

29 total tds for a second year player.! Fantastic. 
 

CincyBillsfan , you and I will have to remember this day 2 years from now and see where Josh is at!

Edited January 6, 2021 by loveorhatembillsfan4life

[JGMcD2]

"It doesn't really bother me or flatter me all that much," Allen said in December. "I'm an extremely self-driven person. I have a lot of confidence in myself. I take ownership of the last couple years, the mishaps and miscues, and understand that I was growing and learning. But the apology letter, the form or whatever you want to call it? I guess it was cool. It was something to talk about.”

 

I’m on record talking about this somewhere and I love Josh discussing it. He’s self-motivated which is way more sustainable and healthy than the Baker Mayfield style of having a list of every person who’s ever doubted him. 
 

Josh has his moments, like Fresno State, but the kid was hurt by that. He grew up a huge fan and they labeled him “not competitive” at their camps.  

 

[folz]

In the draft, I just wanted the Bills to get either Allen, Mayfield, or Darold. I didn't really care too much which of the three we got (only because I couldn't decide who I thought was better between the three). I just wanted the Bills to take a shot on one of those three players, whomever they thought was best. I wanted the hope of a franchise QB. I did not want Rosen or Jackson.

 

Just after the draft, mostly because Allen said he wanted Buffalo to pick him, and because I went back and watched a lot of his highlight reels, interviews, and combine videos, etc. I became a fan...and was hopeful.

 

The Minnesota game his rookie year made me want to ride-or-die with Josh, as he did his best Superman impersonation. And I realized that he was going to be a fun player to watch (even if he still had some growing pains to come).

 

But it was really the Jaguars game, his first game back from the elbow injury that he suffered during his rookie year. That 75-yard TD bomb that he threw to Foster, where he stayed in the pocket, stepped up in the pocket, and launched the ball as he was being sandwiched by 3 Jaguar players ...well that was a big boy throw. That's the kind of throw an old-time, great QB makes. Not to mention, that's how he injured his elbow in the first place, being sandwiched in the pocket vs. Houston---but he showed no fear or hesitation in his first game back from the injury. And then he had that TD run where he ripped out of one tackle, made two nice jukes---weaving his way to the goal line, and then lowered his shoulder to plow through a DT to get into the end zone, where he proceeded to flex like a beast for his celebration (his first Angry Run winner). He had another 50-yard run. Threw a nice touch pass to Benjamin, showing he was starting to control his velocity and have some awareness. Led a TD drive to take the lead early in the 4th quarter. Not to mention just how his competitive juices were flowing all game, playing against Jalen Ramsey, who called him trash.

 

It was after that game when I started telling everybody that I think we finally found our franchise Quarterback.

 

[starrymessenger]

Not impressed with this guy’s narrative. The naysayers should have known better. Not to say that he was sure to succeed, but it was or should have been clear that he was a premium prospect. Same for Lamar. So many idiots.

[DieHardBillsFan]

5 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Just finished reading this and was headed over to share it. Thanks for sharing. A nice read for sure!

 

my biggest annoyance with the people finally admitting to this is when they reference his first TWO seasons and still cant believe what they are seeing.... if they paid any sort of attention at all to the improvements from year 1 to year 2, and his overall production last year, then this season wouldnt be so mind blowing.

 

We all know theres a handful of members around here that refuse to show up on the same daily basis that they used to. But when they do they talk about how nobody ever coulda saw him being a good qb and that they werent wrong. BS, if people couldnt see the steady improvement and generational talent that was accenting it, then thats on them and they should feel as foolish as they look now.

 

Completely agree! My main point I would bring up to those who don't actually watch games was how many times he was in a 3rd and long situation, or how many times he would throw for over 20 yards. Your percentage will drop tremendously if the passes are further than everyone else especially if trying to force it on 3rd and long. The only thing Josh needed real improvement on was decision making and taking what the defense is giving. He could make the throws but he was waiting too long. Now that he has seen enough to get past this hurdle, he is hurdling records weekly.

[billsfan89]

While I love the Josh Allen apology tour I really hate how people write off his 2019 season as him still being inaccurate and not looking like a franchise guy. In Josh's rookie year he showcased that he was the super raw prospect with tantalizing potential. He was maddeningly inaccurate on shorter throws but showcased special ability down the field. He also had a bad TD to INT ratio and made bad decision and didn't have the best supporting cast.

 

However if you actually watched Josh in 2019 you saw a QB who improved a lot and actually showed you that he can be a franchise guy. The idea that his 2020 season was completely out of nowhere ignores a 6% increase in completion percentage and a 2 to 1 TD to INT ratio in 2019 all way up from 2018. In 2019 he flipped his accuracy issues, he became much more accurate on shorter throws but looked like his calibration was off on longer throws. His ability to process the game was also up and down but as the season went on he began to play smarter avoiding turnover worthy plays more and more. He still would make some bad growing pains decisions and was frustratingly inaccurate down field. 

 

In 2019 Josh hovered over 60% completion percentage for most of the season. In his first 12 out of 15 fully played games (tossing out the Jets game where he barely played) Josh had a 61.5% completion percentage. It wasn't until he played 3 out of the top 5 defenses in the league in Baltimore, Pitt and New England where he completed 47% of his passes in those games that his completion percentage dipped heavily to 58.8% which still was a 6% increase from 2018. He went from a sub .500 TD to INT ratio to 2 to 1 TD to INT. 

 

If you didn't think a breakout in 2020 was at least possible then he didn't really analyze or watch Josh in 2019 who made tremendous progress. It is just such lazy analysis.

[HOUSE]

I used to pay for ESPN insider and this is why I still love Teddy Bridgewater

[The Wiz]

22 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

While I love the Josh Allen apology tour I really hate how people write off his 2019 season as him still being inaccurate and not looking like a franchise guy. In Josh's rookie year he showcased that he was the super raw prospect with tantalizing potential. He was maddeningly inaccurate on shorter throws but showcased special ability down the field. He also had a bad TD to INT ratio and made bad decision and didn't have the best supporting cast.

 

However if you actually watched Josh in 2019 you saw a QB who improved a lot and actually showed you that he can be a franchise guy. The idea that his 2020 season was completely out of nowhere ignores a 6% increase in completion percentage and a 2 to 1 TD to INT ratio in 2019 all way up from 2018. In 2019 he flipped his accuracy issues, he became much more accurate on shorter throws but looked like his calibration was off on longer throws. His ability to process the game was also up and down but as the season went on he began to play smarter avoiding turnover worthy plays more and more. He still would make some bad growing pains decisions and was frustratingly inaccurate down field. 

 

In 2019 Josh hovered over 60% completion percentage for most of the season. In his first 12 out of 15 fully played games (tossing out the Jets game where he barely played) Josh had a 61.5% completion percentage. It wasn't until he played 3 out of the top 5 defenses in the league in Baltimore, Pitt and New England where he completed 47% of his passes in those games that his completion percentage dipped heavily to 58.8% which still was a 6% increase from 2018. He went from a sub .500 TD to INT ratio to 2 to 1 TD to INT. 

 

If you didn't think a breakout in 2020 was at least possible then he didn't really analyze or watch Josh in 2019 who made tremendous progress. It is just such lazy analysis.

You could also roll out the 5 minute lowlight reel of receivers dropping passes that attributed to his "accuracy" issues since most of the guys that said he was inaccurate were basically just going by the narrative already in place and then looking at the stat sheet of each game.

[jhh9327]

4 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I was locked in when Josh did the Superman TD in Minnesota, while staring into the pylon cam.  I jumped off the couch and screamed, "THAT'S MY *****IN' QUARTERBACK!!"

 

 

Contrast that to Tua, who in a game his team needs to win and is losing, is sliding at the 5 yard line instead of trying to score.  I texted my buddy who's a Phins fan with a wtf is wrong with your QB and good luck rooting and hoping on that to become elite someday. 

 

The moments of brilliance from Allen, along with his competitive drive that has been there from day 1, always meant what we are now seeing was possible.  Didn't guarantee it of course, but those utterly shocked by it really weren't paying attention.  

 

I'll also give credit to McDermott.  I thought his conservative nature might forever hinder Allen.  4th quarter Josh last year happened because game scripts caused McDermott to have to be more aggressive and Allen more often than not rose to the occasion.  The most shocking thing to me this season has been becoming a complete pass first (and second and third) team while still having the coach we do.  Kudos to him for this adjustment as well. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by jhh9327