Josh Allen's Running Ability

[The Wiz]

1 hour ago, Andy1 said:

On the McAfee show Josh mentioned in highschool he was tortuga or turtle. He said the bigger he has gotten, the faster he has gotten. I think that’s why his running ability wasn’t really considered in the draft process. Scouts knew he could move well in the pocket but no one expected him to lead the league in yards per attempt.

My daughter has been growing like a weed since she was born.  She still hasn't gotten used to how tall she is and runs "funny" because of it.  I think Josh did the same thing in college and just outgrew what he thought he body was and is finally topping off.

[transplantbillsfan]

On the Pat McAfee show today one of the cohosts asked Allen about his speed and claimed he clocked Allen unofficially at 4.42 during a game.

 

I have no clue what his methodology is, but that legitimately seems like Allen’s speed, doesn't it?

 

And Allen also said that ironically as he's gotten older and picked up weight (he said his playing weight is 245), he's gotten faster and more athletic.

 

Crazy stuff.

2 hours ago, butch rolle said:

Not sure if you all caught it but on Pat McAfee today, Josh pretty much confirmed my suspicion.  He has added about 10lbs since Wyoming, now weighing in at 245, yet has managed to get faster.  As Pat likes to say, Josh is a WAGON!!!

 

2 hours ago, Andy1 said:

On the McAfee show Josh mentioned in highschool he was tortuga or turtle. He said the bigger he has gotten, the faster he has gotten. I think that’s why his running ability wasn’t really considered in the draft process. Scouts knew he could move well in the pocket but no one expected him to lead the league in yards per attempt.

 

My bad... I see it's been mentioned 

[Warcodered]

15 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

On the Pat McAfee show today one of the cohosts asked Allen about his speed and claimed he clocked Allen unofficially at 4.42 during a game.

 

I have no clue what his methodology is, but that legitimately seems like Allen’s speed, doesn't it?

 

And Allen also said that ironically as he's gotten older and picked up weight (he said his playing weight is 245), he's gotten faster and more athletic.

 

Crazy stuff.

 

 

My bad... I see it's been mentioned 

I just think it's a combination of QBs not really focusing as much on the 40 yard dash and Josh's running style not really lining up with it.

[HerdMentality]

I was going to say unprecedented.... but I'll settle for 1 of the Top 2 running QB's I've seen. (just talking running skills)

 

Josh Allen / Randall Cunningham. 

 

Very different. But equally good. Dealer's choice.

Edited January 21, 2022 by HerdMentality

[Matt_In_NH]

A quarterback being a great runner is far down the list to me.   Scramble to buy time, yes you want that.   Somebody who runs like an RB and takes those shots are not the most desirable IMO.  You want someone who can carve up a defense with the brain and arm and use the legs judiciously.   We want him to play til 40 not 30, the good news is he can do it.   There was too much running for me this year.  If you look at his yearly totals running, it went 600,500,400,700.  It was trending in the right direction...400ish is what you want.  He ran more out of necessity this year, long term you want an RB you can get your running yards with.  Again, that is my opinion, I am sure others dont agree.

 

Matt

Edited January 21, 2022 by mattynh

[Big Turk]

On 1/17/2022 at 9:22 PM, KzooMike said:

Josh has turned out to be an elite running QB. It's a huge part of his game and has given us some incredible moments over the years with his hurdles and running over defenders.    

 

I guess the question is, did the Bills know what he was capable of outside of some mobility? This isn't mobility, this is the 2nd best running QB in the NFL. 

 

Josh ran an unofficial, 4.76 and in college  had 767 yards on 237 carries, a 3.2 average

 

Lamar had an unofficial 4.34 and in college had 4,132 yards on 655 carries, a 6.3 average 

 

Would anybody considered passing on Allen if they knew his ability to run was this strong? As far as arm talent, he was a consensus #1 in the draft. We haven't seen a prospect with top arm talent and elite running come out of the draft since Michael Vick. Running ability as a QB seems to be an area that teams don't really miss on in evaluation. It's shocking we have a guy who didn't flash it to this extent until his pro career.

 

Did anybody really know? Thoughts?

 

If you watch Allen run his 40, it might be used as a training video on how NOT to run a 40. He literally cost himself at least .2 seconds with his terrible start and form.

 

I think it's very clear how fast he actually is when he passes DL like they are standing still and runs away from LBs with ease even when they have the angle sometimes.

 

He posted a speed above 20 MPH on a run at least once if not more times...

 

He isn't just fast for a QB. He is simply fast. Not Lamar or Kyler Murray fast but definitely the next level and faster than Mahomes.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Big Turk

[Hapless Bills Fan]

On 1/17/2022 at 8:22 PM, KzooMike said:

Josh has turned out to be an elite running QB. It's a huge part of his game and has given us some incredible moments over the years with his hurdles and running over defenders.    

 

I guess the question is, did the Bills know what he was capable of outside of some mobility? This isn't mobility, this is the 2nd best running QB in the NFL. 

 

Josh ran an unofficial, 4.76 and in college  had 767 yards on 237 carries, a 3.2 average

 

Lamar had an unofficial 4.34 and in college had 4,132 yards on 655 carries, a 6.3 average 

 

Would anybody considered passing on Allen if they knew his ability to run was this strong? As far as arm talent, he was a consensus #1 in the draft. We haven't seen a prospect with top arm talent and elite running come out of the draft since Michael Vick. Running ability as a QB seems to be an area that teams don't really miss on in evaluation. It's shocking we have a guy who didn't flash it to this extent until his pro career.

 

Did anybody really know? Thoughts?

 

There's a funny exchange at a charity competition held at Top Golf & MC'd by Pat McAfee.  Starting about 1 minute in, Pat asks Josh about jumping over Barr and his running ability:

 

McAfee:  "Harrison Phillips says that they had no idea that you would be the dual threat QB that you have become"

Josh (deadpan): "me either.  no.  no."

McAfee (laughing): "6'6" QB from the University of Wyoming, this guy's gonna be a freak athlete, is what everybody was thinking"

Josh: "Exactly"

 

Beane mentioned in his presser post-draft that he thought we would be "pleased" by his "mobility", that he would be more mobile than people think.  But I think most people, even including the Bills scouting staff, didn't believe Josh's rushing abilities at Wyo would translate into the much higher level of competition in the NFL.

 

I think Josh was just growing into his mature height and putting on muscle at Wyo and evolving from the "Tortuga" of his Sr year in HS.  He said this week on Pat McAfee that it seems as though the bigger and stronger he gets, the faster he gets

https://youtu.be/SFoDV-Zj5ss?t=1508

Josh: "As I've gotten heavier over my life, I've gotten more athletic and faster, which is wierd

Mcafee: "It's a dream"

Josh: "I'm at 245 right now (looks offscreen at handler), which, don't tell my strength coach that...I'm bulked up right now and I'm able to move pretty good, whenever the team needs me I'll be there"

McAfee: "What is your expected weight from the strength coach, lower? 230?"

Josh: "242, I got a few pounds to go but it's not bad, it's not bad at all"

 

Mcafee sidekick in black cowboy hat: "My question is around you saying that you're getting more athletic..I clocked you at a 4.42 running last game....you had a 4.75 at the combine, did you just not try at the combine?"

Allen: "I did, but I guess at game speed, guys are chasing you, you have a little extra motivation there...but again, going back to high school, my coach used to call me Tortuga....I never had the athleticism that I have, really, up until college"

 

So basically, I think from Allen's own words and Beane's, the degree of his athleticism passed under the radar when he was evaluated pre-draft and perhaps has actually increased along with his improved throwing accuracy, with training during the off-season and with Josh being a late-bloomer and continuing to grow into his adult frame.

 

I think anyone who implies that the degree to which Allen has become a dual threat QB and able to make top NFL football players miss, was known pre-draft and was a motivation for the Bills drafting him, is indulging in revisionist history...I think Beane and his staff did know that Josh's playing speed was faster than his combine speed, though, and that he was more elusive than his "pajama olympics" numbers showed.

 

I think it just goes to highlight how the "underwear olympics" just don't tell nearly the whole story of a player's game speed and elusiveness.

 

 

[julian]

Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but didn’t Rice run away from everybody in the NfFL after running a slow combine ? Game speed can be very different 

[Udubalum07]

One of the biggest things to consider is the lack of premier coaching he had up until at least Wyoming and into the NFL. Most all qbs coming out were tabbed as superstars in middle school or high school, and were getting elite qb coaching and athletic training opportunities. Josh didn't have any of those things through small town high school, junior college, and finally got a little more of it in college. The thing is he was about 6 years behind most qb prospects in both athletic and QB training. It is amazing how quickly he has become a top 5 qb in the NFL, both from a passing and running ability.

[SydneyBillsFan]

Not sure if anyone has mentiomed this, but according to ESPN, the Cheefs defense are ranked 32nd in the NFL against designed QB runs + Josh has averaged 50 rushing yards v the Cheefs.

[John from Riverside]

The running ability has always been there

 

What has grown and made Josh a unicorn is his passing ability.......the willingness to work the short game when the long game isnt there and throwing the ball away instead of playing sandlot football.

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

13 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

The running ability has always been there

 

What has grown and made Josh a unicorn is his passing ability.......the willingness to work the short game when the long game isnt there and throwing the ball away instead of playing sandlot football.

 

I agree with your second sentence.  But I think Josh's running ability has improved each year. 

 

I forget the guy's name, but Josh has trained with the same mobility coach Deshaun Watson uses since his rookie year.  I think in his rookie season, Josh actually picked up a bunch of jukes and moves and some lessons on how to read the D from Lesean McCoy.   I think in 2019 and 2020, he was focused on his passing and wanting to pass first, and delayed the decision to run, cutting down on his y/a; when he did have designed runs, they often didn't work so well.

Now he seems to be deciding faster and also getting some great blocking for better designed runs.

[transplantbillsfan]

https://theathletic.com/3085111/2022/01/21/whats-changed-since-week-5-and-an-absurd-josh-allen-stat-22-bills-thoughts-heading-into-the-clash-with-the-chiefs?source=user-shared-article

An absurd Josh Allen stat

 

Before we get into the details of how the Bills match up with the Chiefs, we have an Allen stat that’s too good not to share. There are a lot of gaudy numbers, but in a historical context, Allen’s 2021 season is one of the best rushing years in NFL history. The Athletic’s Aaron Reiss dug deep into the numbers on TruMedia and found an excellent morsel of information.

 

“Among players with at least 120 carries in a season, including the playoffs, Allen’s rushing success rate of 61.3 percent is fourth best since at least 2000. The four players ahead of him are all quarterbacks: Michael Vick in 2004, Robert Griffin III in 2012 and Cam Newton in 2011.”

 

To be mentioned in the same sentence as Vick in his Madden cover year is rarefied air. Combined with Allen’s passing prowess, no other team in the league is getting the level of multi-purpose quarterbacking that he provides. And to apply that to this matchup, the Chiefs had the second-worst expected points added total against quarterback rushes in the regular season. The last time the teams played, Allen rushed for 59 yards on 11 carries, and three of those were kneeldowns for a 1 -yard loss.

[ToGoGo]

4 hours ago, SydneyBillsFan said:

Not sure if anyone has mentiomed this, but according to ESPN, the Cheefs defense are ranked 32nd in the NFL against designed QB runs + Josh has averaged 50 rushing yards v the Cheefs.

 

If you listen to the Chiefs this week, all they're talking about is tackling Allen on runs. 

 

They're absolutely terrified. 

[Ralonzo]

22 hours ago, HerdMentality said:

I was going to say unprecedented.... but I'll settle for 1 of the Top 2 running QB's I've seen. (just talking running skills)

 

Josh Allen / Randall Cunningham. 

 

Very different. But equally good. Dealer's choice.

I mean, to me he’s more like Joe Kapp in terms of the physicality at the position or more recently Steve McNair. But damned if I’ve ever seen someone who is elite in size, strength, legs, arm, brain, leadership. He’s a lab-grown CRISPR-edited prototype T-1000 quarterback unit. I have no other explanation.

[Doc]

5 minutes ago, ToGoGo said:

 

If you listen to the Chiefs this week, all they're talking about is tackling Allen on runs. 

 

They're absolutely terrified. 

 

They should be.  Especially with the emergence of Singletary.