The Buffalo Bills were on a great trajectory last season. However, they could not defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round. The lead quarterback of the team, Josh Allen, was lauded for his impressive performance throughout the season. But an NFL Insider revealed that the head coach of the team, Sean McDermott, criticized the way he played.
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Allen has a powerful running style that has helped him set himself apart from his fellow shot-callers. The franchise and the fans think that the California native can lead the team to the Super Bowl. But in order to do so, McDermott thinks that it’s time for him to change the way he plays the part of a QB.
Josh Allen needs to change in order to protect himself
Allen, who is 6’5″ and has a 237-pound frame, cemented himself as one of the best young generation QB. He is a dual threat when on the field. When he gets a hold of the ball and tries to exit the pocket, he makes it a mission to fight for every yard. The Wyoming product does not hesitate to go through a defender.
In his five-year career, he has amassed 3,087 rushing yards, 38 rushing touchdowns, and 700+ rushing yards in each of the last two seasons. Despite his outstanding performance, the hits he takes can be dangerous in the long run. Hence, the head coach of the team feels that the star QB needs to change his ways.
“I don’t think that’s a healthy way to play QB in this league and it’s undefeated that things are going to happen when you play that style, brand of football,” McDermott told NFL.com’s, Judy Battista.
McDermott also said that even though changing the habits of the Second-team All-Pro will be difficult, the team will do their best.
Allen acknowledged he needs to take fewer hits
The two-time Pro Bowler knows that he needs to take care of himself while working as a ball carrier. He said in September, “I think I can be better in that aspect. But given the circumstances of what it was, understanding the flow of the game — I do things sometimes that are necessary in my eyes to help our team win a football game. That’s all it is. But at the end of the day, availability is the best ability.”
As he moves onto his sixth season with the Bills in the league, the team will do their absolute best at protecting their signal-caller. The coach also noted that Allen has been hit on 66% of his downfield runs. Buffalo also gave up 28 quarterback hits last season, and Allen took an extra 33 sacks. In the past three years, Allen has endured hundreds of hits simply from sacks and rushes combined.
