Josh Allen may not see the field until the start of the Buffalo Bills season, but the performances that the All-Pro has turned in during the team’s training camp may be enough to soothe any worries fans could have about him being ready to start the year.
Even though head coach Sean McDermott has not yet committed to playing Allen at all during the preseason, he has shined during training camp and earned some rave reviews from insiders watching from the sidelines. Allen is looking to build off an MVP-caliber season in 2020 and lead the Bills to the Super Bowl, and appears to be off to a very strong start.
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Allen’s Performance Praised
If training camp performances are any indication, Allen could be headed to an even bigger season in 2021 than his breakout in 2020. As Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino noted, the quarterback completed 15 straight passes to open drills against the first-team defense on Tuesday, capping it off with a “perfect pass” to second-year receiver Gabriel Davis for a touchdown.
Parrino noted that Allen was nearly perfect at the practice.
“When shooters start making shots on the basketball court the customary saying is that he or she is ‘making it rain.’ That’s what it felt like for Allen, only it was the way he was throwing the football,” he wrote. “Ironically enough, just as he finished his work during the team portion of practice was winding down it started to pour.”
Allen’s performance caught the attention of others. Dan Fetes of WHAM-13 tweeted that he looked like “Madden on ‘rookie mode’ ” as he completed passes on the run and in the pocket. Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 added that Allen was doing a good job spreading the ball around, completing passes to five different receivers during the drills.
Josh Allen was really good today.
Like really really good.
I don’t think the ball hit the ground more than once or twice when they went live.
Throws on the run, stepping up in the pocket and all on target.
It looked like Allen was playing Madden on ‘rookie mode’
Allen continued to look strong later in the week, hitting Cole Beasley for a perfectly placed completion over the middle on Thursday. The fourth-year quarterback is coming off a career-best season in which he threw for 4,544 passing yards with 37 touchdown passes, adding 421 yards rushing with eight rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.
Working the middle. 👌
Allen Gets Preseason Break
Fans may not get to see Allen throwing in a live game until the season starts next month. The team announced on Thursday that backup Mitch Trubisky would be starting Saturday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Allen had already sat out of the team’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, and McDermott said that most of the team’s veteran starters would be getting the day off against the Bears as well.
“Josh will not play and a number of starters will not play. Some starters will play, so it’s more individually based at that point,” McDermott said, via USA Today’s Bills Wire. “I’d say the large portion of the core of guys that have been here for a few years will not play.”
Mitchell Trubisky revenge szn is fully on as Josh Allen will not start under center for the #Bills vs. the #Bears t.co/t5XwxSib2D
McDermott added that had not yet decided whether Allen and the other starters would see time in the final tune-up before the season starts, an August 28 game against the Green Bay Packers.
“We’re going to continue to take it one week at a time,” McDermott said, via Sports Illustrated’s Bills Central. “Because of the newness of the way the preseason has kind of been shaped here, we’re just going to continue to evaluate one week at a time. So we’ll see what next week brings.”
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Josh Allen Looked Like ‘Madden on Rookie Mode’ at Bills Camp: Insider