Getty Josh Allen throws a pass during Buffalo Bills practice.
Josh Allen is ready to move beyond the scuffle at Buffalo Bills training camp.
The team’s $258-million man grew heated near the end of Saturday’s practice when he was bumped by defensive lineman Jordan Phillips while practicing a two-point conversion. Allen gave Phillips a shove, which ignited a scuffle between members of the offense and defense and prompted coach Sean McDermott to break it up.
#Bills QB .@JoshAllenQB got into a fight at the end of practice with 6’6, 341 pound DT Jordan Phillips.
On Sunday, Allen broke his silence on the incident and downplayed any chance of reviving the “Bickering Bills” storylines from the late 1980s when Jim Kelly and teammates had some high-profile spats.
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Allen Discusses Camp Scuffle
Allen took to Twitter on Sunday to talk about the incident, making it clear that the brief scuffle was just a normal part of training camp.
“Man I love football the boys got going yesterday, and it’s all love!” he wrote, adding an angry-face emoji. “First day of pads, just pushing each other to be great that is all!”
Man I love football 😤 the boys got going yesterday, and it’s all love! 😁 First day of pads, just pushing each other to be great ❤️ that is all!
As Allen noted, Saturday was the first day that Bills players wore pads at practice and introduced light hitting. The fight near the conclusion of the practice may have been the result of some growing tensions between Bills players. The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo noted that defenders were getting chippy with Allen during practice, which left the quarterback frustrated.
“The DLs were buzzing around the #Bills QBs during practice,” he tweeted. “Even made contact at one point. Josh Allen didn’t appreciate it, which is what led to this moment…”
The dynamic of players living away from home in dormitories at St. Josh Fisher University near Rochester — the Bills are one of the few remaining teams to travel for training camp — playing in the summer heat and waiting to finally put on pads for contact practices may have also played a role.
“Mitch Morse said Bills have been here a whole week and pads go on,” tweeted Syracuse.com reporter Matt Parrino. “Guys aren’t sleeping well and it’s more physical when pads are on. Stuff like exchange between Josh Allen and Jordan Phillips are going to happen in camp.”
Though the scuffle was minor, it did attract some national attention because of Allen’s involvement, though many pointed out that such incidents and sometimes even full-blown fights are not uncommon during training camps.
High Pressure for Bills
The Bills opened training camp facing a level of pressure unusual for the franchise. Many have pegged them as Super Bowl favorites this season, though McDermott has tried to keep the team focused and limit the impact of those outside pressures.
“Expectations are for people outside of the building,” McDermott said on July 24. “And we’re here to work. And that starts with training camp, by putting a good practice together this morning. Like I mentioned earlier, coming together as a team and developing an identity of toughness as a football team while we’re here.”
But the players are also facing some individual pressures. The Bills are seen as one of the league’s top teams on both sides of the ball, and it will be a challenge for many to make the final roster.
The Bills coach said nothing is taken for granted.
“All positions are earned,” McDermott said.
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