Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is used to playing in less-than-ideal conditions at the team’s home stadium in Orchard Park, but the new stadium will blunt the effect of the Lake Erie winds.
Allen opened up about the new stadium, telling former Bills star turned broadcaster Eric Wood about how the new Highmark Stadium blunts the effects of the wind.
New Field Keeps Josh Allen Protected from Wind
The team’s new stadium is completed and set to open this summer, when the team will take the field after the completion of training camp just outside nearby Rochester, New York. Allen said the stadium crew has already recorded a significant improvement in wind shear on the field.
“The wind logs that they’ve been tracking has put the wind in that stadium is over, I guess, less than half of what it actually is outside,” Allen said, via Essentially Sports.
Allen added that there will still be plenty of wind to deal with — Buffalo’s stadium is known as one of the windiest in the NFL — but the effects will be significantly reduced.
“I think it depends on wind direction,” Allen said. “Obviously, there’s a prevailing wind that’s pretty constant, but if it switches the other way, there could be a little more wind in there, but I think it’s going to be extremely manageable. I do think that the flags on the goalpost may have a little movement to them, but it’s not going to be near as much as the other one.”
Though the reduction in wind will benefit both Allen and opposing quarterbacks, it could have a more significant effect for the Bills as Allen has tended to take more deep shots than opponents. The Bills have hosted some games with significant winds, including a 2021 game against the New England Patriots where opposing quarterback Mac Jones won while attempting just two passes.
Josh Allen Working on the Long Ball
Allen said he has been working on improving his long throws, saying he is trying to improve his mechanics.
“Just a lot of mechanics,” Allen said. “Making sure that I’m really turning through. Trying to keep my back foot down as long as possible and generate some more power from the ground. I wasn’t great at throwing the deep ball last year, so there’s going to be some more emphasis there, and making sure that I’m getting the reps during practice, especially during this time.”
Allen has been known to spend time each offseason working on improving mechanics, even partnering with a sports science company in 2023 to create a video breakdown of his throws to identify inefficiencies. Allen was coming off a shoulder injury the previous season that forced him to alter his throwing motion, so he spent considerable time that offseason correcting it.
Allen said he will put in more work in training camp, once there is a real defense to face.
“Unfortunately, to get those live reps, you need guys to run live speed, and everyone loves running a go ball or post, but it’s like I need a couple more reps,” Allen said. “It becomes a little taxing on the guys, so making sure that we’re picking and choosing at the right spots and letting guys be able to rest and recover, but also at the same time, get as many reps as we can that are going to be beneficial to us in the future.”
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