Josh Allen - Draft night retrospect

[BringBackFergy]

It’s kinda fun to go back and review the analysis of our team and selection of Josh Allen on Draft night. Some members are still here...others literally packed up their things and left. 

 

And I’m not targeting Gunner here. He’s a smart fella and I respect his analysis. His reaction is tame compared to some in this archived thread. 

 

It’s still very early to judge these five QB’s but Josh Allen is doing about as good as could be expected (high floor, high ceiling) in his development. 

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

18 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

It’s still very early to judge these five QB’s but Josh Allen is doing about as good as could be expected (high floor, high ceiling) in his development. 

 

And Josh is the one I prefer.  

Let him enjoy the underdog role.  

 

 

[downunderbill]

Even when we know everything, we don't.

[BringBackFergy]

1 minute ago, downunderbill said:

Even when we know everything, we don't.

Admittedly, I know very little about football scouting. I suppose Beane and McDermott are better at evaluating players and their “fit” with the team. If they want to go fly fishing, I can help them with that. 

[Juice_32]

I wanted Rosen, I’m dumb.

[CLTbills]

yikes. I was a Rosen guy, but have never been happier to be wrong!

[BringBackFergy]

Just now, Juice_32 said:

I wanted Rosen, I’m dumb.

No you’re not.  I was excited for TJ Graham!!

[racketmaster]

GM’s who have mountains of information on the college qbs coming out are often wrong so why would we think folks on a message board would fair any better. Its best to avoid making definitive statements because in reality the paid professionals with access to mountains of information and surrounded by other experienced scouts still get it wrong all too often. 

[dickleyjones]

I was on board from that first phone call from Beane. Not sure what it was exactly, but there was a familiarity between them, and Josh's response sounded sincere. It sounded like this was the plan all along, and Josh was in on it.

 

Beane: "you ready to be a Bill?"

Josh: "yes sir!"

 

me: "this kid gets it"

[billsfan1959]

I suspect if we had a record of what everyone thought about Allen or any other draft pick ever at the time they were drafted, most of us would be wrong most of the time.

 

For my part, the night of the draft, I was on the phone with my son. We both wanted Rosen; however, we would have been ok with Allen. There was an intial disappointment; however, after that, we both said we trusted this FO and never gave Rosen another thought. Every post I ever wrote from that point was pro Allen.

 

The FO was right.

Edited September 25, 2019 by billsfan1959

[PaattMaann]

I don't have a post to show it, but I was on the "ANYONE BUT ALLEN" train all draft process. Loved Mayfield and Lamar Jackson. 

 

I am 100 percent turned around and LOVE our boy and would choose him over every QB in that draft. 

 

I don't think he is anywhere near a finished product, and he could still turn out to be a bust...but as of right now, I am all in on the Allen train and am THRILLED to have been wrong about him. 

 

(for the record, I also LOVED Mahomes and thought he would be a stud. I harbor no ill will of this regime - McD - for passing on taking a QB because he felt ill equipped to make that huge decision in that draft, and I love having Tre and the picks it turned into....and Mahomes probably would have failed miserably here...but I did love that kid coming out and still do)

[plenzmd1]

Not sure if i posted in that thread..but i wanted Lamar at 12 and no trade ups. If not that I wanted Rosen if we traded up. I was not a fam of the pick to say it mildly

[Bangarang]

Hated the pick. I’m not sorry. I’ll be wrong again.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Bangarang

[BringBackFergy]

1 minute ago, plenzmd1 said:

Not sure if i posted in that thread..but i wanted Lamar at 12 and no trade ups. If not that I wanted Rosen if we traded up. I was not a fam of the pick to say it mildly

My head was spinning that night. There was so much info out there, leaks and smokescreens, I had no idea who we would pick. 

[Wayne Cubed]

Wasn't sure about the pick but was willing to wait and see. That hasn't changed.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Even *I* wanted Rosen there.

 

Though, by the second day of the draft I was on board.

 

[Shaw66]

12 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

No you’re not.  I was excited for TJ Graham!!

Now that WAS dumb.  HOORAY!!!  Bills trade up for Russell Wilso -  WHHAAA?  TJ Graham?

[dpberr]

I was right about Rosen.  

 

Although I think Josh Allen is a 21st Century Jeff George, he's worked on his accuracy and it's better than I thought it'd be.  

[Shaw66]

I wasn't thrilled with Rosen's size or his mouth, but after Mayfield and Darnold went I figured he was the choice.  Reluctantly.  

 

Then the Bills traded up and something clicked in my head.  I found myself thinking, almost screaming, "take the big arm, take the big arm."  I was really excited.wjen the pick happened. 

6 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Now that WAS dumb.  HOORAY!!!  Bills trade up for Russell Wilso -  WHHAAA?  TJ Graham?

He ain't no Jeff George.  We know that already.  

[H2o]

I remember being more pissed that we gave up both of our 2nd Round picks for a guy I thought would have been there at #12. I was wrong of course. Read reports after the draft that he wouldn't have made it much further and that other teams were looking to move up for him as well. 

[Bray Wyatt]

I dont know that this qualifies as tame:

 

GunnerBill

• Posted April 26, 2018

This is a mistake. It will bring down this regime. You can mark this post and you can quote it back to me any time you like in the future if I am wrong. 

 

I won't be. 

 

[thebandit27]

Too early for right/wrong threads IMO, so I'll hold on my ITYS for a while longer 

[MILFHUNTER#518]

I was a Darnold man through and through until last years Vikings game.

[Rc2catch]

I hated all the other quarterbacks and I still do. I think they’re all overhyped and nowhere near as good as the hype around them. 

I like Allen though, not sold he can improve his game on the field enough to be the face of the franchise but I’m impressed with what he’s done so far. 

[BringBackFergy]

17 minutes ago, Bray Wyatt said:

I dont know that this qualifies as tame:

 

GunnerBill

• Posted April 26, 2018

This is a mistake. It will bring down this regime. You can mark this post and you can quote it back to me any time you like in the future if I am wrong. 

 

I won't be. 

 

I meant “tame” compared to some of the “I’m outta here” and “&$!#%” that night 

[Big Curt]

The Jury is still out on him.  He's inconsistent at best and barely average for a starting QB.  He has potential and that is all at this point.   R.E.L.A.X  Do I like what I see thus far? Absolutely.  However, this is such a small sample size and people already have him in tha hall of Fame.

[DasNootz]

I was Darnold, Allen, Mayfield, Rosen........ Jackson

 

Darnold was the best pedigree,. Allen the best fit for us but a raw project.  Baker was a winner, but I thought he was too small.  Rosen was a concussion away from retirement and Jackson was a gimmick.  

 

Jackson has been the biggest surprise, though I didn’t expect Allen to be the creator that he’s been.

[HappyDays]

I was pretty upset when we took Allen. I came into the draft really wanting Mayfield or Darnold. I wasn't a big fan of Rosen, I was worried that he was a statue in the pocket and I didn't know how well that would translate to the pros. But once Mayfield and Darnold were taken I convinced myself Rosen would be a great pick. After we drafted Allen I watched a bunch of his college tape and felt a little better, and now he has already surpassed my expectations. I'm happy to be wrong.

[Maynard]

I loved the pick and still do. I’d still choose Allen over any of the top 4 that came out. Although, I’ll admit, I was completely wrong about Jackson thus far! 

 

Pretty funny to to see how harsh some people were on the pick! Some of those that really were down on Allen hard, now have his avatar LOL! 

[White Linen]

I didn't want Mayfield or Jackson passionately.  I liked Darnold the best but didn't think there was any chance of getting him, so I really starting choosing between the Josh's, in my own way.  I wanted Allen over Rosen and it wasn't close for me. 

 

So I went into draft day loving Darnold, knowing we wouldn't get him and hoping we would get Allen.  My sons and I ran around the house when we got him.  

[Jobot]

I honestly think any of those guys would have been successful had Buffalo drafted them.  I think with Allen they saw his size and arm strength that set him apart, and trusted their ability to develop him with their system.

 

With past regimes I would have expected Buffalo to ruin even the like of a Mahomes... I think now we'll start seeing more successful drafts just from our coaches ability to develop players and put them in a system that works.

[TH3]

24 minutes ago, Big Curt said:

The Jury is still out on him.  He's inconsistent at best and barely average for a starting QB.  He has potential and that is all at this point.   R.E.L.A.X  Do I like what I see thus far? Absolutely.  However, this is such a small sample size and people already have him in tha hall of Fame.

wha?

Edited September 25, 2019 by TH3

[BillsShredder83]

50 minutes ago, H2o said:

I remember being more pissed that we gave up both of our 2nd Round picks for a guy I thought would have been there at #12. I was wrong of course. Read reports after the draft that he wouldn't have made it much further and that other teams were looking to move up for him as well. 

Look at the madness its causing for Arizona stilllll

[HappyDays]

14 minutes ago, Maynard said:

Although, I’ll admit, I was completely wrong about Jackson thus far! 

 

I'm not sure about Jackson yet. There was a time when he was my #1 QB in the draft. I love a mobile QB. I don't understand why so many people are resistant to that. A good QB with elite mobility is impossible to defend. I saw Jackson's next level mobility and a good deep ball and I saw a successful NFL QB. Then he took the wonderlic and I lost all interest in him. You cant make it as a dumb QB in the NFL these days. I've watched a lot of his plays this year and something still seems a little off. It doesn't feel sustainable. But maybe he'll prove me wrong.

[Augie]

I wanted Darnold. When the Jets traded up I felt like that would be impossible as either the Browns or the Jets would take him. It seemed the Jets beat us to the punch when we had the ammo to get up there, but apparently they played this just right as it seems Allen really was their guy. 

 

When we took Josh I just had to accept it and hope for the best. I’ve learned in life that it’s of no use to worry and get upset about things you can’t control. Going down that path is wasted emotion. Don’t make yourself crazy for no reason. 

 

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Allen’s play to date, and I absolutely LOVE him as a person. I hope he keeps growing as a player and we get to see his ceiling! 

 

 

Side note: Maybe karma is real....Rosen has been dealt not one but TWO impossible situations. Ugh.....

[DasNootz]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

A good QB with elite mobility is impossible to defend. I saw Jackson's next level mobility and a good deep ball and I saw a successful NFL QB. 

 

If that's their one trick, they seem to have a very short shelf life.  Defenses and injuries catch up.

[oldmanfan]

I wanted Rosen over any of the other four.  I felt he was the most pro ready guy in the draft, and when Roger got up and said Josh I was yelling Rosen!!!.  When he said Allen I was very disappointed.  But of course it appears my reaction was wrong, based on early results.  Allen fits the Bills and the city, and I see a bright future for him.  I also still see a bright future for Rosen, if he can get to a team that can actually protect him and is not the dregs of the league.  The question now with Rosen is whether his attitude may be such that he won't succeed. 

 

I didn't and still don't think Mayfield or Darnold had what it takes to be a great NFL QB, although to be fair neither of them have had great coaching as of yet.  Mayfield has a guy that's never been a HC anywhere taking the reins and Darnold has Gase so enough said there.  

 

The real shocker is Jackson.  I think there are very few people who could have envisioned the impact he's having so early in his career.

[r00tabaga]

38 minutes ago, Big Curt said:

The Jury is still out on him.  He's inconsistent at best and barely average for a starting QB.  He has potential and that is all at this point.   R.E.L.A.X  Do I like what I see thus far? Absolutely.  However, this is such a small sample size and people already have him in tha hall of Fame.

This is a perfect example of an unintelligent post.

[dakrider]

It seems possible that if the Bills had taken Rosen and the Cards had taken Allen, he could have still ended up being traded away and Allen could be in the bad situation in Miami. 

Bills fans would be talking more about their O-line and weapons for Rosen.  

[thebandit27]

45 minutes ago, Big Curt said:

The Jury is still out on him.  He's inconsistent at best and barely average for a starting QB.  He has potential and that is all at this point.   R.E.L.A.X  Do I like what I see thus far? Absolutely.  However, this is such a small sample size and people already have him in tha hall of Fame.

 

No, nobody already has him in the HOF. You don't need to straw man to make a point.

 

I was among the most consistent supporters of Allen pre-draft, and I'm only cautiously optimistic at this point. Are folks excited? Yes, and deservedly so. Has anyone anointed him as the GOAT? Not even close.