The Leadership of Josh Allen

[OnTheRocks]

I love Josh Allen.  One of the first things that jumped out at me was how quickly he became comfortable as a locker room guy.  When he was drafted there was some question about how he would adjust to the NFL immediately after there was a report that while he was in high school or college he had quoted lyrics from a song on twitter that the cancel culture was wanting to smother him over.  Even during his first two seasons when he struggled to develop his accuracy, he just looked the part of a guy that was going to lead this team to the next level.

 

So the question was put to me this morning by a Cowboys fan who is frustrated with Dak Prescott.  He's a top NFL QB.  But he's missing something in the maturity and leadership.  Something that Aaron Rodgers has.  Tom Brady has.  Peyton Manning had.  Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Dan Marino all had it.  And that's this, they didn't hesitate to grab a lineman by the facemask and get in their face to tell them mistakes are not to be tolerated.  Get after a WR if they run a bad route or read the defense poorly and don't cut a route short, or adjust and go long.  I don't recall ever seeing Josh get in a guys face over a mistake.

 

I hadn't given it any thought but wanted to throw it out there for discussion.  Is Josh Allen too Buddy-Buddy with the men he's leading? 

Is it necessary for that kind of leadership to get to the next level?  

[SCBills]

Some guys just have “it”.  
 

“It” is hard to quantify.   You see it in Allen, Mahomes, Rodgers, Brady… I think also in Burrow & Herbert. 
 

They just pop off the screen different.  
 

Dak, I don’t see it.   He’s good.   He doesn’t impose his will on opposing defenses.  
 

*To your question.. I think Allen went off on the OL on the sidelines this year.  Forget which game, but he was livid. 
 

Edited January 17, 2022 by SCBills

[Ya Digg?]

Grabbing a guy by the face mask absolutely does not mean you have “it” all that means is that you can’t control your emotions and feel the need to show up your teammate in front of everyone else. That’s not leadership 

[TPS]

There are different ways to lead. Allen leads by example—he constantly works to get better and will do whatever it takes to win. That’s what his teammates see, and you hear them say it all the time, they all want to go into battle with him. 

 

I dont think he will ever call out a teammate in public—he’s not that kind of guy, and I’m sure that’s appreciated too. Last, I don’t think he needs to get in anyone’s face with the culture they created here. They hold each other accountable. 

[SCBills]

7 minutes ago, TPS said:

There are different ways to lead. Allen leads by example—he constantly works to get better and will do whatever it takes to win. That’s what his teammates see, and you hear them say it all the time, they all want to go into battle with him. 

 

I dont think he will ever call out a teammate in public—he’s not that kind of guy, and I’m sure that’s appreciated too. Last, I don’t think he needs to get in anyone’s face with the culture they created here. They hold each other accountable. 

Agreed.  

 

His OL loves him.  They will go to war for Allen.  
 

The skill position players are all maniacally driven.  Knox, with all the raw skill in the world, dealing with the Ertz rumors swirling, grinds and becomes a top end TE.  Dude demanded they run the play for him with a broken hand.  Diggs leads that WR room… good luck being meh about your profession with Diggs running this group. 
 

They see Allen give it everything he has, and that’s what good leaders do.  They lead by example and don’t ask anyone to do something they aren’t willing to do themselves.  

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by SCBills

[Long Suffering Fan]

9 minutes ago, OnTheRocks said:

Is Josh Allen too Buddy-Buddy with the men he's leading? 

 

Short answer:  No.

 

Long answer:  Leadership comes in different shapes and sizes.  I'm a fan of Situational Leadership Theory, which is often associated with Blanchard.  Simply put, you have to craft your leadership to the task and situation.  Grabbing a face mask might be needed or might not.  It also could be counter-productive.  Josh is more of a servant leader that leads by example.  He demands a lot from himself and he demands a lot from others.  That is the key.  The outward yelling might not be leadership at all.  It might just be petulance.  

 

Again, sometimes the yelling is helpful, but that is not the key driving factor.  I actually think Josh's leadership fits better in the more modern NFL where players earn millions.  His style also fits (or was molded by) McDermott's philosophy of having a leader in every room.  You want to have a leader among the WRs, among the TEs, etc.  Coaching only goes so far, but when you have a RB working hard and amplifying the coach's method, the other RBs will tend to follow.  It's not unlike the army philosophy that a unit is only as good as its NCO's.  (In that analogy, think of the coaches as officers and the sergeants as key players in each room)

 

Tom Brady is a great leader, but it is not because he grabbed facemasks.  He was a great leader because he was the hardest working guy in the building and, since he was on board, it gave Belichick even more room to demand more from everyone.  I'm so sorry.  I said something nice about TB.  I feel dirty.  Time to hit the shower.

[Doc]

Yeah, I think within the positional groups, they have at least one guy to get in the other guys’ faces. But in private. Josh is the guy that encourages everybody and leads by example.

[Since1981]

Yelling at a guy in public is one way to lead, Josh leads by example. Jumping over guys, stiff arm 300lb guys. It makes everyone around him want to emulate. How does a WR not block when Josh is jumping over LBs?
 

I’m sure they talk privately about mental mistakes. Beane picked properly but I discount that other than extreme cases. 

[Long Suffering Fan]

13 minutes ago, TPS said:

There are different ways to lead. Allen leads by example—he constantly works to get better and will do whatever it takes to win. That’s what his teammates see, and you hear them say it all the time, they all want to go into battle with him. 

 

TPS, I agree 100%.  We cross-posted and I did not see your reply until after I finished mine.  You said what I was trying to say, just more succinctly.  👍

[Dablitzkrieg]

Grabbing a guy by the face mask means you're an #######.  People that think that is normal are also #######s.

[Warcodered]

Josh takes responsibility for everything and with how well he plays it's contagious. There's been multiple times where a play went wrong and Josh will take responsibility for it but his teammate does as well.

[ganesh]

19 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

They see Allen give it everything he has, and that’s what good leaders do.  They lead by example and don’t ask anyone to do something they aren’t willing to do themselves.  

 

I think this is the biggest thing.  In fact, I think McDermott (a few years ago) made the same comment to one of the media guys during TC....He said he will never ask someone to do something that he himself does not do.   I think they preach that all the time to the team

[The Wiz]

5 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

Josh takes responsibility for everything and with how well he plays it's contagious. There's been multiple times where a play went wrong and Josh will take responsibility for it but his teammate does as well.

And this is how you lead by example.  Not by telling someone they F'd up but by saying what you could have done better to make them succeed.  That makes a person want to be better.

[Lane Meyer K12]

I don't think anyone knew what to think when JA was drafted. Most were disappointed, I being one of them. However, it took next to no time for him to win some people over. The way he carried himself and his desire to win really shined through. Personally, the winning moment for myself was the hurdle over the Minnesota player to get a first down in his first season. From that moment on the potential was too hard to ignore. He said all of the right things and it wasn't hard to figure out the desire he had to get better. He has the heart to win and the physical tools to match his quick processing time. He is Intelligent, young and gifted. Other players want to be around a guy who leaves it all out on the field and that is how JA leads this team. It is who is and more than likely why he won the coaching staff over that drafted him.

He was the steal of the draft.

 

The Buffalo Bills were over due to get it right in regards to a complete QB and on that draft day in 2018 they did just that. 

[Brandon]

Just based on what we can see,  Allen seems like the type of guy who puts in the effort to be an elite player,  takes the blame on himself when things go wrong,  shares credit with teammates when things go right and is obviously willing to take some big hits to ensure the success of the team.  That's the type of guy players are going to rally behind and who can motivate his fellow players. 

 

 

[Since1981]

I like that I like him. The whole cantaloupe farmer, not recruited, nice guy thing—it’s all real. it’s funny, when we see sugar-high-Josh, I don’t get upset. I have a sense of a father watching his good kid get caught up in a moment. I feel like I’m watching my kid at little league batting. 

[ganesh]

Josh would never blame the Refs like Prescott did yesterday night.   You made a foolish play by running the ball; don't blame the ref for grabbing the ball and placing it at the right place. 

[Success]

I'd follow Josh Allen through the gates of hell.

 

[Mat68]

52 minutes ago, OnTheRocks said:

I love Josh Allen.  One of the first things that jumped out at me was how quickly he became comfortable as a locker room guy.  When he was drafted there was some question about how he would adjust to the NFL immediately after there was a report that while he was in high school or college he had quoted lyrics from a song on twitter that the cancel culture was wanting to smother him over.  Even during his first two seasons when he struggled to develop his accuracy, he just looked the part of a guy that was going to lead this team to the next level.

 

So the question was put to me this morning by a Cowboys fan who is frustrated with Dak Prescott.  He's a top NFL QB.  But he's missing something in the maturity and leadership.  Something that Aaron Rodgers has.  Tom Brady has.  Peyton Manning had.  Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Dan Marino all had it.  And that's this, they didn't hesitate to grab a lineman by the facemask and get in their face to tell them mistakes are not to be tolerated.  Get after a WR if they run a bad route or read the defense poorly and don't cut a route short, or adjust and go long.  I don't recall ever seeing Josh get in a guys face over a mistake.

 

I hadn't given it any thought but wanted to throw it out there for discussion.  Is Josh Allen too Buddy-Buddy with the men he's leading? 

Is it necessary for that kind of leadership to get to the next level?  

You gotta be you.  Rodgers isnt a get in your face type.  I dont believe Farve was either.  Allen will break 5 would be sacks, throw a dime down the field and it be dropped.  In the post game say he needs to play better.  His greatness raises the play of his teammates.  To a man they dont want to let him down.  

[wjag]

In any interview where a Bills player is asked about Josh Allen, to a man, without fail, they say that when you see him lay it all on the line for one yard, play, after play, after play, you want to show up for him.  To me, that is leadership.  They watch this guy sell out on nearly every play.  Diggs always says it so well, paraphrasing here, when I see what he is willing to do, I have to match that.  There were three straight, bad incompletions in the Atlanta game.  I mean bad.  He threw one thing and each of three different receivers ran/did something else.  Not once did you see him evil eye them.  Clearly he wasn't wrong on all three throws, so it just shows you his maturity.  This guy will always shoulder the blame, earned or not.  That is just part of his DNA.

[ProcessAccepted]

47 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Some guys just have “it”.  
 

“It” is hard to quantify.   You see it in Allen, Mahomes, Rodgers, Brady… I think also in Burrow & Herbert. 
 

They just pop off the screen different.  
 

Dak, I don’t see it.   He’s good.   He doesn’t impose his will on opposing defenses.  
 

*To your question.. I think Allen went off on the OL on the sidelines this year.  Forget which game, but he was livid. 
 

I agree with almost all of what you are saying. Not sure about Herbert. The kid is super talented but talent is not the same as it. Physical talent helps but its not it. Burrow has it in bunches.

 

Some people equate it to confidence or swagger but its clear if you look at Mayfield you can see that swagger alone doesn't get you there. That Cleveland team had way more talent than the Steelers but IMO suffered from the lack of cohesion that Mayfield injected into the locker room this season. 

 

Herbert may have it, but I would have expected to see his talent and abilities shown in games like the Raiders one to have translated to being very clear leader on all sides of the ball on and off the field.

[Warcodered]

15 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Just based on what we can see,  Allen seems like the type of guy who puts in the effort to be an elite player,  takes the blame on himself when things go wrong,  shares credit with teammates when things go right and is obviously willing to take some big hits to ensure the success of the team.  That's the type of guy players are going to rally behind and who can motivate his fellow players. 

 

 

He absolutely is, in the interviews after the game the focus was obviously on him throwing 5 TDs but he talked about everyone else the whole time. At one point he brought up Sanders and not only did he have the TD catch but a few plays earlier had a great block, and just talked about how Sanders and so many other players on the team just do everything right.

[ColoradoBills]

Great replies you guys.  I don't need to add a thing.

[Mickey]

1 hour ago, OnTheRocks said:

I love Josh Allen.  One of the first things that jumped out at me was how quickly he became comfortable as a locker room guy.  When he was drafted there was some question about how he would adjust to the NFL immediately after there was a report that while he was in high school or college he had quoted lyrics from a song on twitter that the cancel culture was wanting to smother him over.  Even during his first two seasons when he struggled to develop his accuracy, he just looked the part of a guy that was going to lead this team to the next level.

 

So the question was put to me this morning by a Cowboys fan who is frustrated with Dak Prescott.  He's a top NFL QB.  But he's missing something in the maturity and leadership.  Something that Aaron Rodgers has.  Tom Brady has.  Peyton Manning had.  Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Dan Marino all had it.  And that's this, they didn't hesitate to grab a lineman by the facemask and get in their face to tell them mistakes are not to be tolerated.  Get after a WR if they run a bad route or read the defense poorly and don't cut a route short, or adjust and go long.  I don't recall ever seeing Josh get in a guys face over a mistake.

 

I hadn't given it any thought but wanted to throw it out there for discussion.  Is Josh Allen too Buddy-Buddy with the men he's leading? 

Is it necessary for that kind of leadership to get to the next level?  

 

Lost me at "cancel culture". 

[Captain_Quint]

Agree on Josh having that leadership trait that all teams look for in their QB. And to have that on prominent display when you are only 25? It's a bright future ahead for him.

 

As far as Dak and Dallas, I think it's a fundamental problem with that team. They've had two QBs now who could have taken them to a championship in Romo and Dak. Multiple coaches have tried too. I think the problem is the owner tries to be the leader on the team. Which works somewhat, until you hit those tough playoff games and then the locker room looks lost and they sputter out. He never gave Romo a chance to call the shots, and he isn't doing it with Dak either. 

[junior]

Are you sure about that? Because I sit behind the Bills bench and there have been games where Allen has been barking at his teammates, especially some of the OL after ***** play.

[Brandon]

15 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

He absolutely is, in the interviews after the game the focus was obviously on him throwing 5 TDs but he talked about everyone else the whole time. At one point he brought up Sanders and not only did he have the TD catch but a few plays earlier had a great block, and just talked about how Sanders and so many other players on the team just do everything right.

 

Yeah,  I agree.  Hardly any wonder that he's won over his teammates to the extent that he has with the way he actively tries to share the spotlight with them.  

[RochesterLifer]

1 hour ago, OnTheRocks said:

I hadn't given it any thought but wanted to throw it out there for discussion.  Is Josh Allen too Buddy-Buddy with the men he's leading? 

Is it necessary for that kind of leadership to get to the next level?  

I don't think there is anything wrong asking this question. As a fan, it makes for a fun conversation.

 

My answer is that Josh is a great leader for this team and the macho, mean-guy routine is overrated. Often, the macho act covers up other weaknesses. Josh's sincere, self-deprecating, super-supportive, "let's continuously improve together" is a forever sustainably form of leadership that will have great players always flocking to play and win with him.

 

Good question!

[CorkScrewHill]

Josh does not lead by yelling .. he leads by actions. When he hurdled Barr, when he dug that fumble out from underneath the entire Cowboys D-Line, when he takes ownership for his shortcomings. Those are attributes people want to follow. All teams say they love each other .. you know it when it is real. They know they have a great general and they want part of it.

[hondo in seattle]

You don't have to grab someone by the facemask and yell in his face to be a leader.  Or as General Eisenhower once said, "You don't lead by hitting people over the head.   That's assault, not leadership."  

 

I've led guys in combat where mistakes would potentially cost lives.  I didn't get in guys faces.  Most of the combat leaders I knew didn't practice that kind of leadership.   

 

Yeah, you have to hold people accountable.  Yeah, you have to set high standards and make expectations freaking clear.  Yeah, there needs to be some passion.  But, no, you don't need to be an a-hole.  

 

I don't know if Allen is a good leader or not because I don't know what kind of interactions he has with the other players.  

[JustHewIt]

Just listen to almost every player in every position group on both sides of the ball talk about Josh, and you know he's a leader.  They continually rave about the guy and how they'll go to war with him any time.  What more do you need?

[The Wiz]

32 minutes ago, Captain_Quint said:

Agree on Josh having that leadership trait that all teams look for in their QB. And to have that on prominent display when you are only 25? It's a bright future ahead for him.

 

As far as Dak and Dallas, I think it's a fundamental problem with that team. They've had two QBs now who could have taken them to a championship in Romo and Dak. Multiple coaches have tried too. I think the problem is the owner tries to be the leader on the team. Which works somewhat, until you hit those tough playoff games and then the locker room looks lost and they sputter out. He never gave Romo a chance to call the shots, and he isn't doing it with Dak either. 

They just signed him to a 4 year deal so I don't think it's ownership. 

[ProcessAccepted]

@Buffalo03 posted this in another thread. #17 = Leadership personified

 

[hondo in seattle]

5 minutes ago, JustHewIt said:

Just listen to almost every player in every position group on both sides of the ball talk about Josh, and you know he's a leader.  They continually rave about the guy and how they'll go to war with him any time.  What more do you need?

 

Agreed.  The other players seem to respect him and universally speak highly of Josh.  

 

And the guy is humble.  He praises others and takes blame.  That's a good leadership trait right there.

 

I'd love to see how he behaves in meeting rooms, on the practice field, in the huddle, on the sidelines, etc.   But the hints & indications are that he's a better leader than many/most NFL QBs.

[OnTheRocks]

23 minutes ago, RochesterLifer said:

I don't think there is anything wrong asking this question. As a fan, it makes for a fun conversation.

 

My answer is that Josh is a great leader for this team and the macho, mean-guy routine is overrated. Often, the macho act covers up other weaknesses. Josh's sincere, self-deprecating, super-supportive, "let's continuously improve together" is a forever sustainably form of leadership that will have great players always flocking to play and win with him.

 

Good question!

 

Yeah, I'm glad no one went flaming on me for asking the question, because it wasn't my intent to be critical of him, as I said, I love the guy, and he leaves it all on the field every single game.  He's what we've all been looking for since Jimbo retired.

[eball]

1 hour ago, SCBills said:

His OL The entire team loves him.  They will go to war for Allen.  

 

Fixed for accuracy.

 

Not only will they go to war for him...they don't want to disappoint him.  That's the definition of "leader."

 

Ass-hats grab facemasks and think they're exhibiting "leadership."

 

[Wagon Circler]

1 hour ago, SCBills said:

Agreed.  

 

His OL loves him.  They will go to war for Allen.  
 

The skill position players are all maniacally driven.  Knox, with all the raw skill in the world, dealing with the Ertz rumors swirling, grinds and becomes a top end TE.  Dude demanded they run the play for him with a broken hand.  Diggs leads that WR room… good luck being meh about your profession with Diggs running this group. 
 

They see Allen give it everything he has, and that’s what good leaders do.  They lead by example and don’t ask anyone to do something they aren’t willing to do themselves.  

 

Very well said.

[Captain_Quint]

40 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

They just signed him to a 4 year deal so I don't think it's ownership. 

I just mean that who the QB is in Dallas is irrelevant until Jerry Jones quiets down and let's the team and coaches do the talking and make the decisions. When your public figurehead is the owner, it's probably not going to be as successful and strong of a team since they are constantly looking over their shoulder wondering what the next move by executive mgmt will be. 

 

[TPS]

1 hour ago, junior said:

Are you sure about that? Because I sit behind the Bills bench and there have been games where Allen has been barking at his teammates, especially some of the OL after ***** play.

Oh, I'm sure he does yell at players, but I'm also sure he uses "we" and "let's"; NOT "you" and "you guys".

[Bob in STL]

2 hours ago, OnTheRocks said:

I love Josh Allen.  One of the first things that jumped out at me was how quickly he became comfortable as a locker room guy.  When he was drafted there was some question about how he would adjust to the NFL immediately after there was a report that while he was in high school or college he had quoted lyrics from a song on twitter that the cancel culture was wanting to smother him over.  Even during his first two seasons when he struggled to develop his accuracy, he just looked the part of a guy that was going to lead this team to the next level.

 

So the question was put to me this morning by a Cowboys fan who is frustrated with Dak Prescott.  He's a top NFL QB.  But he's missing something in the maturity and leadership.  Something that Aaron Rodgers has.  Tom Brady has.  Peyton Manning had.  Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Dan Marino all had it.  And that's this, they didn't hesitate to grab a lineman by the facemask and get in their face to tell them mistakes are not to be tolerated.  Get after a WR if they run a bad route or read the defense poorly and don't cut a route short, or adjust and go long.  I don't recall ever seeing Josh get in a guys face over a mistake.

 

I hadn't given it any thought but wanted to throw it out there for discussion.  Is Josh Allen too Buddy-Buddy with the men he's leading? 

Is it necessary for that kind of leadership to get to the next level?  

 

So you just don't get what leadership is?  Lets of good comments here that should help you.  

 

Today's player mostly do not respond to grab the facemask types, or to the blamers, etc.   That was for another era when players made less than $20,000 and sold insurance in the off season.    

Edited January 17, 2022 by Bob in STL