Bills QB Josh Allen Gives Peek Into What's Wrong And It's As Simple As The Uncertainty In His Head
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen seems unsure of himself now. He's not unsure he can still be one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. That's not it.
But he does seem unsure about how to go about it. He seems, well, lost as he searches for the right approach to take to be his past elite self.
That was the message I got after listening to Allen speak with reporters Tuesday afternoon.
But don't take my word for it. Judge for yourself because his words spoke volumes.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up before the NFL game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Josh Allen Addresses His State Of Mind
“The last few weeks, really after Week 2, I've been trying to find a zone where I get myself into throughout the game, try to stay as low as possible,” Allen said Tuesday, “because I feel like I perform better that way.”
Nothing wrong with that. But why the need for this staying low thing?
“Just trying to stay in this state called ‘low positive,’ where your energy is not super high, and you're allowing your mind to think and be free and just stay on top of everything, because obviously as the quarterback, there is a lot of things going through our mind,” Allen explained. “So, if I can limit myself and my energy and my heart rate, I felt like I can maybe think a little bit more."
And then in the next breath, this:
"But who knows," Allen added, "maybe I need to think a little bit less and just play football.”
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 22: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 22, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Bills Josh Allen Sounds Unsettled
So Allen in the span of one minute shares that he's completely changed his mindset and approach. And that's because maybe he wants to think more while he's playing. And maybe, on second thought, he needs to think less.
Got it (not really).
It sounds unsettled. I mean, just listen to the guy.
"Maybe I've got to be more upbeat and be a voice and be a little bit more loud – let my emotions show a little bit more,” Allen said. “Whether I do that Thursday or not, I guess, will come with the execution of it, because obviously, everybody is having more fun when you're winning football games and performing well. So, that's first and foremost. We've got to go out there and execute. I think execution breeds energy."
What the heck is this? Maybe be more upbeat, maybe be "low positive?"
How about stop being confused and second-guessing yourself?
And, of course, Allen not being certain where he should be mentally or psychologically or whatever and then admitting it to reporters immediately turns this into a free-for-all. Because reporters, doing their jobs, then go to Allen's teammates and perhaps coaches to get their opinions on how Allen should approach the game.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 26: Stefon Diggs #14 and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills talk on the sideline during the second half of a preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 26, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Bills Teammates And Others Chime In
“I'd rather him staying where he is, like standing in a little like area of execution and kind of like not getting too high or getting too low,” receiver Stefon Diggs said when reporters asked. "I'd rather him being locked in and playing at a high level than getting too high at one point and then being too low.
"So, him avoiding riding a rollercoaster is hard as a QB, because there's so many ups and downs that happen throughout a game. But I appreciate his onus on taking it upon himself to really take those steps forward."
Great, so now we've got more than one cook in the proverbial kitchen. And that kitchen happens to be Allen's head.
But Allen doesn't seem to mind (pardon the pun) because he actually admitted he sought the opinion of others on the subject. Including people outside the team.
“It's something that I thought about for a while,” Allen said. “And I did talk to somebody externally, and I’m just trying to try to get that feeling of when I feel like I perform my best.
“And, you know, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But again, I got to figure it out, what it is, and will myself to be in that best mindset, mentality, that I can be to help this team.”
This is interesting. But this is not great news for the Bills. It shows uncertainty. It speaks to Allen searching for something that he clearly believes he needs -- and has not yet found.
ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 17: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after a play during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Highmark Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Bills Need 2021-22 Playoffs Josh Allen
It's bad.
All this comes on the heels of Allen giving an eyebrow raising assessment of how he felt or how things felt for the Bills following their loss to the Patriots last Sunday
"Feels pretty bleak right now," he said after a 29-25 loss to the New England Patriots in what was Buffalo's second consecutive loss. "But we're going to figure it out."
It sounds like Allen has been doing a lot of thinking to try and figure it out. And one has to wonder how he got here.
This is how: In the 2022 playoffs, after the 2021 regular-season, the Bills played two games and completely demolished the Patriots before they lost to the Chiefs in that fateful game Patrick Mahomes delivered some outrageous heroics in the final 13 seconds of a 42-36 game.
In that postseason, I'm quite certain Allen was not searching for the right mental state or approach. Because his coach, Brian Daboll, told Allen what he needed to think about and Allen got it and just played.
It was glorious. Allen threw 9 touchdown passes without an interception those two postseason games. Allen seemed to have arrived. He seemed on the verge of becoming the NFL's most dominant quarterback.
But Daboll soon left to become the Giants head coach. That removed from Allen's head the loudest and most direct voice on how to succeed.
Allen has since become one of the NFL's interception leaders the past two seasons. The voices in his head have apparently multiplied.
And so has the uncertainty.