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Josh Allen on Bills Training Camp Fight: 'Just Pushing Each Other to Be Great'
Jul 31, 2022
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws during practice at the NFL football team's training camp in Pittsford, N.Y., Saturday July 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)
A scuffle broke out between the Buffalo Bills' offense and defense after defensive tackle Jordan Phillips bumped star quarterback Josh Allen during training camp on Saturday.
Phillips didn't seem particularly concerned about the situation either:
Jordan Phillips shared the following last night after all the attention that day surrounding Josh Allen and his training camp skirmish. pic.twitter.com/jrdpou2ky7
Apparently, tensions had been rising before the confrontation:
The DLs were buzzing around the #Bills QBs during practice. Even made contact at one point. Josh Allen didn’t appreciate it, which is what led to this moment… https://t.co/hcUci5cqr2
Training camp fights are nothing new in the NFL. Gather a bunch of competitive men in the hot summer sun and let them hit each other for the first time in several months, and a few scuffles are inevitable.
Granted, keeping an MVP candidate like Josh Allen healthy and away from any unnecessary hits or fights is a top priority for a Super Bowl contender like the Bills.
"Immediately, you want him out of that pile," center Mitch Morse—who personally put Allen in a bear hug and walked him away from the confrontation—told reporters.
Generally, quarterbacks stay out of the mix when it comes to training camp skirmishes.
"Maybe once or twice, but Josh is a little different," running back Devin Singletary told reporters when asked if he's ever seen a quarterback help to initiate a summer scuffle. "We all know that."
Allen, 26, has emerged as one of the NFL's most dynamic quarterbacks due to his combination of passing ability (4,407 yards, 36 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 63.3 completion percentage last year) and his physical, bruising running style (763 yards, six touchdowns in 2021).
In the process, he led Buffalo to an 11-6 record last season and a trip to the AFC Divisional Round last season, where they lost an instant classic overtime shootout with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bills will go as far as Allen's arms and legs can take them. Opposing defensive lineman just shouldn't expect him to back down from a scrap.
NFL training camps are underway as every team had rookies and veterans reported by July 26. Over the coming weeks, teams will take part in joint practices and...
Why It's Super Bowl or Bust for the Buffalo Bills in 2022
Jul 4, 2022
Orchard Park, NY - January 15: Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with WRs Gabriel Davis (left) and Stefon Diggs (right) after a fourth quarter touchdown scored by Davis. The Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots in a AFC wild-card game Saturday night January 15, 2022 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
If not now, then when will the Buffalo Bills win a Super Bowl?
We don't need to add hyperbole to that question and say it's now or never, but NFL teams cannot take Super Bowl windows for granted—that includes a franchise that made it to the big game in four consecutive seasons between 1990 and 1993. Every year, the playoff picture changes because of offseason roster movement, injuries and sheer competitiveness among the world's best athletes.
When asked about a Super-or-bust outlook for the Bills, general manager Brandon Beane chose not to feed into it:
"I understand the question, and I get why people would think that, but this is not a one year, we gotta get to the Super Bowl or not. I want to get to the Super Bowl every year. But we can win the Super Bowl this year, and we’re gonna be fighting like hell to get back there next year. No move we made this year was an all-in, you better do it now."
On one hand, Beane is correct in his statement. With its current roster, Buffalo should remain in playoff contention for years to come, but again, the club's opportunities could come and go within a short period.
When a team adopts a Super Bowl-or-bust mentality, anything other than a successful title run feels like a disappointment. The Bills should feel that way after back-to-back losses to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game and the divisional round.
Last year, the Bills ranked third in scoring and gave up the fewest points, which means they had one of the league's most balanced rosters. Buffalo could field top-three offensive and defensive units in the upcoming term as well. The front office strengthened various positions through free agency and the draft.
Buffalo made a splashy signing, inking Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million deal. Before anyone says he's headed downhill at 33 years old, look at what he did for the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams last season. He recorded nine sacks between Week 15 and Super Bowl 56—at least one in every contest except the NFC Championship Game. As a pass-rushing closer on defense, the three-time All-Pro significantly upgrades last year's stingiest defense.
The Bills made a couple of underrated signings, bringing in defensive tackles DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle to shore up their run support after giving up 19 scores on the ground (ranked 26th) in 2021.
With those additions playing along with defensive end Greg Rousseau, defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, Buffalo's front seven will make it difficult for opposing offensive lines on all three downs.
The Bills didn't get complacent with their high-powered offense either.
In free agency, Buffalo signed Pro Bowl guard Rodger Saffold, wideout Jamison Crowder and tight end O.J. Howard. The front office also selected running back James Cook and wide receiver Khalil Shakir in the second and fifth rounds of the draft, respectively.
Saffold can upgrade the Bills' ground attack, particularly for the running backs, so quarterback Josh Allen won't have to take on a sizable role in the run game.
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round pick from the 2017 draft, Howard has been a disappointment with a steady drop in his receiving numbers since 2018, but defenders must account for him in the red zone. The 6'6", 251-pounder scored 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons.
ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg noted that the team may have a competition between Isaiah McKenzie and Crowder for slot receiver duties, but she highlighted the latter as a spring standout.
"While speedy Isaiah McKenzie appears to have an early lead in the battle to take over Cole Beasley's slot receiver role, Crowder looked solid during offseason work in his first offseason with the Bills," Getzenberg wrote.
Crowder has been one of the most productive slot wideouts in the league with at least 51 catches in six out of seven seasons. He led Washington in receiving yards for the 2017 season and did the same with the New York Jets in 2019 and 2020.
Shakir is the sleeper in the wide receiver group. At Boise State, he caught 208 passes for 2,878 yards and 20 touchdowns. Nate Tice wrote a Bleacher Report draft profile on the wideout and ranked him WR10 as a second-round pick.
"Overall, Shakir can step in right away for most NFL offenses as a No. 3 weapon who can play inside and outside and also be productive on various concepts like receiver screens and designed runs. He also has punt return experience that will help him carve out a role right away.
Like most skinnier receivers entering the league, Shakir will have to show that he can consistently win versus stronger press cornerbacks. It hasn't given him issues so far in his career, and it shouldn't stop him from ascending into a starting Z receiver who can be a No. 2 target for any NFL passing attack."
Based on Tice's evaluation and expectations for Shakir, the Bills may have snagged a Day 3 gem out of the Mountain West. Perhaps he rises up the ranks like Gabriel Davis.
In the fourth round of the 2020 draft, Buffalo selected Davis out of UCF in the American Athletic Conference. He's recorded 70 catches for 1,148 yards and 13 touchdowns in 32 games. Coming off a remarkable playoff performance against the Chiefs, hauling in eight passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns, he's slated to start opposite Stefon Diggs. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia thinks the wideout will "bust loose" in an expanded role.
In addition to a loaded wide receiver group and pass-catching tight end Dawson Knox, who broke out with 49 receptions for 587 yards and nine touchdowns last year, Buscaglia believes Cook will have a chance to bring another dimension to the aerial attack:
"Cook will likely mix in on obvious passing situations and when the Bills feel comfortable enough to use two-running-back sets and split him out wide. They’ll also aim to keep [Devin] Singletary fresher by giving Cook early-down snaps throughout the game."
The Bills didn't re-sign Beasley or wideout Emmanuel Sanders, but Allen will have all sorts of weapons in the upcoming campaign.
Speaking of Allen, he's pinpointed a couple of areas for improvement:
After a breakout 2020 campaign, Allen's interception rate went up and his completion rate and QBR dropped in 2021. With a focus on ball placement and decision-making to cut down on turnovers, he could continue to develop into a star.
Despite the Bills' stacked roster, they do have some question marks.
Will they come to an agreement with All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer, who wants a new deal? How does All-Pro cornerback Tre'Davious White bounce back from a torn ACL? Can rookie first-rounder Kaiir Elam immediately replace boundary cornerback Levi Wallace, who departed in free agency?
Most importantly, will the offense have some rough patches with Ken Dorsey taking over play-calling duties for former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who's now the New York Giants' head coach?
As the Bills' quarterback coach and passing game coordinator over the last three years, Dorsey has a rapport with Allen, and he expects to work with the quarterback on the installment of the offense:
"I feel like having a good feel for him on kind of how he reacts to things, the things he likes, the things he doesn’t like, and I think all that’s really important… I think you'd be crazy as a coordinator not to have the input of your quarterback or the guys on the offense. Now, is there going to be times where, it's like, 'Well, no, Josh, we're going to do it this way. But here's why.' ... So, I think there's going to be a lot of that input back and forth with me and him because he's got a great feel for the game and a great mind for the game."
The Bills have wrinkles to work through on both sides of the ball, but they have enough talent to remain among the AFC's top teams.
If Buffalo doesn't hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2022 campaign, we could see its Super Bowl window close in the near future.
This offseason, the Denver Broncos acquired quarterback Russell Wilson. The Los Angeles Chargers added cornerback J.C. Jackson and edge-rusher Khalil Mack to take pressure off of Justin Herbert and their high-octane offense. The Cincinnati Bengals have a budding signal-caller in Joe Burrow. Of course, the Bills have to hurdle Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
With that said, the Bengals still have to prove their run to Super Bowl 56 wasn't a fluke. Kansas City's offense has to adjust after the team traded All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. The Broncos and Chargers have first- and second-year head coaches, respectively, who don't have resumes that compare to that of Sean McDermott, who has led the Bills to the playoffs in four out of five years.
Beane built a squad that can sustain success beyond the 2022 season. But with their recent rise in the AFC, the Bills should operate in win-now mode and view anything short of a title as a letdown.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Davante Adams Headline NFL's Top-Selling Jerseys of 2022
Jun 29, 2022
ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO - JUNE 13: Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos throws during a mandatory mini-camp at UCHealth Training Center on June 13, 2022 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Russell Wilson has yet to make his debut in a Denver Broncos uniform, but he's already scored a win.
The NFL revealed the highest-selling jerseys of 2022 so far on Wednesday, and Wilson topped the list:
The Broncos acquired Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks this offseason in a blockbuster trade. The nine-time Pro Bowl selection instantly makes Denver a playoff contender as the team tries to end its six-year postseason drought.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had the second-highest selling jersey, followed by Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, who is also in a new home after being traded from the Green Bay Packers.
Also of note, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett ranked fourth on the list ahead of the likes of Tom Brady, Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp and Patrick Mahomes.
