[jwplayer 1vROLFUW-ThvAeFxT]
The Bills offense hasn’t been great in 2019 or in recent years.
Quarterback Josh Allen is the centerpiece of that unit, which is ranked 23rd in the NFL in yards per game and 25th in points per game.
Allen has made some strides in Year 2. He’s not throwing as many interceptions and his completion percent, while not great, is up from 52.8 to 59.9 percent.
But perhaps those trends are indicating Allen is playing it safe and as a result, the scoring is down because the offense isn’t taking many risks. According to the QB on Wednesday, Sean McDermott sent a message to the offense which indicates the head coach wants to perhaps start rolling the dice.
“At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t doing a good enough job of protecting the football. I’ve made that very important to me,” Allen said. “[This week], Coach sat us all down today and said ‘play fearless.’ To have that green light and that confidence from him still, that means a lot. Not saying I’m gonna go out there and be reckless, they’re two different terms for a reason. Just being very aware of what’s going on but not trying to be gun shy about anything.”
Earlier that same day, McDermott spoke to reporters prior to practice. After fielding numerous questions about the offense, the coach walked out of his press conference. It was not a famous, headline-grabbing, fist-slamming type of exit, but McDermott answered a question with 14 words and left in under 10 minutes of his presser. Usually his press conferences last double that.
But heck, maybe that’s a good sign. We don’t know when McDermott told his QB to “play fearless.” Was he pissed about the presser that just ensued and it lit a fire in him? Most observers of the Bills would be fine with that.
Had the coach already told that to him at press conference time? Well that probably explains some frustration. In McDermott’s mind, he was probably figuring, “Guys, I know.”
Now we wait to find out what playing fearless is.
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