When the Buffalo Bills were going through the pre-draft process prior to the 2018 NFL Draft, they flew to hold private workouts with all of the top quarterbacks. On their way to visit Josh Allen in Wyoming, they encountered more than they bargained for according to general manager Brandon Beane.
“We were coming in over the mountains and the plane started just doing like this,” Beane told reporters, using his hands to show the plane bouncing up and down. “Literally, your head was going off the ceiling. Terry was standing by me, we were watching some video of Josh on our iPads, so he’s standing by me and we’re going through some plays and progressions and things like that, and literally he is grabbing on to try to get back to his seat and we’re bouncing around.”
Beane was on board with team owner Terry Pegula, head coach Sean McDermott, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and assistant general manager Joe Schoen among other. Unsurprisingly, McDermott was cool and collected.
“McD was pretty calm, but I’m like this holding on,” Beane said, widening his eyes. “Daboll is FaceTiming his wife and it was like Fred Sanford. I’m coming!”
When they landed, the pilot told them it was a “mountain wave”, which can cause dramatic and sudden changes or even engine stall when air moves rapidly up and over the mountains. The Bills were flying in Pegula’s private plane over the Rocky Mountains.
“We Googled ‘mountain wave’ and saw some bad history of mountain waves,” Beane said. “So, I think after that we were a little distracted about how we were getting out of there. Like, where do we drive to have the plane meet us?”
They ultimately took off from Laramie again and were no worse for the wear. It didn’t shake their confidence in Josh Allen, either. They ended up moving up to pick him with the seventh pick of the draft.