Josh Allen, the dual-threat quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, generated a lot of buzz when he bragged that he could throw a football farther than Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback phenom and newly-crowned MVP of the league.
That wasn’t the only newsworthy item to come out of Super Bowl week, where Allen made several media appearances, including an interesting discussion on The Pat McAfee show during the Wrangler Celebrity Charity Shootout at Top Golf, a competition pitting notable NFL players and coaches against each other in a long drive contest.
Among the topics Allen discussed: how quickly he fell in love with the city of Buffalo and Bills fans, on how far he could actually throw a football, how he would tweak the Pro Bowl if he were in charge, and more.
Allen, who bounced back from a right elbow injury against the Houston Texans to guide the Bills to a 3-3 record over their final six games, completed 52.8 percent of his passes for 2,074 yards with ten touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 631 yards and eight touchdowns on 89 carries, good for an average of 7.09 yards per rush. He had a 67.9 passer rating and a 52.0 Total QBR, second best to Baker Mayfield among rookies and 12th best among rookie quarterbacks since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2006.
How did Allen assess his rookie season in Western New York?
“(There) was a lot of ups and downs. I suffered a little injury (during) the year and that kind of gave me a chance to step back and breathe a little bit and see things from a different perspective. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun,” Allen told McAfee.
How long did it take Allen to develop a love-affair with the city of Buffalo and Bills fans?
“I love them. Yes, (I want to be there for 10 or 15 years). That’s my town. I love the wings. I’m a big wing guy. You gotta have blue cheese with it, too, not ranch. Hot topic, but there’s no ranch,” Allen said.
When asked about his internet proclamation that he could out-throw Mahomes—Allen confidently said he could toss a football “north of 80 (yards)—Allen added his thoughts on ways to generate more buzz around the Pro Bowl.
”It would add a different element to the game,” Allen said of potentially adding in skills competitions and a throwing contest to the Pro Bowl festivities. “A lot of people weren’t happy with the actual game this year. So maybe we can find some different things to do in the next couple years.”
As for the business at hand, the Wrangler Celebrity Charity Shootout at Top Golf, Allen cranked out a huge drive on his tenth swing of the tournament to best former Bills’ starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to claim the $10,000 prize. Allen decided to give away his winnings to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.