1 – Colin Cowherd and Chris Simms praise the Bills' coaching staff
As one of five quarterbacks selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, Josh Allen has been subjected to a level of evaluation that most rookies and young players are able to escape. 2018 was the first time since 1999 that five quarterbacks were selected in the first round of an NFL Draft, and just the third time in NFL history. Although the level of scrutiny is high, some national media members have begun to believe in Allen.
"He [Allen] has been the shock of the five quarterback draft picks," said Colin Cowherd on his radio show, “The Herd.” "Everybody has sort of looked like you would think, but Josh Allen has been shockingly good. I think he will start in Week 1."
Cowherd and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms praised the Bills' coaching staff as well; crediting them for assisting Allen in the process.
"You have to give Buffalo's coaching staff credit," said Cowherd. "They have completely cleaned him [Allen] up."
Simms, whose brother spent the 2015 preseason with the Bills, had some hefty praise for Sean McDermott and his staff as well.
"I think a lot of people were wrong," said Simms. "I really give credit to the Bills coaching staff. I think he [Allen] has been the most impressive rookie quarterback to this point."
2 – NFL Live crew impressed with McDermott
Louis Riddick is a former NFL safety and front office executive who played for four different NFL teams, and later held various roles in the front offices of the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, Riddick is an analyst on ESPN, frequently appearing on NFL Live alongside respected reporters Adam Schefter, Chris Mortensen, and Dianna Russini. Recently, the NFL Live crew spoke about their respect of Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
"This is a guy who is all about effort, a guy who is all about doing it the hard way," said Riddick of McDermott. "He really is all about the work, he is about as blue-collar as it gets, and he is extremely intelligent."
Riddick was referencing clips from 'Buffalo Bills: Embedded,' where McDermott was addressing his staff and his players. He continued to praise coach McDermott's authenticity as he went along.
"I could sit there and say, 'I could buy into this,'" said Riddick. "The goosebumps started trickling up."
Long time NFL reporter Adam Schefter also noticed that McDermott had a strong command of the Bills personnel.
"The one thing that stuck out, was that he had the attention of that room," said Schefter. "It looked like he commanded the respect of that room. Those guys were sitting there, and they were intent upon everything he was saying."
3 – GMFB discusses AFC East QB landscape
Aside from Tom Brady, who is entering his 19th NFL season, there are a lot of question marks surrounding the quarterbacks in the AFC East. Josh Allen is in the midst of a quarterback battle with Nathan Peterman and A.J. McCarron, Ryan Tannehill is coming off a major injury with no fallback plan in place in Miami, and the Jets invested in USC product Sam Darnold although he continues to play alongside veterans Teddy Bridgewater and Josh McCown. Recently, the Good Morning Football cast spoke about the situations in the AFC East.
"I think the Jets have the most fascinating situation," said Peter Schrager. "Obviously they have the golden boy in Sam Darnold…then you have Teddy Bridgewater who is outstanding and playing better than Darnold this year…and then you've got [Josh] McCown who is 39-years-old and is the ultimate veteran on a one-year deal."
Kyle Brandt noted that he thinks that the quarterback situation in Miami is the most intriguing of the four.
"I think with the Dolphins, they are the only team in the division that we don't know for sure who is going to be the quarterback in 2019," he said. "You've got [Ryan] Tannehill, [Brock] Osweiler, David Fales, and Bryce Petty; that is a crew. That's the only way you could have taken [Jay] Cutler out of the room and still manage to make it more interesting."
Kay Adams however, says that she prefers the quarterback situation in Buffalo.
"I do like what is going on with the Bills, because I don't think it is an open book," she said. "I said from the moment that he was drafted, that Josh Allen has the easiest path to start.
"This is not a team that is afraid to make a quarterback change," said Adams referencing last year's switch from Tyrod Taylor to Nathan Peterman mid-season.
Although Adams believes that Allen will be the Week 1 starter in Buffalo, the first-year man out of Wyoming will still need to put together a couple more weeks of solid performances to earn the starting nod.
