Josh Allen sounds a bit different heading into Year 9
· Yahoo Sports
ORCHARD PARK - We didn’t learn all that much from Josh Allen’s last media availability until the Buffalo Bills show up at St. John Fisher University in late July, but there was one interesting nugget.
When he was asked what books he and his wife, Hailee Steinfeld, have been reading their infant daughter, he said, “The Pout-Pout Fish. That's a good one right now. She likes that one.”
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OK then.
In terms of football, it’s year No. 9 for Allen, and he’s reached the point in his career where the offseason program is more of a necessary evil than it is a necessity.
Not that he shouldn’t have been in Buffalo throughout the spring as the undeniable leader and face of the franchise, but it’s not like he was going to improve his game in these non-padded, mostly non-contact practices. Still, the guy loves the game, he loves being with his teammates, so it’s right where he was supposed to be.
“I think we're coming out here, we're competing at a very high level,” Allen said. “Guys are flying around, we've done a good job of connecting. You hear our guys cheering on each other, a couple of the things that Joe had wanted for this OTA period to be is, connect, compete, condition, and then come out here and just have a lot of fun and play some football.”
Mission accomplished, and now Allen and his teammates are on summer break, a chance to rest, unwind, and spend time with their family and friends before the slog of another season is here before they know it.
Here are a few other things Allen discussed:
Connecting with teammates is key
Allen said he’s probably going to get together with some of his passing game targets at some point, which Brady is a big fan of.
“Some of it is just getting guys together in the summer,” Brady said. “You can only run so much, right, but there are a lot of hours in the day. You guys know how I feel about connected football teams. I think those are great opportunities for guys to get together.
“Yeah, they throw, but after that, are they breaking bread together? Are they hanging with each other? I think that’s so valuable. It’s part of the reason we go away to training camp and this is just another extension of it.”
However, now that he’s a father, Allen will also be spending a little more time at home in California.
“Similar routine, spend a little bit more time on the body, working out and just trying to continue to home in on the mechanic side of things,” he said. “I feel like I'm in a good spot right now and can still be better, so I'm gonna continue to find ways that I can do that. But obviously having a baby now, sticking around the house a little bit more and trying to balance being a dad and going out there and getting my work done, too.”
It was important to get together with DJ Moore
As the Bills’ new No. 1 receiver, Allen needed to start learning the subtleties of Moore’s game - how he comes in and out of his breaks, where does he like the ball thrown, what are his favorite routes? These sessions set a foundation which the two can now start to build on when training camp starts.
“Still working on it, still working on it with everybody,” Allen said. “There's just different nuances that some guys have in their body language. He's as smooth of a football player as I've ever been around. I'm lucky to come to work and have the guys that we do, especially him going out there. And he works extremely hard. It's fun to be out there with him.”
Allen is also connecting with QB coach Bo Hardegree
The Bills did not bring back Ronald Curry who was Allen’s position coach the previous year, the QB coach under who he won the 2024 MVP.
Curry is now the receivers coach for the Broncos, and Hardegree and his 13 years of NFL coaching experience including seven as a QB coach is now in the room with Allen. Hardegree’s NFL coaching career began when he was hired twice by John Fox, now a senior assistant under Brady. Fox hired Hardegree for his 2014 Broncos staff and his 2015 Bears staff, both as an offensive quality control and assistant.
“It's just a lot of meeting time, that's kind of what the OTAs are for as well,” Allen said. “You're kind of reinstalling the playbook, and it may be the same type of playbook that I've been in for the last eight years, but a lot of different nuances this year.
“He brings a lot of knowledge from his previous stops in the league, he's got a lot of experience, and to be able to talk through different concepts, different defenses, how he sees it, and how he conveyed it to us. He's doing a great job in our room, and we're lucky to have him.”
O-line coach Pat Meyer has big shoes to fill
Aaron Kromer was one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL and his techniques and philosophies helped the Bills form one of the most effective units in the league. Kromer has retired, but Brady did a nice job in bringing Meyer in as his replacement.
Meyer was the O-line coach for the Panthers when Brady was the offensive coordinator, and he has worked nine straight years in that position, the last four seasons with the Steelers.
“Coach Meyer's doing a great job,” Allen said. “Love his energy. I love talking with him. Actually, we miss Krome, too, but he's doing such a great job. He's got a lot of really good relationships in that room already. Having not been in his room all that much, we haven't really had many protection meetings yet, just because we're not in that mode, but I'm excited to get in there and hear how he teaches and the guys are responding extremely well to him. So, that's obviously a plus.”
Allen is excited to play in the new stadium
It’s funny, but whenever he has been asked about old Highmark Stadium, Allen has always seemed reluctant to get all sentimental about the place, even though he spent eight years playing there and enjoyed unparalleled success.
However, it was also a tough place for quarterbacks to play with the inclement weather, but specifically the gusty winds that always seemed to blow there.
The new stadium will supposedly be able to significantly limit the impact of wind, and Allen can’t wait to get in there and play.
“I think my mind, my eyes are more attracted to the (new) one,” he said when asked his thoughts on seeing the old place getting demolished little by little. “I see that a little bit more. Obviously a lot of memories in the old one. I'm not too much of a sentimental guy. This place has got grass and it's going to be pretty cool in there. I've been in there a few times and I think the fans are going to be very pleased when we get that place rocking.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Josh Allen enters Year 9 with Bills and has new priorities