Buffalo Makes All Relevant: The Destructive Power of the NFL "Catapult"

To be successful, an NFL club needs a strong quarterback. Josh Allen wasn't at the Buffalo Bills for two years. Now he has risen to star – and the unique loser from Buffalo is being taken seriously again.

When talent scouts from the National Football League are looking for quarterbacks at American colleges, they like to pay attention to size and limb. Josh Allen has both. The playmaker of the Buffalo Bills measures 1.96 meters and, according to his teammate Zack Moss, "can probably throw the football further than 100 yards".

In his first two years as a professional, however, this Josh Allen was an example that the size and limb may be ideal for making it into the NFL, but are by no means a guarantee of being a good NFL quarterback. Above all, the precision of his passports was a problem. And so the "New York Times" wrote that Allen had the "accuracy of a medieval catapult".

That may sound mean, but NFL statistics backed up that impression. In his first season, 2018, Allen was at the bottom of all quarterbacks with a completion percentage of 52.8 percent. A year later, 58.2 percent of his throws reached the teammate – but Buffalo's ball distributor was still last. In this season, however, Allen has increased to 69.5 percent and is fourth. Only Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay / 70.7), Drew Brees (New Orleans / 70.6) and DeShaun Watson (Houston / 70.2) have better values.

The self-confidence grows audibly

Allen's rise is one of the big stories of this NFL season. Within a year he played his way to the elite of the quarterbacks, he was the first playmaker in the NFL to gain more than 4,500 yards of space with his passes, at the same time to give more than 35 touchdown assists and even more than five times with the football to run the opposing end zone.

The fact that the Bills played the best preliminary round since 1991 with a record of 13-3 wins and won a playoff game for the first time since 1996 with a 27:24 win against the Indianapolis Colts last weekend was largely due to him . Two of his passes resulted in touchdowns and another touchdown. In the most important game of his career so far, Allen proved once again that he is a versatile playmaker, almost as dangerous with his fast legs as his right arm.

And he is, who would have thought that a year ago, alongside quarterback stars Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, as a candidate for the "Most Valuable Player" (MVP) award. "I don't think I'm better than anyone. But I know that I can compete with anyone," said the 24-year-old with the confidence of a leader whose team hasn't lost a game since November 15th.

Accolade from legend

This winning streak of seven games in a row will be tested in the playoff quarter-finals by the Baltimore Ravens. A team that is as strong as the Bills. And with Lamar Jackson as the reigning MVP, he has a quarterback whose running game can be even more dangerous than Allen.

A few weeks ago he got a kind of accolade from the man who is the benchmark in Buffalo when it comes to quarterbacks: Jim Kelly. "Josh is going to break all of my records," said Kelly. Shortly thereafter, Allen had already taken the first two records from him with 37 touchdowns and passes over 4544 yards of space within a season.

Jim Kelly was the star playmaker of the Bills 30 years ago. In the early 1990s, when Buffalo was the epitome of title dreams and tragedy in the NFL. From 1991 to 1994 the club was in the Super Bowl four times in a row. No other club in the history of the final has achieved that. However, the Bills have lost four times – that is also unique. Buffalo has since been considered the symbol of a loser in the final.

"It will be something" on the first day

When talking about the strong season for the Niagara Falls team, Stefon Diggs is a must. The wide receiver came from the Minnesota Vikings in March. And they weren't quite sure which Stefon Diggs they were going to experience in Buffalo. The outstanding ball catcher – or the sometimes moody diva? The answer was given at the end of May.

No player caught more passes this season than Diggs.

(Photo: imago images / Icon SMI)

The offensive players of the Bills met in South Florida for a mini training camp. When Davis saw Webb, one of Buffalo's replacement quarterbacks, Diggs and Allen before the first session, he immediately felt good. "Stef got out of his car and it was a good fit between the two of them from the start. Every pass arrived on the first day," remembers Webb.

Then, reported "The Athletic", Webb Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll sent a text message. He kept it short, only needed five words to tell Daboll what he should know. "This is going to work." (That'll be something.) And it actually turned out to be something. As impressive as Allen's numbers are, Diggs' data is even more impressive. With 127 passports caught and a gain of 1535 yards, he was not only at the top of the Bill's best list, but is also number one in the league with both statistics.

The most successful station wagon in the entire league

The interaction between Allen and Diggs, which is often accurate to the millimeter, is all the more astonishing, as normal season preparation was not possible due to Covid-19 and many units had to take place in front of the computer. Everyone likes to emphasize that his wide receivers don't have to be in a certain spot on the lawn for every move, but should simply run free as best they can – and then he will find them. Diggs has proven multiple times that this is actually workable.

"I just try to make the moves I'm supposed to be, whether they're perfect or not," says Diggs. Only in this way, adds the 27-year-old, is it possible to build a relationship, a chemistry and thus a strong team. Diggs has targeted Allen 166 times – no other quarterback-wide-reicever combination in the league comes as high as this. Although both were still getting used to it, Diggs had caught eight passes, ran 153 yards and scored a touchdown in the second game. He played so well that wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie went from teammate to admirer. "I just thought, once he knows all the moves and routes, it's over. Then the others can pack up."

But the Bills are on the offensive not only Allen and Diggs, but a varied and in many ways dangerous team. A total of 13 different professionals have ended a game of all with a touchdown this season.

The quarterback has prevailed in his third NFL season, has become a leading player and has gained a lot of acceptance across the league. And listening to Josh Allen like that, it probably took him two years of study to be where he is now. "I'm not perfect, but now I know what I'm doing."