Quarterback Josh Allen is entering another year with hopes of bringing the Buffalo Bills to their first Super Bowl since the 1990s.
This year, however, the offense around him looks far different than it has for the last several. Longtime No. 1 wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been traded to the Houston Texans. The Bills drafted wide receiver Keon Coleman. They signed wide receiver Curtis Samuel. But Allen himself hopes to evolve with the new room.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer on behalf of Pepsi’s "Make Your Gameday Epic” campaign, Allen said he wants to get the ball to those guys more and keep from scrambling around quite as much.
"(Me being able to run) allows us to not take sacks, to extend plays, and utilize the scramble drill. But at the same time, understand that, you know, it just takes one, it takes one bad hit, it takes one bad whatever to hurt your chances of winning a football game," Allen said. "I want to get the guys that can catch it and run a little bit faster, and a little more elusive than I (the ball). And that's what I plan on doing this season. At the same time, you know, if it's there, I'll take it."
He also admitted the new room—which features a 6'3" Coleman, a 6'4" Mack Hollins and a 6'4" Marquez Valdes-Scantling—has encouraged him to find ways to upgrade his game.
"Finding completions (is an area I feel like I'll be better in this year than last). We spent a lot of time this offseason diving down into concepts I like, don't like, have success in... Ultimately trying to build a system where I know what my answers are and I don't have to utilize my legs as much. I'm not saying I don't want to utilize my legs, I think it's a very helpful part... The best play for us is the scramble drill, and is utilizing my legs to then throw the ball and not so much running the ball to run," Allen explained.
Last year, Allen led the league in sack percentage, and his yards per attempt, per game, QB rating, and success rate all dropped compared to the year before. But he did improve in completion percentage and saw his best yards after catch per completion since his rookie season (5.1). With new weapons, clearly, there's a feel that the attack should focus even more on those young receivers' hands than on Allen's legs.
"I've got some big tall guys that can go jump for a ball now and it's been an adjustment for me. You know, I've got Keon (Coleman) and Mack (Hollins) that I've gotta learn how to layer certain balls a different way, which has been fun. It's been challenging, but it's been fun," Allen said. "And just understanding that he may not look open, they may not look open, but they are if you put it in the right spot. Or with Curtis (Samuel), having a gadget guy that we can bring in the backfield and run routes, and do different things with."
It's certainly a new-look offense for Buffalo this year. As for whether or not it will pay off, that'll be clear soon enough.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Josh Allen Confesses He Plans to Leverage Passing Game More, Run Less This Season.
