While the end of the Buffalo-Kansas City showdown brought heart palpitations to players, coaches and fans around the country in January, quarterback Josh Allen stayed steady.
On a recent “Friday Fuel-Up” podcast sponsored by the American Pistachio Growers, Allen delved into his mindset at the end of the Bills’ gutting loss in Kansas City, which teetered on eerily calm.
“That game, I’ve never been in a zone like that before where my heart rate probably never got over 100,” Allen said on the podcast. “I was so focused and so relaxed. Even after that last TD I threw, I gave Gabe Davis a hug and I sat down. Everybody else was having a good time, the fans were going crazy, but I sat down. If I need to go back out there, I’m ready. I didn’t get the chance to, but that isn’t how the dice rolls sometimes.”
The ending of the game, and the season, will still be a storyline as the Bills prepare for next year. It's informed who General Manager Brandon Beane has looked for in free agency, and it also shaped how the Bills look at the draft.
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When the team returns to St. John Fisher College this summer for training camp, at least one player will be elated about the location: Allen. He detailed why he’s looking forward to spending time in Rochester.
“I’m big into that your relationship off the field correlates to how much trust you have on the field,” Allen said.
He understands that some players might prefer the comforts of their own homes to staying in dorms. But Allen sees multiple benefits to the time in Rochester. It starts with team building, which he believes translates to success in games.
“That is the funnest time in a football season: When you get to spend 2½ weeks with your team,” he said. “You see each other from the second you wake up to the second you lay down for bed. Guys are playing cards, guys are going out to eat with each other, guys are playing video games. It brings out that collegelike atmosphere. … I’m a big believer that relationships you have off the field can pay dividends on the field.”
Allen sees the parallels between his time in Laramie, Wyo., and Western New York, as far as being more able to focus on football in smaller communities.
He’ll be focusing with a revamped roster. The Bills have spent the last week changing up the team during free agency in hopes of extending their postseason run. The goal is certainly a Super Bowl, and adding pieces like pass rusher Von Miller will help Buffalo compete in the star-studded AFC, as well as avenge last season's ending.
Allen also touched on other topics during the podcast.
On managing his mental approach:
“Throughout the game, breathing helps. That’s a form of meditation, right. Coach McDermott does a great job with us in practice going over situational football. Putting us in situations, ‘You need to figure this out … two-minute drill, you’ve got 37 seconds, you’re on the 45-yard line and you have one timeout. How do you go about this?’ Knowledge of the situation and being prepared eliminates the stress and anxiety of eagerness of being out there and allows you to be free. You know what to do, you know what the situation calls for and then you have to go out and execute it.”
On how he deals with bad days:
“I’m a firm believer that there are no bad days, some are just better than others. I have that kind of mentality. Sometimes I’ve been called overly optimistic by my girlfriend and my family because I just feel like things are always going to work out. One, it’s because of how much faith I have in what’s going on, second, how much work I’ve put in to what I’m doing. I’m a problem-solver type of guy. I want to figure out how to fix it the most efficient way. Being motivated on tough days, if you will, I always think it could be worse. I woke up today, I’m breathing, my family is healthy, I’ve got a great dog (who was in the background), I get to play golf. Not everyone has that type of luxury. To know that you wake up every day and be in the spot you are, it should give you enough motivation to tackle the day."
On spreading the ball in a game like the divisional round:
“From our best guys to No. 53 on the roster to through the practice squad we have guys who want to do what it takes to win football games,” Allen said. “You’ve got a lot of like-minded individuals who are about each other and just want to win.”
