Bills fans need to believe in Beane and McDermott draft picks
Commentary by David Yarger
Tribune Editor
The Buffalo Bills came into the 2018 NFL Draft with various needs - mainly at quarterback. Rumors flew around for months about whether the Bills would trade up to No. 2, No. 4, No. 5 and other various spots, or just stay put at No. 12 and No. 22.
With Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold off the board by pick No. 3, the Bills sat around for a few picks and decided to make their move to No. 7, trading the 12th pick and two second round draft picks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the seventh pick, General Manager Brandon Beane put his faith in Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.
Various Buffalo fans were not thrilled with the pick, noting Allen's completion percentage of 56.3 percent at Wyoming, including dud games versus power-five conference foes Iowa (23-40, 174 yards and two interceptions) and Oregon (9-24, 64 yards and one interception).
Most fans were hoping to hear Commissioner Roger Goodell call out a different Josh, in Josh Rosen, the vibrant UCLA standout QB, who has praised himself and his work ethic several times leading up to the draft.
Allen has struggled with accuracy, but teams loved his stature at almost 6-feet-5-inches and 233 pounds. Another big asset in Allen's arsenal is his powerful throwing arm. One thing that was also mentioned was what Allen played through in Wyoming. As many Western New Yorker's know, the weather post-Thanksgiving is usually less than pleasant. In Wyoming, Allen went through a variety of the conditions he will see at New Era Stadium. Granted, the cold-weather quarterback track has been played one too many times on sports networks about Allen, it still makes a difference. Drafting a quarterback out of Wyoming to play in Buffalo is completely different to drafting a QB from USC to play in Buffalo.
There was a mix of fans who disapproved the pick, due to Allen's past tweets that were revealed, stats from Wyoming, etc., etc. I think the big reason for the disapproval stems from one thing - notoriety.
Allen, coming from a not-so-popular college in Wyoming, didn't possess the popularity as Mayfield from Oklahoma, or Rosen from UCLA. If Allen went to a well-known school, I believe the script would be flipped.
Another thing is, for Bills fans, theirs a lot of accountability with this pick. The Bills Mafia has been begging for a reliable franchise quarterback for quite some time. Following the trade of Tyrod Taylor, many wondered what was next for the team, as Taylor, truthfully, was one of the better QB's in the Bills recent past.
Picking Allen is more than just selecting a player. Allen is now responsible for the future of the franchise and expected, maybe not this year, but to soon lead the Bills back into playoff glory. It takes a lot for Bills fans to put all their eggs in one basket for someone they don't know very much about.
Some fans booed the pick and wondered what Beane and crew were thinking. Philadelphia Eagles fans weren't too keen on drafting Carson Wentz, a no-name quarterback from North Dakota State. How'd that work out? Houston Texans fans badmouthed the Texans social media accounts following their selection of JJ Watt in 2011. Watt is kind of a good defender nowadays.
What I'm saying here is this is Western New York, where everyone wishes well for everyone. Give Allen a chance to prove himself and put your faith in Beane and McDermott, the same guys who just took a subpar roster to their first playoff game in 17 years in their first year of business. I look back and I can only think of one disagreement I've had with the new staff and that was starting Nathan Peterman versus the Los Angeles Chargers. But, if Peterman would've gone out and thrown five touchdowns compared to five interceptions, would we be talking about Allen right now? At the time, change was necessary, as the Bills were struggling.
All I can say is believe in the management; they know what they're doing and know more inside One Bills Drive then us fans. Let them do their jobs and let Allen work behind AJ McCarron and get a feel for the game. The Bills may take some lumps in 2018, but everyone needs to keep their faith in the organization and simply trust the process.
