Josh Allen is facing a lot of praise and pressure at the same time. Fans are putting a lot of hopes on the quarterback's shoulders and believe him the new face of the Buffalo Bills.
According to Allen, Bills' fanbase, largely built by Jim Kelly and his comrades after winning four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s, now thinks he can lead the team to the same heights.
"Always - always," second-year quarterback Josh Allen told Yahoo Sports. "[Fans] are just like, 'You're gonna be the next Jim Kelly!' It's high praise ... and it's a lot of pressure, if you will," he added. Allen said he head the same comment over a thousand times already. Not that he is holding a grudge.
He said he gets why the fans view him as such. Buffalo has already traded up twice to take him seventh overall in the previous year's draft. He also said that this is precisely what he signed up for anyway, ever since he was a kid. Growing up, he admired many from the team, such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Brett Favre.
"Growing up, being a professional quarterback is the only thing I ever wanted to do," Allen said. "It's the most amazing thing ever; I couldn't do anything else."
Bills' general manager even notices that Allen is truly taking the face-of-the-franchise comments and responsibility quite seriously, engaging in activities that would further cinch him to that description. He interacts with the media for at least 20 minutes every day. He could sign autographs for nearly an hour, and maybe more if he won't be dragged away by staffers reminding him to train.
"He doesn't have to," Bills general manager Brandon Beane shared with Yahoo Sports. He added that Allen could certainly beg off these media and fan meetings, just by saying he is busy, but he does not. "He understands this is a business, and he understands his brand and he cares. He talks about being a kid growing up who wanted to meet such a player, and now he's that guy, he hasn't forgotten," Beane explained.
Of course, the only way Allen can really prove himself to be the next Jim Kelly if he shows the same performance in the actual field. Fans need not worry, though. It seems that Allen has cooked up some plan to do more than just perform. he plans to enable the team to compete for Super Bowls, as reported by Bills Wire.
Throughout the draft process, Allen was heavily scrutinized and even criticized for his lack of accuracy as well as anticipation. However, he was chosen for a reason, including is natural ability to make unprecedented plays with his arms and legs, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
