Josh Allen found some delight at the expense of Jets fans.
By Justin DiLoro / Billswire.usatoday.com
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen put himself on the NFL map when he hurdled Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr during a Week 3 victory on the road last season. Other fan bases are taking note, and Allen is all right with it.
In an interview with The Athletic, Allen was asked about the “coolest thing” about his position in the NFL. The second-year pro can see positives and negatives about playing the highest-profile position on professional football roster.
“Obviously, there’s good and bad. The most significant thing is pressure. But I’ve been able to do a lot. I went to Monaco,” Allen said.
However, there are also times when he travels to enemy territory. While doing so, Allen found some delight at the expense of New York Jets fans.
“I went to a Yankees game last month, and they put me on the Jumbotron at Yankee Stadium, which was really, really cool. I got booed because they’re Jets fans, but that, to me, was so gratifying,” Allen said.
It makes sense, as Jets fans have an additional reason to challenge Allen. New York selected quarterback Sam Darnold four spots ahead of Allen in the 2017 draft. If Darnold is outplayed by Allen, it will indicate yet another mistake made by the Jets front office. Allen continued, “I thought, ‘Yeah, they don’t like me around here. I’m into that.’ That was fun.”
It’s his home landing spot that is particularly satisfying for the Wyoming product. Buffalo is approximately 1,530 miles east of his alma mater. He has found a way to be embraced by fans in Western New York, even challenging the most hardened Bills fans.
“Then, just around the town of Buffalo, I feel super loved here. It’s a great base, the best fan base in the NFL. To feel a part of them, a part of Bills Mafia, the beer-chugging thing, it shows everybody on the Bills is a normal person just like anybody else,” Allen said.
Allen may be the recipient of some jeers from downstaters, but it’s all love in Western New York.
Then again, folks from the same area in the greater New York City region booed another quarterback recently, too. That one, in a bizarre twist, was New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Allen’s boo-birds make much more sense…