By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
As a former NFL MVP and two-time All-Pro quarterback, former Vikings, Redskins, Chiefs and Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon knows a thing or two about the QB position.
The player-turned-analyst for CBS Sports recently appeared on the Buffalo Bills’ radio program and discussed the Bills’ quarterback prospect in Josh Allen. Gannon believes the Buffalo QB has the makeup of an NFL signal caller.
“I think he has a lot of the intangibles that you really like at that position,” Gannon said. ” I think he’s got some toughness, I think he’s got some aggressiveness to him. I think he’s a smart player, he can make plays outside of the pocket with his legs. Clearly I think he gained a lot of experience in year one. He gained the trust and the respect and the confidence, really, of every one of his teammates and the coaching staff.”
As Allen enters his first offseason as an NFL quarterback, Gannon said he believes this upcoming year will be important for him. Gannon believes in a starters second season is when Bills fans could expect to see a push forward in a positive direction, but Gannon also added there’s an underlying situation to like with the Bills. They’re sticking with Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator once again.
“I think we usually we see a lot of progress from year one to year two with quarterbacks. I think it’s a positive that the Bills aren’t changing offensive coordinators,” Gannon said. “I think the opportunity to be with Brian Daboll (again) is going to help him this offseason.”
It wasn’t all roses from the former QB, though. Gannon pointed out where Allen needs improvement, and it wasn’t a surprise. Allen’s 52.8 percent completion percentage is where he started.
“You just look back at his body of work, you’ve got a guy that’s a competitor, he’s trusting his feet, being a little be more quieter in the pocket, he’s going through the progressions and reads and not being so quick to pull it down at times,” Gannon said. “He knows he can run with the football, but completion percentage has to improve significantly. I think the decision-making, especially on third down and those type of situations, the touchdown-to-interception ration wasn’t very good.”
“They’ve got to get better around him and I think they’ll do that. I think there’s a lot to like when you really study his game,” Gannon added.
While Gannon, like others, mentions Allen’s completion percentage, an improvement, even a big one in year two, is not out of the question. Jared Goff recently led the Rams to the Super Bowl. As a rookie, his completion percent was near Allen’s at 54.6.
In 2018, it jumped to 64.9. From his first to second year? It went to 62.1.
If Allen improved as Goff did, that, combined with his dual-threat athleticism as a runner, would cause heads to turn around the NFL and wonder what’s brewing up in Buffalo.