How you doing, buddy?

I'm doing good.

How are you doing?

I'm great.

Good to see you again.

Good to see you too.

I was hoping you'd be making to San Francisco this weekend.

I mean, I was looking forward to it, and obviously pre Copa times like this was the games killed everybody they had circled.

Have the fam drive up from Fireball and the whole crowd e we would have 1000 right?

Well, we'll have to look forward to the next time.

I, uh I used to play in the whack.

We played the in Laramie, Wyoming.

Every year we had every year, we went to Wyoming and everyone always said to me, You know, the question comes up Where is the toughest place to play?

And they always think that I'll say, Oh, the you know, with the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Or, you know, in Green Bay or Detroit, or I'm like, No, the toughest place I ever played was later me Wyoming.

Let me tell you some tough fans, rough place, rough crowd and rough weather.

I mean, as any place could get you ready for buffalo and the great people of buffalo is the great people of Laramie, Wyoming.

That's right.

No, just like you said it.

It's in between mountain ranges and the wind that goes through there.

I mean, you wake up every morning, it's zero or negative degrees.

So, uh, when it's sunny here especially, you know, I'm rocking shorts and no sleeves.

So it's, uh it's definitely prepped me for this.

Yeah, I know.

I was, you know, uh, the fan.

I mean, it was just You have to be tough.

It was tough minded, you know, those cowboys air, tough minded guys, you know, And, uh, and I always said the toughest place ever played was Laramie Wyoming way Have that in common.

Uh huh.

So, you know, you think about, you know, Tom Brady is famous for having a chip on his shoulder, and we all have things that drive us, are and sent us to play better or things that we want to prove people wrong.

And and I know that really college was probably a fairway thio kind of connect that dot for you wanting to go toe Fresno doesn't happen.

End up in Wyoming.

What is your chip?

What do you What drives you What does your chip on the shoulder?

You're like that?

Something in the past that, uh, mine was my college coach told you wouldn't coach a lefty, and I wanted to prove them wrong that, you know, lefties can do it.

So, what is there a chip that you have on your shoulder?

That kind of drives you?

Well, I mean, I think it just kind of my upbringing, um, my hometown coming out of high school, obviously zero offers.

And I I took that extremely personally and then going to junior college And the reason I went to junior college instead of walking on seven because my parents could have, you know, they could have put me through college number.

But I made a promise to myself that I wasn't gonna let them pay for my college.

Um, so when I went to junior college, that was that was the only thing on my mind was getting scholarship, no matter where it came from.

And, you know, that's it only came from one spot.

Um, you know, fortunately for me, it turned out really well, but I ended up having to actual offers.

Eastern Michigan and Wyoming, Eastern Michigan, ended up pulling their offer because I couldn't go visit them.

And then, uh, Eastern Michigan beat me twice while I was at Wyoming.

So it was a weird situation.

It is what it is.

But I'm definitely glad how it turned out it.

Zits made me the man that I am and, uh, you know, So I made the story all that much better.

You coming back and playing the 40 Niners were growing up in in a fireball.

I swear, Josh, I used to go.

Um uh, we had the booster clubs all over, uh, California, Northern California, and they would send us out to go t talk to the booster clubs during the off season.

That's what it was so funny.

Look back in those days, I promise you, I was in Fireball.

I have I probably talk to your parents on one of the booster club meetings and fireball for the 40 Niners that is 49 or country down.

That grew up.

It's huge for 200 countries.

I mean, it's either one of the other, though it's either huge 49 or huge Raider, and it's like the feud between families down there like you either love your cousins on your dad's side or you hate your cousins on your mom's side because they want.

They're not never the same.

But like you said, it's a big time 40 Niner faithful down there.

It's not fair.

You're 66 If you run around like you do, you're supposed to be 6 ft.

You're supposed to be short and everyone says you're too short to play and you know that's a chip on your shoulder.

You don't have to deal with right because you're but you're 66 and can run and run like the wind.

And it's crazy.

The game.

You have a very similar than a zoo mine, But yet you're so much taller, which is again amazing to me.

How do you How do you take that game in?

Do you do you?

Or do you feel like I used to feel like people say, Oh, you're scrambling quarterback?

You're not really a quarterback.

The game has changed a lot to today's.

You probably don't hear that that much, but do you feel a little bit of Ah, anyone shame you around your mobility and they want you to stay in the pocket more.

How do you feel about your total game?

Do you like being able to get out and go?

I think it's an added element that, you know defense is have to focus on when they game plan.

Um, you know, we don't call too many quarterback designed runs, and when we do, it's it's very minimal.

It's the third day down here there, Um, but most of my runs coming off scramble, just trying to escape and extend the play.

And, uh, you know, e like they do a good job, keep my eyes downfield.

But when the opportunity presents itself to run, uh, you know, that's That's what I have to dio and again, it's just that added, added element that teams have to focus on.

It takes away from other game planning type deals.

But, I mean, if Philip to me, I would stand in the pocket all day and throw to our guys that actually know how to juke and stiff arm and do all that stuff instead of, uh, lumbering down the field and getting getting hit like myself.

Um, but, you know, I'm learning, you know, it's been a fun process of kind of being my rookie year is kind of like a one read, then run type of guy now toe progressing through different reads and having your concepts that you really feel comfortable with.

And, you know, if you get to your third or fourth reading, it's not there in that time clock goes off in your head and it's time to go.

But, um, it's definitely an asset, and then I feel like I utilize it, Um, pretty, pretty well, But again, Thio, I know the best ability is availability, so limiting those hits and try to get the ball it quicker is something that's been on my mind.

I'm telling you, Hold onto it, Josh.

Even at 38 I ran the ball around when needed when it was useful, and I think that's where you're trying to get to in the game today.

There's no question there are so many free yards for quarterbacks to go get and the guys that can't go get him.

I think you're at a huge disadvantage, so please don't lose that.

You know, I know you don't wanna end up with the ball in your hands, but your teammates will recognize over time that you've done all you can to get rid of the ball, and now it's time for me to actually go get the first down.

Go get the yardage and they'll get used to it.

But so don't be.

Don't anyone shame you away from taking those free yard?

Never.

Uh, I I saw you.

I was actually in the game in the playoff game last year in in Houston.

We covered the pregame and and watched you and the guy that played that game, and the guy that's played this season is different.

You are more settled.

You are much more efficient.

Uh, I still think you're trying to figure out how to give in on a play, because you wanna you wanna you wanna you feel like you are Superman because you have the ability to do that.

You're trying to figure that out, But you are much more subtle, deficient quarterback than you were back then.

How can you does that?

How you describe the difference from last year?

Yeah, I think I know myself a little better.

I think that's that's That's key is, you know, self knowledge on understand what you can and can't do in the fields.

And yeah, I spent a lot of this off season with, you know, Jordan Palmer and working on mechanics and trying to find the right stroke for me.

Um, not only that, you know, we brought in Coach Ken Dorsey last year who's been huge for me, and I don't know if you know, can but, um, the juice that he brings to, uh, you know, it's our quarterback room and obviously being in year three with coach table, um, it's just been a good mesh.

We've been using the same terminology in the same Burbage.

I feel very comfortable talking with table and taking concepts that I don't like out putting some that I like in.

And, you know, he's been super open to that.

Um, but I mean again, it's it's taking the whole community here to kind of figure out what the best way to, you know, go forward as an offense that, you know, waas.

And, uh, we're being, like, you say, extremely efficient, especially on first down right now.

And, you know, a third down conversion rate is, uh it's up there, but, you know, God is still limited, unlimited.

Some of those turnovers.

Some of the turnover worthy place, too.

So that's something I'm still working on.

And, like you said, when the when to say when and give up on a plate and take a sack or throw the ball away and, um, I guess we'll continue learn a time goes on.

But Josh, I want you to know that the whole team has to kind of grow with you.

My offensive line had to figure out how did block for me, how my game was a little bit different, and I know that that's a transition that your offensive line is going through, and that's just a little advice for you to not recognize it.

Just It's not just you kind of figure it out.

I think the whole teams trying to figure out how you've got so much talent, you've got the ability to do so many things.

How do you figure out how toe limit in the right place the right time?

But they're trying to figure it out, too.

So be patient.

Uh, with you know, that there are times when I'm sure they say, Where is he going?

I block that guy and now he ends up running into a sack or what?

All that stuff has toe kind of, you know, find its place over time.

And I know that that's a big difference from last year to this year is it felt like the whole team has ingested Josh Allen in a really positive way.

Do you feel that way?

Yeah, I definitely do.

And you know, it's always good with mine.

Come up to you and, like, kind of tap you on the but thank you for getting out of that one for me.

And, uh, but there are sometimes, too.

When you hold onto the ball a little too long, you try to make something happen where, you know, it results in the opposite outcome.

But, you know, just like you said, offensive lineman knowing if you're gonna scramble or not, um, knowing where to put their hands.

If if you're a guy that kind of steps up and gets out, you know, inside they learn how to protect for you like that instead of, you know, holding onto a shoulder pad, getting a holding call.

Um, and it does take time.

But I think, like you said, we've progressed over the last year.

Pretty, pretty nicely.

And the scary thing is, um you know, I think we still have a lot of room to get a lot of room to grow.

I agree.

100% room to grow, but you're already on the cusp of winning the division.

First time since 1995.

How old were you?

Negative.

One years old.

Negative one.

That is some time, Josh.

How does that feel?

How do you sense that happening around Buffalo?

What's it mean to the team that you're on this?

I mean, it looks like you, you know, you're on the cusp of the of the division, which is amazing.

Yeah.

I mean way.

No, we still have games left to play.

Um, you know, 83 8 wins doesn't typically get it done.

So we understand what needs to be done.

But we are focused in one game at a time.

And obviously that's the San Francisco 40 Niners on Monday night in Arizona, no less.

So we don't want anything toe kind of take our focus or distract us away from the task at hand and that it is one in the division, you know, coach McDermott has the standard here, and it's called playoff caliber.

Um, the easiest way to get the playoffs is winning your division.

So that Z number one on top of our list right now.

So that's what we're focusing on doing.

And, um, again, we still have five games left that we gotta go out there and compete.

Put our best foot forward.

Sure, I've never gotten an apology letter from fans in my life.

How does it feel that they doubted your long ball?

And then now you get an actual apology letter from the fans saying excuses.

They used to doubt your long ball.

I don't know.

I'm not most quarterbacks and say, I've experienced anything you've ever experienced.

I now have you've experienced.