Sean McDermott credits QB Josh Allen for spearheading Bills’ team-first mentality

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is proud of the tone quarterback Josh Allen has set as a leader.

Kyle Silagyi | Sep 14, 2024

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In an offseason in which several conversations of varying tones were had about Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the signal-caller’s leadership style and ability were oft-visited topics. The organization reportedly wanted its centerpiece to step into a more overt leadership role in the wake of significant offseason personnel turnover, something that general manager Brandon Beane suggested would come naturally as the passer gained more league experience.

Allen's coaches and teammates noticed his leadership growth throughout the offseason, with stalwart offensive tackle Dion Dawkins noting in July that the quarterback was becoming more “verbal” and a louder “barker.” As the on and, now, off-field leader of the squad, Allen’s leadership style sets the tone for the entire team; Buffalo has long gone as far as Allen can take it, but now in a more prominent leadership role, the quarterback has a more significant hand in molding the general team vibe into something more reflective of him and his authoritative style.

This has resulted in the blossoming of a more apparent team-first culture, a group mindset in which players prioritize the success of the club and celebrate team success as opposed to focusing on individual statistics and accolades. This psyche has spread throughout the team thanks to Allen, who is leading by example with regard to commemorating team success; head coach Sean McDermott spoke about the team’s ‘one-for-all’ mentality during his Friday media availability, stating that Allen is leading the way in establishing the group’s mindset.

“That’s huge, you don’t take it for granted,” McDermott said. “We have to sustain that, as well, right? I’m extremely appreciative of the guys and their mindset, and I really believe that starts at the top with Josh. Very unselfish in his approach. I love watching Josh celebrate when his teammates do great things.”

McDermott specifically noted Allen’s conduct in the team’s Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins, a 31-10 victory in which the quarterback attempted just 19 passes and contributed to just one touchdown. He couldn’t have cared less about his lack of a gaudy stat line, instead celebrating whenever his teammates made plays.

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“Watching the film of our offense, James [Cook] goes off tackle there and is about to score a touchdown, and you can see Josh in the background with his hands up, raised, just extremely happy for James and the offensive line and the wide receivers that are blocking,” McDermott said. “Same thing when the defense makes a great play, first person usually to celebrate, you see on the sideline when you watch the reaction of the sideline, is Josh Allen. Special teams, no different. When your top guy, when your best player, embodies that, it just has a tremendous amount of influence across the team.”

An organization’s on-and-off-field leader is generally its quarterback, and it’s, thus, unsurprising to see Allen step into a more defined leadership role; that said, the type of tone and culture a player spearheads is arguably more important than whether or not they’re doing enough as a leader. Allen has initiated a team-first culture in which players care not for personal production, but for group prosperity, layering this culture into the team through his actions and demeanor; it’s a different feeling than what’s been present in years past, and could be what the team needs to push it over the proverbial hump.

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