'I Was Trying To Be Somebody I Wasn't!' QB Josh Allen Before Bills at Chargers

'I Was Trying To Be Somebody I Wasn't!' QB Josh Allen Reveals His Leadership Style for Buffalo Bills at Chargers

Josh Allen's "style''? No we're not talking about his "playing style,'' which is a subject of debate for Buffalo Bills watchers and NFL watchers, too ... "Run more!'' "Be careful!'' "Oh-no!'' "Oh, yes!''

Nor are we talking about his sartorial style; what's he supposed to do, match teammate Stefon Diggs' "letter jacket and kilt'' ensemble that the star receiver wore before the Saturday night game at the Los Angeles Chargers?

No, it's about a "leadership style,'' and the subject came up in a pregame interview, with Allen speaking basically on what he's like when he's ... well, himself.

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“Josh being Josh,'' he told NBC, is just the big kid that loves football,” Allen told NBC's Michael Smith. “Sometimes it's not going to be pretty, but he's going to make plays, he's going to help his team win football games. That's the only thing I've ever tried to do …''

That is in part about playing style. But Allen, the centerpiece of an 8-6 Bills team trying to fight its way to the playoffs, morphed that concept into another one.

"To be the leader that you can be, you have to be authentic,'' he said, you have to be 100-percent who you are. Throughout times, I was trying to be somebody I wasn't in terms of trying to lead a certain way.''

What way is that?

"I'm not a very vocal guy,'' he said. "I don't want to tell people, I want to show people what to do. That's how I lead, that's how I've done it my entire life.''

"Josh being Josh'' has been a successful for Allen as he's led his Bills to three straight AFC East division titles.

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The challenges are different this year; the Miami Dolphins have the inside track on the division, and with three games left in the regular season, the playoffs are not guaranteed. But the Bills beat Dallas last week in a sort of "signature win.'' They are favored to do more of the same at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.

And if they do? It'll likely be in part the result of "Josh being Josh.''


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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983. He is the author of two best-selling books on the NFL.